Resort sees another chairlift breakdown this winter

After evacuating about 150 skiers and snowboarders from the newly built Snow Ghost Express chairlift Wednesday, Whitefish Mountain Resort President Nick Polumbus sought to assuage concerned passholders this week.

Operators shut down the lift, also known as Chair 4, after discovering an issue with its braking mechanisms Feb. 1.

The decision was made “out of a great deal of concern for the safety of those on the chair,” according to Polumbus’ letter, which the resort released Thursday. The lift remains out of operation.

“It is a relatively complex chairlift,” Polumbus wrote.

Officials plan to use the pause to better familiarize themselves with how it operates, he wrote.

The chairlift uses a gearless drive system that is touted by manufacturer Leitner-Poma as the future of ropeway technology.

Polumbus blamed the learning curve to a lack of “comprehensive support and training” from Leitner-Poma, citing labor shortages and supply chain issues.

“However, [Leitner-Poma] are committed to providing that support and two of their engineers are on their way here as I type this note,” Polumbus wrote. “This should mitigate many of the issues and challenges we have faced thus far with that chair.”

Polumbus addressed “ongoing concern” about the status of Chair 2, which also sat silently Wednesday and Thursday. The lift temporarily went out of commission in December, when the resort evacuated over 200 skiers from Big Mountain Express, known as Chair 1. Polumbus wrote that while the resort expects Chair 2 to be running again on Friday, the chairlift “is in need of a comprehensive mechanical upgrade which we plan to complete this summer. That lift will run throughout this season but has and will continue to require a great deal of time and energy on the part of our lift mechanics.”

Polumbus also defended the resort’s mechanics, writing “I will not stand for or listen to any questions about their abilities.”

He praised their skill and experience, writing that the mechanics took disruptions to heart. Any blame, he wrote, should fall on him.

“This is not the kind of note I want to be sending to you midseason,” Polumbus wrote. “The skiing has been fun, we have a lot of it left and we will continue to make it the best possible experience for you.”