LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah – Snowbird said farewell to its two-person Wilbere Lift this past winter. The original chairlift, named for Founder Ted Johnson’s wife and partner Wilma, first opened in 1971, right alongside the rest of the resort. But the time for an upgrade came, and Snowbird’s plans to upgrade the double into a quad have already begun. For those who might find themselves missing the old double, Snowbird has partnered up with Wasatch Ski Chairs to create an awesome way to hold onto the memories.
Wasatch Ski Chairs has refurbished and is now selling the original chair from the Wilbere Lift. These refurbished chairs feature the original galvanized coating and plastic bench slats, with all bases powder coated black. They’re 35 inches tall, 44 inches wide, and 22 inches deep, and each number plate is an original Doppelmayr from 1971. If you’re looking for a specific number, you’d better act fast. There’s obviously only one of each, and some numbers have already gone (I bet you can guess which one…).
“Originally installed for Snowbird’s opening day in 1971, these fixed grip doubles were recently retired in the spring of 2024. In partnership with Snowbird, we’re thrilled to offer chairs from another decommissioned lift.” – Wasatch Ski Chairs
The chairs are available for $1,950.00 each, and 10% of each purchase goes towards some pretty amazing organizations. This includes Wasatch Adaptive Sports and Snowbird Sports Education Foundation. Few opportunities exist to hold onto a piece of ski history like this!