Lakeview lift updated

Well, I’ve been laying pretty low lately. I haven’t been out hiking or biking anywhere around the lake, or Alpine Meadows, since May. I certainly haven’t spent any time at social gatherings. So I guess it’s not a surprise that I missed the news that Alpine Meadows did a little bit of updating on the Lakeview chairlift this summer. Call me a slacker…

Don’t get your hopes up for major improvements. It’s still going to be so loud that some days you can hear it from the top of Scott. It’s still going to wack you in the back of the knees if you slide out a bit late while loading. As far as we know, it’s only the chairs themselves that have been replaced.

We only know this because we saw a post on Facebook. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows did a cool thing and gave at least a portion of the old chairs to the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Foundation. The Foundation supports SVAM ski and snowboard team programs. Since their major fundraisers of the year have been cancelled, selling the old chairs represented a good opportunity to bring some important donations to the Foundation.

You really can’t call yourself a real snow enthusiast, or a Tahoe local, until you have your own chairlift in your backyard or front porch. Mine happens to be a double chair from the old Village lift at Sugar Bowl.

Here’s where the story gets weird. The Facebook post I noted above was an alert that approximately 50 of the 105 chairs were taken, or stolen, out of the Subway parking lot sometime last weekend. Since that time, I’ve seen that information reposted in several Facebook groups and on Nextdoor. You would think that somebody would notice this happening. Moving even one of those chairs in a typical truck or trailer is a big undertaking.

What’s even more weird is that their is no mention of this disappearance by the Foundation, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, local law enforcement or any mainstream media source. The SAF webpage only indicates that the chairs are now sold out. Sorry if you missed it.

Update: It didn’t take long to get info. Chairs were offered to well deserving employees before the rest were given to SAF. Hence, no “official” reports.

There’s also been no mention of why the chairs were replaced, or what they were replaced with. Currently, the mountain is pretty well marked with closed signs, so getting an up close look is not easily possible. I do know that the old chairs were pretty well beat. The alignment of the Lakeview lift puts it in line with storm winds and those chairs really blow around when they are near the top and not loaded.

The new chairs? My first guess is that they used chairs from the old Hot Wheels lift, as that lift was also a fixed grip triple chair. CTEC, the manufacturer of the Lakeview lift merged with Garaventa, who then merged with Dopplemayer. There’s probably not a batch of replacements around from 1984. But if someone has differing information, go ahead and let all of us know.

Update: Hot Wheels chairs confirmed too.

There’s 45 more days until the scheduled opening day, weather permitting. Who’s ready already?