BIG SKY, Montana – Work on the world’s longest 8-place chairlift continues at Big Sky Resort in Montana, as crews from Jackson Contractor Group, Doppelmayr, and Big Sky have worked seamlessly to prepare the Madison 8 ski lift for the upcoming season. Most recently, many concrete foundations for both the upper and lower terminal, in addition to concrete foundations for tower work, have been laid.
“Jackson, Doppelmayr, Big Sky Resort, and all of our subcontractors have been working really well together, helping each other out as things come up. All these guys are really working hard and living by the motto ‘one team, one dream.'” – Tim Lyner, Jackson Contractor Group
As Big Sky’s second 8-place lift and third state-of-the-art D-line chairlift, the Madison 8 lift will effectively double uphill capacity to the resort’s north side terrain from the Madison base. Big Sky Blue Bubbles on the lift will protect riders from outside weather conditions, while heated seats provide an added comfort. With a new Fatzer Performa-DT Haul Rope, the ride is smoother and faster than ever, decreasing ride time by 30%.
Cold weather and subsurface geological challenges have made the excavation of building footprints and the subsurface structural work quite the effort, but teams were able to begin pouring concrete in July. Jackson Contractor Group lead concrete work at the top and bottom terminals, while Doppelmayr lead work on the chairlift tower sites.
“The tower sites are in remote locations along the lift line, making them hard to access with typical equipment. This required the concrete formwork, rebar, and concrete to be flown and set in place via helicopter. To support all 25 towers, Doppelmayr placed 490 cubic yards of concrete via helicopter, and an additional 56 cubic yards with the pump truck at the less remote locations.” – Big Sky Resort
Structural steel work is underway at the lower terminal’s chair storage enclosure, while lift components are currently being installed by Doppelmayr. Upper terminal structural steel work is set to begin in October.