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frontfive

Ski Adventure 19/20
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Oct 15, 2017
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I discovered this really cool rope tow as part of my NH Talls & Smalls adventure at the Red Hill Ski Area. This is the original set-up (minus replaced rope) since the 1950's. Truck is a 49 Ford with a Flathead V8. Makes me wonder how many other vintage lifts are still in operation throughout the country

Screen Shot 2020-01-03 at 9.15.05 PM.png
IMG_2281-2.jpg
 

ARL67

Invisible Airwaves Crackle With Life
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Very Cool ! Thanks for posting, and I'm sure there are other creative contraptions out there :thumb:
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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My friend, from our days growing up in North Conway, found a Skimobile car somewhere near Steamboat Springs, bought it and just finished restoring it.

#48 at it's winter home. It was originally yellow. It was then alternately green and red. There were three shades of red. This was the first shade which was fire engine red. This unit was bead blasted then shell blasted so it was totally stripped. The body shop, American steel, painstakingly saved all the original metal that could possibly be saved. Some pieces had been welded on in the past that were in a thinner gauge than the original material. These were replaced with material of the original thickness. Probably over 95% of the original metal was saved. It was rust coated underneath. Even the articulated wheels were worked on. New Oak slats on the seat. It will sit under the overhang at the entry to my office for this winter. I will probably make a section of track to mount it permanently on with some sort of roof over it.

201211 - Peter Young's #48 - original.jpg 201211 - Peter Young's #48 2.jpg 201211 - Peter Young's #48.jpg
 
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pchewn

Skiing the powder
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Beaverton OR USA
Here's the abandoned old rope tow motor at Badger Mountain Ski area in Washington. And a picture of the top-of-hill "Lodge". They run 1 T-bar and 1 rope tow usually.

That lift operator standing there had a folding chair, a fire, a kill switch for the T-bar in one hand, and a beer in the other hand.

http://www.nwwintersportsman.com/BadgerMt/index2.htm

Badger-rope.jpg
Badger-lodge.jpg
 

DanoT

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I skied Mt. Snow in the late 60s and that gondola took hotel guests from the inside the hotel and across a pond and road to the ski lifts.

Back then Mt. Snow also had a bubble chairlift and a skis on 2 person gondola that was really a detachable double chair with a fiberglass clam-shell that closed around the skiers. There was a tiny window that you could look out.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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I skied Mt. Snow in the late 60s and that gondola took hotel guests from the inside the hotel and across a pond and road to the ski lifts.

Back then Mt. Snow also had a bubble chairlift and a skis on 2 person gondola that was really a detachable double chair with a fiberglass clam-shell that closed around the skiers. There was a tiny window that you could look out.
This one, right?

1607802788742.png
 
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DanoT

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This one, right?

1607802810867.png
That looks about right except ingrained in my memory are tiny windows that you could barly see out of but it was over 50 years ago so I could have a faulty memory about the windows.
 
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Talisman

Out on the slopes
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Gallatin County
Chairlift Mt Snow 1957. Looks like steel I beam overhead. That could have been a bit of a harsh ride.

View attachment 117460

I actually rode a part of this lift as Mt Snow shortened it and ran it through at least the late 80's. The lift was noisy because that is a roller chain below the supporting steel running between the towers and it was slow. There was a sheet metal canopy to shield the riders from the oil dripping from the roller chain. My memory was you didn't need a lift ticket to ride that chair and we killed time skiing Mt Snow for free until we could get an an inexpensive afternoon ticket at Carinthia (now part of Mt Snow) down the street.
 

afski722

Getting off the lift
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Are there many lifts left with lattice towers?

Boyne Mountain used to have a few of those, but I think they took the last one out, Top Notch about 10-15 years ago.
 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
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First passenger tramway in north america.
 

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