ropeways.net | Home | 2017-01-05

New Lift At Vermont’s Suicide Six

As the 2016-2017 ski season kicks-off at Suicide Six Ski Area, the newly installed Chair #1 opened last week. The upgrade doubles the capacity of the previous chair, and provides a more comfortable and rapid ascent to the summit for all levels of skiers, racers and snowboarders.

At a cost of $1.5 million, the enhanced mountain experience is part of the Woodstock Inn & Resort’s long-term support of the regional ski community, including local school, season pass holders, the Woodstock Ski Runners program, and visiting skiers.

“We have tremendous support from the surrounding towns,” Gary Thulander, president and general manager of the Woodstock Inn & Resort, told SnoCountry.com. “Generations have learned to ski at Suicide Six and there is a lot of passion and support from the community.”

Leitner-Poma of America, Inc., of Grand Junction, Colorado, installed the new quad chairlift with funding provided through a grant from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Fund. “Poma is part of the history of Woodstock, and we were happy to continue that tradition,” Thulander told us.

The ski area donated 60 of 84 chairs from the former Chair #1, installed in 1973, to the Woodstock Ski Runners. The chairs sold out in minutes. Proceeds went to youth ski programs, with 50 percent of the funds specifically supporting their Friday Program, a low-cost learn-to-ski program offered to over 300 local school children every ski season, and 50 percent supporting their Alpine and Nordic racing programs.

Recognized as one of the oldest ski areas in the country, Suicide Six has a rich history. America’s first rope tow, introduced on nearby Gilbert Hill in 1934, inspired the opening of Suicide Six in 1936. In 1961 Laurance S. Rockefeller purchased Suicide Six from its founder, Wallace “Bunny” Bertram, as part of his vision for the community of Woodstock.

Source: “Snocountry.com”