One of Eaglecrest Ski Area’s four chairlifts is permanently closed. That’s according to a decision announced on Thursday by Eaglecrest leadership.
Eaglecrest’s general manager Craig Cimmons said it would cost too much to fix the ailing Black Bear chairlift.
“It’s just become more clear that the investment in time and money would be far more than we have right now,” he said.
The announcement comes as the ski area projects it will run a deficit for the foreseeable future. That’s in order to repair some broken and aging infrastructure, boost pay to employees and prepare to operate year-round with a new gondola.
The Black Bear chairlift is more than 50 years old. It serviced the east side of the mountain, including the East Bowl Chutes and the Drifter, Marmot and Vertigo runs. It was out of service this past season after a maintenance team discovered a broken bearing that impacts its entire system.
Cimmons said further inspection showed additional problems with the lift, which would require more investment than the ski area felt the lift was worth.
Eaglecrest’s three other lifts are Ptarmigan, Hooter and Porcupine. Cimmons said the ski area wants to focus on investing more in those lifts as they also continue to age. That could include expanding those lift’s capacities to carry more people.
“We have to devote our energy to Ptarmigan, Hooter and Porky to make sure that they are 100% so we don’t have the same issues with them coming up,” he said.
Cimmons said the Black Bear lift will remain at Eaglecrest until leadership comes up with a plan to break down its infrastructure.
