Mountain Adventures - Do the Lifts Ever Close?

Aug. 8, 2012 - PRLog -- Mountain Adventures
Do the Lifts Ever Close?
By Leigh Gieringer
Of course, they do! Around four o'clock everyday — during the winter season. But many ski resorts run their gondolas, cable cars, aerial trams and chair lifts during the summer months. Longer daylight hours offer more opportunities for mountain activities. There is plenty to do in and around ski resorts year round. But it wasn't always that way!

In their early history, many current ski resorts were bustling mining camps during the silver and gold booms in the late nineteenth century. But the 1893 repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 by President Cleveland created an economic panic. Within weeks, mines were closed, and many mining towns were abandoned. Some recuperated modestly, but never totally recovered as mining centers. Thus, the choices were few: abandon them or develop other potential industries to encourage the remaining populations to remain and create ways to bring new revenue into the once booming mining towns.

One of the biggest assets these areas had in common was excellent winter snow. It was in the late 1920s and early 1930s that community visionaries decided that snow was their ticket to riches to replace their dwindling mining fortunes. Other mountain communities like Bend, Ore.; Lake Placid, N.Y.; Brighton, Utah; Sun Valley, Idaho; and several others were inspired by the popularity of winter activities in the European Alps, and can trace their beginnings to these earlier decades.

Those days were for the truly adventurous and hardy. Participants had to carry their own wooden boards up the mountain slopes in order to enjoy the downhill thrill. A simple rope tow was first created in Quebec in 1932, making it a little easier for North Americans to enjoy a sunny day in the mountains. Sun Valley installed the first US chair lift in 1936; a first step to becoming a premiere ski haven — an honor it still holds today.


Skiing was a fad that would last as the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enlisted thousands to cut hundreds of ski trails — mostly in the New England states — over the nine years of its existence. During the war years, the ski industry's growth was halted, only to be re-energized when the war ended. Its popularity among the more affluent in the 1950s and 1960s exploded. Some of the contributing factors included the enthusiasm and pride in the successful Squaw Valley Olympics near the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, and the film industry featuring the ski sport lifestyle and its superstars, which attracted others to the slopes. The development and popularity of ski racing was also a contributing factor. Hundreds of ski areas and resorts were developed — some very small. Others had multimillion dollar infusions to create winter paradises. (Back in the sixties, that was a lot of money.) Growth in many ski areas mushroomed. Others couldn't compete and perished.

However, when the winter seasons ended, numerous ski towns, once again, became ghost towns. Visitors left. Those that stayed behind were dependent on the snow season to carry them financially through the entire year or they found work elsewhere. How would towns encourage visitors to return when the higher summer temperatures melted their main asset? Efforts were made by many of the larger ski and mountain resorts to become four season destinations. There is no doubt that they have succeeded.

Improvements on the mountain as well as in town are continuous. A major concentration is the resort lift system. One goal to attract participants is to open more inbound and off piste terrain with the ability to carry more participants around the entire mountain resort, and carry them faster. Creating ski trails, hiking trails and mountain biking paths for all ability levels provides the opportunity for everyone to enjoy memorable slope side experiences. Winter guests have awesome powder, moguls, and groomed trails, but those who come in summer will not be disappointed.

Walking trails can be found around and throughout resort towns, but to get the greatest benefits of this environment, ride the gondola, cable car or lift transport to the higher elevations. Gorgeous vistas can be seen in all directions. The cool, clean air is refreshing and invigorating. It's a wonderful way to be one with nature, perhaps see some wildlife in its natural habitat and watch colorful wild flowers sway in the breezes. Participating in physical activity is just a fraction of the overall summer mountain experience!

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