Three months since a wildland fire ripped through Gatlinburg, Tennesee, two brand new lifts are under construction as the gateway to the Smoky Mountains rebuilds. As many suspected, the Gatlinburg Sky Lift will be replaced with a new version this spring. “We are investing in a total replacement and are excited to be in process with installation of a new scenic chairlift,” spokeswoman Julie Ard of Boyne Resorts tells the Mountain Press. The Riblet double’s haul rope and chairs have already been pulled in preparation for tower removal. The new Sky Lift will be the third version following the original Heron that operated from 1954-1991 and the Riblet that followed from 1991 until last November. I’ve reached out to Boyne for the manufacturer of Sky Lift 3.0 and am waiting to hear back. Update 2/6/17: The new lift will be a Doppelmayr Alpen Star triple chair with custom wooden seats.
Before the fire, Boyne Resorts had planned for and received approval to build an adventure park on the site, where the company has operated continuously for more than sixty years. Zip lines, a suspension bridge, walking trails and more will eventually occupy 17.5 acres. While that expansion will take some time, the lift project is progressing quickly. “Reopening of the Gatlinburg Sky Lift is expected to be April/May 2017,” says Ard. “Just as our past guests who want to come back to Gatlinburg to continue traditions of experiencing this iconic attraction, and locals who are aware of its draw among tourists, we are eager to have this lift spinning again just as quickly as possible.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQHpR7IBmKs/?tagged=gatlinburgskylift
Coincidentally, another lift-based adventure park broke ground across town last month. Anakeesta will open this coming summer with a Leitner-Poma pulse lift featuring both quad chairs and six-passenger gondola cabins. The $47 million project was only slightly delayed by the fire because work above ground had not yet started.
Gatlinburg is also home to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort and amusement park with a 120-passenger VonRoll aerial tramway and chairlifts that were undamaged by the November fire. The town’s two new lifts under construction bring the North American total to 35 scheduled for 2017.
Lift Blog 
I have to wonder, considering it’s the first week of February, what can be done in two months?
Beyond, maybe, a new Riblet parts to replace the existing Riblet parts?
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I read “total replacement” to mean a brand new lift. Boyne and CNL have likely been working with a manufacturer on a replacement plan since Nov. 29th. Any of the three are more than capable of building a small lift in 2-3 months. It’s only ~1,300′ x 500′.
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Huh … didn’t know it could be done THAT fast … on that short a notice.
Will be cool to see what goes in, for sure (think it’ll be yellow and orange, too?)
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Rafferty at Snow King (Doppelmayr 4-CLF) was squeezed in between winter and summer in under 90 days.
I was wondering myself about the yellow and orange. It’s iconic.
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Could it be using parts for the Sunday River Spruce Peak triple replacement that was shelved late in the fall of ’16 and is now a summer 2017 replacement? I know gatlinburg is shorter then spruce peak but same owners and same announced mfg.
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See update above…this will be a Doppelmayr triple with a custom Alpen Star terminal and unique wooden chairs.
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An excellent choice of a replacement.
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So, I guess that means more riblet parts on the market, if you don’t mind orange towers and yellow chairs …
This new triple should look really spiffy, especially with wood chair carriers … that’s going to be a classy retro look.
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I bet they sell the chairs and scrap the rest.
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