TomWhite
Finding parts for old lifts is a major issue. Halls are no problem in NE but see 3rd below about SLI. I found this discussion on Liftblog about Catamount's lift replacement. I thought about putting in the "Old School" thread, but I made it separate.
JULESTHESHIBA
June 8, 2021 / 12:05 pm
has anyone else noticed that so many of these classic SLI lifts are getting replaced rapidly these past years. This could be due to age but there are numerous other lifts of similar age still in operation. Either way with the Bryce lift there will be no more center pole SLIs left on earth.
VINTAGE CHAIRLIFTS
June 8, 2021 / 2:03 pm
Parts are extremely scarce for SLIs, from what I hear.
BEN EMINGER
June 10, 2021 / 6:48 pm
Being someone who grew up on and now works on three SLI’s regularly, I can safely say they are a royal pain to source parts for. Ours definitely has withstood the test of time but they are almost 50 years old and it’s not like sourcing parts for Riblets or Halls of similar vintage as there are 100’s of those out there, while SLI’s are few & far between. Last time we needed an extensive amount of parts, I had to drive to Heavenly CA & back with a trailer (skied Squaw Valley in July & hiked around Iron Mountain where go figure there’s two abandoned SLI’s rotting away. Those two stops were a bonus) which was a 2,000 mile round trip drive. Not only that, the sheaves on most SLI’s are grief sheaves (how appropriately named…….) which essentially bolts two plates together around the liner with an aluminum hub in the middle to create the sheave (VERY similar to Heron-Poma sheaves). There are also the rare SLI/Riblet merger era lifts, like Shadow Mountain at Aspen or Chair 1/Bonanza at 49 Degrees North, use sheaves that are essentially Riblet sheaves without the taller inside edge to fit inside the SLI assembly, these are ever harder to find. As these lifts have aged, the plates on the grief sheaves have become prone to cracking, and are nearly impossible to find replacement plates for, I’ve made entire trips to Heavenly (their two retired/removed SLI’s are just about completely used up in our three) or met them halfway to get loads of sheaves, either 30 at a time or however many I can fit in the bed of my truck at a time. Overall they’re very nostalgic & classic lifts, but they’re just becoming less & less viable, we’re replacing Chair 1/Bonanza with a high speed quad currently (at 6,640ft it was one of the longest SLI’s ever built) and it will be demolished next summer & we will have enough parts on hand to keep our other two running, but most ski areas operating these do not have that ability (like Teton Pass or Blacktail Mtn in MT). Hopefully that can provide some insight.
VINTAGE CHAIRLIFTS
June 10, 2021 / 8:32 pm
Also, it should be noted that even if you can’t track down used Riblet or Borvig parts, new ones are still being made by Superior Tramway and Partek respectively. Not sure if Doppelmayr does the same for Hall.
UTAH POWDER SKIER
June 10, 2021 / 9:44 pm
For the amount of Halls that have been scrapped in the Midwest, finding Hall parts shouldn’t be a problem.
NE_SKIER
June 11, 2021 / 6:10 am
I don’t think new parts are being made for Halls, but just the sheer number of them should make parts relatively easy to come by. Hall installed more lifts in New England than any other brand (If I’m correct, don’t quote me on the stats). Does Superior Tramway also manufacture Heron parts or do they just re-sell used ones?
newpylong
New parts are indeed made for Hall by Dopp depending on what it is, but they aren't cheap.
Also note parts for 70s Poma chairs are just as hard to come by. Even though they are in business they do not make parts and their support for older lifts is poor.
frozenforever
Always wondered if those new metal 3-D printers could be a solution for these types of problems. Take the old part down, get a new copy printed out, keep the old lifts going forever. Might be a good solution for small mountains with older lifts. I've heard stuff like that's been done for classic cars, so who knows.
