Alpental Ski Resort in Washington State is replacing their iconic “Chair 2” Riblet double after 58 years of service for a new Doppelmayr fixed-grip triple chair, The Edelweiss Triple Chair, and they are making some major headway:
“Here’s a quick look at the bottom of Chair 2. Things are lookin’ good up here and it’s almost ready for some concrete! Hats off to the excavation team for swiftly hammering through all this rock.” -Alpental
The new chairlift will increase uphill capacity to 1,395 riders per hour and have a max operating speed of 500feet/minute. The overall length will be 2,604 feet with a vertical rise of 1,100 feet and carry 90 chairs spanned between 13 lift towers. The new lift is expected to reduce wait times in lift lines and enhance access to Alpental’s terrain.
For those of you who are nostalgic for Chair 2, you will happy to know that in an effort to retain part of its charm the new Doppelmayr triple will be built around the existing top station and patrol building.
