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Sugarloaf Starts Work on New Ski Lift

July 05, 2011 - Carrabasset Valley - Sugarloaf Mountain Resort has started work on a new $3 million chairlift to replace the 35-year-old lift that derailed in December and another lift that ran alongside it, resort officials said Wednesday.

Crews from the quad chairlift's manufacturer, Dopplemayr, arrived last week to begin construction, said resort spokesman Ethan Austin.

The new lift will be a fixed-grip quad that is faster, more wind-resistant and lower to the ground than the two-person chairlifts it's replacing, he said.

Work crews have been handling the demolition of the Spillway lifts in recent months. They still have some demolition work left and will help the manufacturer's crews with construction. The resort hopes the lift will be finished in November, in time for the ski season, Austin said.

Trucks carrying concrete and other heavy equipment have been getting towed about 2,470 feet up the mountain to the base of the new lift, Austin said.

The new lift is part of $4.3 million worth of off-season upgrades at Sugarloaf, which is also continuing to expand its terrain on neighboring Burnt Mountain, according to a news release.

The 35-year-old Spillway East lift was listed last summer as a top priority in the resort's 10-year upgrade plan, resort officials have said.

The lift derailed in December, sending eight skiers to hospitals. A state inspector's report cited wind, mechanical problems, and training and maintenance problems at the resort as factors in the derailment.

The resort has released a statement saying it has adopted new training and maintenance programs since the derailment.

Austin said Wednesday that he didn't know all the testing requirements for a new lift. He said it will go through whatever tests the Maine Elevator and Tramway Safety Board requires for new lifts.

The new lift is designed to carry more skiers up the mountain than the Spillway lifts, Austin said. In addition to its wind-resistant features, it will have a conveyor system that loads riders on a moving platform and allows the lift to run faster.

David Robinson, Portland Press Herald, July 2011


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