Vail – As she rode up the Highline chairlift, Mary Kopf was surprised the creaky old two-seater remained in service at the ski area known for its state-of-the-art glitz.
“I complain about this, but not really,” the Glenwood Springs skier said of the 14-minute ride through the pines. “It’s sort of like a little hidden area over here, and we like it the way it is.”
But today marks the last go-round for the antiquated but beloved piece of Vail history, which will be torn down this spring and replaced with a high-speed quad chair.
Nestled in the far eastern corner of Vail’s front side, the Highline was built in 1973 by Riblet, a century-old tramway company, and primarily serves three classic expert-only bump runs.
“People don’t just drop in over here, so you don’t get many intermediate skiers,” said Kopf, 59. “These are our private runs.”
Vail officials consider the terrain “underutilized” compared with other parts of the mountain. Their hope is to better distribute the crowds that tend to avoid the slow-moving lift, also known as Chair 10.
One lift operator – who declined to give his name because of company policy – said many people don’t take Chair 10 because the ride takes too long.
The new lift is expected to take only 6 1/2 minutes, meaning more ski runs each hour in a resort known for its ability to move 53,381 people an hour up its existing 14 high-speed lifts and assorted other conveyances.
“That’s good,” said skier John Smith of Denver. “I’d rather spend more time skiing than sitting on a chairlift. From my point of view, the more high speed, the better.”
For many devotees, though, something will be lost in the upgrade.
“I know there’s pros and cons, but it’s not like everything has to be fast, you know what I mean?” said snowboarder Jamie Sharp, 31, of Eagle-Vail. “These are all double-blacks over here, and everyone and his brother is going to be here.”
Some skiers are nostalgic for the old two-seaters. The practice of yelling “single?” in a lift line – followed by a relatively intimate 15 minutes – has led to many marriages over the years.
Rising out of the Mill Creek valley along a north-facing slope for 1,762 feet, the lift has a reputation for being cold, but constant entertainment is provided by the skiers and snowboarders struggling with the moguls below.
The lift is so outdated there is no market for it, even at smaller areas. Vail this week started a sign-up list to give away the 263 chairs. They were all spoken for within two days.
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
