Alyeska Resort Retiring Oldest Chairlift (1979's Chairlift 1)

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Alyeska Resort is retiring their historic Chair 1 chairlift after 38 years of service. Adn.com reports the chairlift being dismantled is actually a second version of Chair 1. The first chair opened on Christmas Day of 1960, but it was carted away in favor of the current Chair 1, a double-seater Riblet lift installed in 1979 at the same place.

The last of the lift’s 140 chairs were collected Wednesday and the cable and towers are set to come down later this summer. The shacks at the onloading and offloading stations are scheduled to be dismantled and removed in September.

Although it is a sentimental favorite among locals, upkeep on the decades old chair has become prohibitively expensive:

“It’s old. It needs a lot of replacement parts that they don’t make anymore. Every replacement bolt and nut would have had to be custom-made, and that’s really expensive.” Alyeska Mountain Marketing Manager Ben Napolitano

The resort plans to sell off or donate the lift’s chairs but is holding a photo contest for best picture of Chair 1 with prize of a Chair 1 chair:

“We’ve received over 100 photos during the last week for our Chair 1 photo contest and we’ve narrowed it down to these top 10. Thanks to all who submitted your photos! Vote by liking a photo and the photographer with the most likes will take home a Chair 1 chair. Winner announced at the Sitzmark this Saturday, June 10. Join us for live music from Girdwood’s own Chasing the Wagon and a slide show of the rest of the entries!”