Song Mountain is excited to announce it has replaced its Thunderbird T-bar with a new triple chairlift. The T-bar, installed around 1965, had seen many years of dependable service. The new triple chair that replaces it was relocated from Northern Minnesota and is from the Riblit Tramway Company. Riblit built its first lift at Mount Hood, Oregon in 1938 and was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world building over 400 chairlifts in North America. According to Song Mountain President Peter Harris Riblit chairlifts are more commonly found west of the Mississippi, but Song Mountain has two other Riblit chairlifts in its collection. Song’s double chair was installed by Riblit in 1971 and its triple chair was installed in 1989.
What makes Riblit chairlifts so special? It is a favorite amongst ski and snowboarders for their smooth ride. According to Song Mountain, Riblit chair grips are unique in the industry being woven into the haul rope rather than clamped onto it. Riblits are also coveted by ski area operators due to their proven history of reliability and Riblit’s philosophy of utilizing off-the-shelf parts.
Song Mountain’s eastern slope face is recognized as Central New York’s best advanced terrain. With the addition of this new chairlift, it is expected to dramatically improve the downhill ski and snowboard traffic. While the 2011 “Gushy” chairlift was installed for beginners; this new triple chair is located perfectly for the experts. This new chairlift will also help skiers and snowboarders get to and from the west side of the mountain with greater ease.
Shipped in all the way from Northern Minnesota and then installed on the mountain using helicopters that hoist the towers into place on deep concrete blocks, the new triple chair at Song Mountain has officially been installed. All we need now is the snow!
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