This unique lift utilizes some components from the original chairlifts in Sun Valley.Bottom station with tensioning.The lift has been upgraded over time with Riblet and other components.Drive station building up top.View down from the summit.Unloading area and top shack.Steep upper lift line.Looking up the face.Lower towers in the village.
This lift retains parts from the worlds first chairlift originally from Sun Valley installed at Boyne Mountain in 1947. About all thats original is likely some of the structural elements in the upper and lower stations. Heavily modified by Riblet over the years.
The first was installed on Proctor Mountain in Sun Valley in 1936, along with another on Dollar Mountain the same year.
The original Dollar Mountain lift was replaced a few years later by a more advanced single chairlift. This second chairlift is the one that Everett Kircher bought and moved to Boyne in the late 40s.
Unfortunately that’s not correct. Three lifts were installed in 1936, two single chairs and a J-bar. The J-bar was moved to Ruud Mtn. a year later and was converted to a chairlift. The first single chair from Dollar was replaced by the second generation from American Steel & Wire. That first lift was sold to Boyne not the second one. The other first chairlift from Proctor Mtn. was relocated to Bald Mtn. to what we today know as Christmas (two single chairs ran in parallel until the one from Proctor was replaced by a Riblet double between 1955 and 1959).
@Vintage Chairlifts:
I got the information from research at the community library in Ketchum, ID. They have an extensive collection about the history of Sun Valley and publish many of the old photographs here: https://rhd.thecommunitylibrary.org (search for F 04632 to see the Dollar lift that was sold to Boyne).
Hemlock was most likely converted to a double before it became a Riblet. Early photos at Boyne’s lodge do already show that lift as a double with wooden poles. I’m currently trying to find out when exactly that happened.
Saw some footage of it in a Warren Miller movie after its first up-conversion to a double. Couldn’t see the chairs very well, but the towers look like Heron ones to me.
Which makes sense, Heron were a continuation of American Steel & Wire’s design legacy, and Heron worked on a bunch of their lifts in the late 40s.
It was converted to a double not long after it was first installed. I am curious as to when it had the Riblet towers and chairs installed. The original double configuration had different chairs then what it currently has. The tower heads indicate that the major Riblet overhaul was from the mid 60’s to late 70’s but I have never been able figure out the exact year and if the towers and chairs were new or used. Boyne has a way of digging up used Riblet components whenever they need to.
I remember the towers being steel girder structures on both the hemlock and Victor chairs when I first started riding them which would have been late 50s 😝 you can see towers that look just like them at least to me at Mt baldy in California. I don’t remember single chairs the ones I rode were doubles with wooden slats.
Hello, does anyone know if Boyne sells older lift chairs to the public for renovation?
Interested in making a porch bench as a wedding gift for my daughter, who was engaged at Boyne in February:)
Thanks!
Most resorts do this when they have no other use for the chairs other than the scrap heap, hence why it’s common to see this happen to older lifts without plans for relocation. Lifts from the 90s and beyond are often relocated, and if not the chairs and several other components can still have spare parts value, more than what an individual would pay for a chair. Not sure what old lifts Boyne has replaced recently or what old lifts they’re planning to replace, but most of their fixed grips are so old and in some cases rare that I doubt they would have much of a value in spare parts, so a chair sale would be possible. If you’re asking if they have any on sale now, the likely answer would be no. These typically happen when an old lift is removed, and the chairs usually sell out pretty fast.
with the Skybridge, it looks like Hemlock has been relegated to foot traffic only, forcing skiers to use the Mountain Express 6. not a fan of this idea personally as Hemlock was always a good secondary option for when Express is flooded, and the Hemlock run is a pain to get to.
this will justify a rumored Mountain Express 8, but it also has me wondering if a new lift up front is possible. a fixed triple or quad seems most likely, but a (probably stupid) idea that crossed my mind is a pulse gondola, going up the North McLouth side of the front face directly to the bridge. without Hemlock, Express will get even more crowded and the Hemlock run will be a pain to access due to an uphill cattrack from the Mountain Express, so I think they should bring it back.
Lift Blog 
This lift retains parts from the worlds first chairlift originally from Sun Valley installed at Boyne Mountain in 1947. About all thats original is likely some of the structural elements in the upper and lower stations. Heavily modified by Riblet over the years.
