Mars Hill, Maine — One of the most significant lift projects in New England this offseason is happening at a mountain few know about.
This offseason, BigRock Mountain is working on two significant projects: a new quad chairlift and snowmaking upgrades.
The new Doppelamyr Alpenstar fixed-grip quad chairlift will be 3,450 feet long and have a vertical rise of 932 feet. It will move at 450 feet/min and take eight minutes to reach the top. This will be a significant capacity upgrade for the ski area, with an uphill carrying capacity of 1800 people per hour. This will replace the Gemini chairlift, a Mueller fixed-grip double that was installed back in 1993.
Major snowmaking upgrades are also planned. These include renovating the existing pumphouse without new wires and pumps and adding a new pumphouse at Rocky Brook. New snowmaking fan guns and compression sticks are also planned.
So far this summer, they’ve made significant progress on the lift. The foundations were filled earlier this summer, and the lift towers were installed around two weeks ago. The bull wheel will likely arrive this week, and the top/bottom terminals are expected to be installed in the middle of August. Cable splices and the installation of the actual chairs will follow. They expect to open the new chairlift for the 2024-25 season.
The process of getting this chairlift on site took multiple years. In 2021, BigRock announced its intentions to make various improvements, like adding a new chairlift, expanding snowmaking, and improving infrastructure. Being a non-profit ski area, BigRock received this funding from various sources, including individual and corporate donations, American Rescue Plan funds, and a forgivable loan.
If you’ve ever wanted to visit this ski area, next winter seems like a good time to do so.
Image/Video Credits: BigRock Mountain
