I may be alone in this, but I was disappointed when they scrapped the cadge-the-Riblet plan for Chair 6. Nothing against Skytrac, but it’s Spokane, land of Riblet. Even it it’s been almost 20 years since they stopped building.
What do you mean by “cadge the riblet” I know this comment is a few years old, but were they planning on like fabricating their own riblet? I know one resort did that but I can’t remember the name
No, they had previously purchased the old Alpine Chair (another Riblet center pole double) from Bridger Bowl and intended to install it. But old Riblets don’t meet current standards and the cost to make the required upgrades to be able to install it new made it unfeasible. That’s why it sent SkyTrac.
The Inlander is reporting that they’re actively looking into replacements for Chairs #1 and #2. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this happen in the next one or two summers, as they’ve had a good year this year and #1 is literally 65 years old.
They’d probably be looking at two SkyTrac triples, though it would certainly be nice (a luxury, though!) to have a HSQ out of the base area.
It’s sad to see them go, but not a surprise. Considering that Chair 6 is a triple, I knew that probably meant that Chair 1 was going away.
If I recall, you can’t access Chair 6 from the top of Chair 2, right? It can only be accessed off Chair 1?
Otherwise, if there was a will to preserve Chair 1 (similar to MRG), they could do it by just switching out its top terminal with a Monarch and entirely replacing Chair 2 with a higher capacity lift.
You could then frame the Chair 1 side of the mountain being the “historical” side, with the first lodge, oldest lift, and the summit house at the top. And as the rest of the Riblets are replaced, you have more parts to supplement Chair 1.
But I doubt that would be worth it. Riblet center poles are still common enough that it wouldn’t be a curiosity like the Single Chair at MRG.
Your last sentence really hit the nail on the head here. I rode Chair 1 today and even being a lift nerd, it really doesn’t have any special feel to it. I’d be willing to bet any random skier wouldn’t be able to tell that this is any different than any other center pole double chair.
They *really* need to get new lifts here. Before you say they don’t have the money, beside Schweitzer, this is the largest ski area in eastern WA and northern Idaho. (I think.) And they have the money to do it. I wonder if part of the reason they don’t is because it is government owned, but still. Also the night skiing sucks. I crashed into a fence because there was no light on it.
Mt Spokane is a non-profit organization operating within a state park. It is about 600 acres smaller than 49 Degrees North and only slightly closer to the city of Spokane so it isn’t as busy as you might think. A significant portion of skiers in Spokane either ski at Silver or Schweitzer and not too many go to Mt Spokane for a variety of reasons.
Chair 1 is slated to be replaced with a Skytrac triple over the summer of 2024. I’m sure chair 2 will be soon to follow and I’d put money on it being a Skytrac triple as well. I don’t see this place ever getting a HSQ. The crowds, current fixed grip ride times, and terrain just don’t warrant one.
Apparently the original Chair 1 from 1946 was a detachable double fashioned out of an older mining tram.
According to the book “Spokane’s History of Skiing 1913 to 2018” by Cris M. Currie:
“ He found a used Riblet mining tram owned by Sidney Resources in north Idaho that was for sale for $10,000… Williams was friends with George Riblet, of Riblet Tramways in Spokane, who agreed to loan the club their superintendent Charlie Goldberg who could design the lift and put it together. Goldberg replaced the ore buckets from the tram with metal chairs, He designed the mechanism with a double cable and a clamp that would release as the chair went into the lower terminal so that the chairs detached from the main cable.”
“… the chairs had to be pushed by hand around the bull wheels until the skiers got on, and again after they got off at the top. Several volunteers were required to push the chairs around to a clamp that would grab the main cable again so that the chair would take off. While the bi-cable design made it easy for skiers to load and unload, it also made it easy for chairs to fall off. In light of liability concerns, Riblet declined to pursue the technology further. Instead the company patented the fixed grip, mono-cable technology for a smoother ride over the towers.”
Lift Blog 
This resort should be called Riblet Valley! Lodge 2 looks so classic.
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I may be alone in this, but I was disappointed when they scrapped the cadge-the-Riblet plan for Chair 6. Nothing against Skytrac, but it’s Spokane, land of Riblet. Even it it’s been almost 20 years since they stopped building.
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What do you mean by “cadge the riblet” I know this comment is a few years old, but were they planning on like fabricating their own riblet? I know one resort did that but I can’t remember the name
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The name of the place that did it was Kelly Canyon.
