Chair 1 may open next month

Whitefish Mountain Resort is on track to have repairs completed on the downed Chair 1 sometime in September. If work goes as planned, they hope to shuttle passengers to summit before the summer season ends.

“We are extremely pleased with the dedication everyone has shown in resolving this issue in such a timely manner,” Whitefish Mountain Resort president Dan Graves said. “This resort is fortunate to have such expertise available. We plan to carry passengers to the summit just in time for the huckleberries to ripen at the higher elevations.”

The main lift to the summit was closed in June after a ground slump caused a lower tower to slightly lean. The slump was likely due to an extraordinary amount of moisture in the soil due to heavy rain.

After analysis of the area around the tower including surface inspections and core samples from the slopes, CMG Engineering, Inc. of Kalispell provided the resort with a solution that will be able to withstand another slide.

Crews will drill 28 “micropiles,” steel rods, grout and steel casing, through varying depths up to 40 feet of soil and 25 feet of bedrock below the tower. The micropiles, will be tied together with a 14-foot pile cap of cement which will be attached to the column stand for the tower.

Drilling began this week and is expected to take at least two weeks. After drilling, the pile cap will be formed and concrete poured, a process that could take a week or more. The final phase will involve replacing the lift tower, cross arm and sheaves which will require hiring a helicopter.

Ski area officials will also use the helicopter to move towers for the Bad Rock lift which is currently being installed.