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Not the world’s first chairlift, though close.
The first was installed on Proctor Mountain in Sun Valley in 1936, along with another on Dollar Mountain the same year.
The original Dollar Mountain lift was replaced a few years later by a more advanced single chairlift. This second chairlift is the one that Everett Kircher bought and moved to Boyne in the late 40s.
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Unfortunately that’s not correct. Three lifts were installed in 1936, two single chairs and a J-bar. The J-bar was moved to Ruud Mtn. a year later and was converted to a chairlift. The first single chair from Dollar was replaced by the second generation from American Steel & Wire. That first lift was sold to Boyne not the second one. The other first chairlift from Proctor Mtn. was relocated to Bald Mtn. to what we today know as Christmas (two single chairs ran in parallel until the one from Proctor was replaced by a Riblet double between 1955 and 1959).
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Interesting! The history I’ve been able to track down of Sun Valley is patchy.
Did you get this info from a book or museum?
Also, does anyone know what year Boyne has this lift converted to a double?
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@Vintage Chairlifts:
I got the information from research at the community library in Ketchum, ID. They have an extensive collection about the history of Sun Valley and publish many of the old photographs here: https://rhd.thecommunitylibrary.org (search for F 04632 to see the Dollar lift that was sold to Boyne).
Hemlock was most likely converted to a double before it became a Riblet. Early photos at Boyne’s lodge do already show that lift as a double with wooden poles. I’m currently trying to find out when exactly that happened.
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According to Boyne the lift was first upgraded to a double around 1952.
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Saw some footage of it in a Warren Miller movie after its first up-conversion to a double. Couldn’t see the chairs very well, but the towers look like Heron ones to me.
Which makes sense, Heron were a continuation of American Steel & Wire’s design legacy, and Heron worked on a bunch of their lifts in the late 40s.
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Don’t most American Steel and Wire lifts have Heron grips?
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It was converted to a double not long after it was first installed. I am curious as to when it had the Riblet towers and chairs installed. The original double configuration had different chairs then what it currently has. The tower heads indicate that the major Riblet overhaul was from the mid 60’s to late 70’s but I have never been able figure out the exact year and if the towers and chairs were new or used. Boyne has a way of digging up used Riblet components whenever they need to.
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A picture from the K-2 Cup in Feb 1972 shows Hemlock with Riblet towers and chairs.
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I remember the towers being steel girder structures on both the hemlock and Victor chairs when I first started riding them which would have been late 50s 😝 you can see towers that look just like them at least to me at Mt baldy in California. I don’t remember single chairs the ones I rode were doubles with wooden slats.
LikeLike
Hello, does anyone know if Boyne sells older lift chairs to the public for renovation?
Interested in making a porch bench as a wedding gift for my daughter, who was engaged at Boyne in February:)
Thanks!
LikeLike
Most resorts do this when they have no other use for the chairs other than the scrap heap, hence why it’s common to see this happen to older lifts without plans for relocation. Lifts from the 90s and beyond are often relocated, and if not the chairs and several other components can still have spare parts value, more than what an individual would pay for a chair. Not sure what old lifts Boyne has replaced recently or what old lifts they’re planning to replace, but most of their fixed grips are so old and in some cases rare that I doubt they would have much of a value in spare parts, so a chair sale would be possible. If you’re asking if they have any on sale now, the likely answer would be no. These typically happen when an old lift is removed, and the chairs usually sell out pretty fast.
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According to the news roundup they’re gonna start selling them tomorrow (may 2) but I can’t find info about it anywhere
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with the Skybridge, it looks like Hemlock has been relegated to foot traffic only, forcing skiers to use the Mountain Express 6. not a fan of this idea personally as Hemlock was always a good secondary option for when Express is flooded, and the Hemlock run is a pain to get to.
this will justify a rumored Mountain Express 8, but it also has me wondering if a new lift up front is possible. a fixed triple or quad seems most likely, but a (probably stupid) idea that crossed my mind is a pulse gondola, going up the North McLouth side of the front face directly to the bridge. without Hemlock, Express will get even more crowded and the Hemlock run will be a pain to access due to an uphill cattrack from the Mountain Express, so I think they should bring it back.
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