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No, they had previously purchased the old Alpine Chair (another Riblet center pole double) from Bridger Bowl and intended to install it. But old Riblets don’t meet current standards and the cost to make the required upgrades to be able to install it new made it unfeasible. That’s why it sent SkyTrac.
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They got lots of spare parts, though!
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I wonder what they’re going to do over the next few years with their lifts.
I know before they went with SkyTrac for Northwood, they were super into keeping the place all Riblet.
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The Inlander is reporting that they’re actively looking into replacements for Chairs #1 and #2. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this happen in the next one or two summers, as they’ve had a good year this year and #1 is literally 65 years old.
They’d probably be looking at two SkyTrac triples, though it would certainly be nice (a luxury, though!) to have a HSQ out of the base area.
https://www.inlander.com/spokane/despite-industrywide-challenges-resorts-note-high-skier-enthusiasm-and-potential-long-term-opportunities-in-the-pandemic/Content?oid=21113033
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Personally I’d love to see 1 and 2 stay and just have a new lift run next to them and keep them for crowds and backup
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It’s sad to see them go, but not a surprise. Considering that Chair 6 is a triple, I knew that probably meant that Chair 1 was going away.
If I recall, you can’t access Chair 6 from the top of Chair 2, right? It can only be accessed off Chair 1?
Otherwise, if there was a will to preserve Chair 1 (similar to MRG), they could do it by just switching out its top terminal with a Monarch and entirely replacing Chair 2 with a higher capacity lift.
You could then frame the Chair 1 side of the mountain being the “historical” side, with the first lodge, oldest lift, and the summit house at the top. And as the rest of the Riblets are replaced, you have more parts to supplement Chair 1.
But I doubt that would be worth it. Riblet center poles are still common enough that it wouldn’t be a curiosity like the Single Chair at MRG.
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Your last sentence really hit the nail on the head here. I rode Chair 1 today and even being a lift nerd, it really doesn’t have any special feel to it. I’d be willing to bet any random skier wouldn’t be able to tell that this is any different than any other center pole double chair.
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They *really* need to get new lifts here. Before you say they don’t have the money, beside Schweitzer, this is the largest ski area in eastern WA and northern Idaho. (I think.) And they have the money to do it. I wonder if part of the reason they don’t is because it is government owned, but still. Also the night skiing sucks. I crashed into a fence because there was no light on it.
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I haven’t been here, but what lights do they use. Snoqualmie has really good night skiing and they use gas lights.
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I went a while ago, so I can’t say, but all I remember is there was really bad light coverage. They didn’t have it all lit up
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Oh okay, my friend nightskied in a resort in Europe, it was all lit up but the lights were blue and it wasn’t really that good.
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Mt Spokane is a non-profit organization operating within a state park. It is about 600 acres smaller than 49 Degrees North and only slightly closer to the city of Spokane so it isn’t as busy as you might think. A significant portion of skiers in Spokane either ski at Silver or Schweitzer and not too many go to Mt Spokane for a variety of reasons.
Chair 1 is slated to be replaced with a Skytrac triple over the summer of 2024. I’m sure chair 2 will be soon to follow and I’d put money on it being a Skytrac triple as well. I don’t see this place ever getting a HSQ. The crowds, current fixed grip ride times, and terrain just don’t warrant one.
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Apparently the original Chair 1 from 1946 was a detachable double fashioned out of an older mining tram.
According to the book “Spokane’s History of Skiing 1913 to 2018” by Cris M. Currie:
“ He found a used Riblet mining tram owned by Sidney Resources in north Idaho that was for sale for $10,000… Williams was friends with George Riblet, of Riblet Tramways in Spokane, who agreed to loan the club their superintendent Charlie Goldberg who could design the lift and put it together. Goldberg replaced the ore buckets from the tram with metal chairs, He designed the mechanism with a double cable and a clamp that would release as the chair went into the lower terminal so that the chairs detached from the main cable.”
“… the chairs had to be pushed by hand around the bull wheels until the skiers got on, and again after they got off at the top. Several volunteers were required to push the chairs around to a clamp that would grab the main cable again so that the chair would take off. While the bi-cable design made it easy for skiers to load and unload, it also made it easy for chairs to fall off. In light of liability concerns, Riblet declined to pursue the technology further. Instead the company patented the fixed grip, mono-cable technology for a smoother ride over the towers.”
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