This Poma lift services the more advanced terrain at Echo Valley near Lake Chelan.There are three half towers along the line.View up the lift line.Drive terminal with detachable carriers.Return terminal with floating bullwheel.Unloading area at tower 6.View down the line.A half tower.Lower part of the lift line.The bottom station and tower 1.
They used to be everywhere. Some of my earliest memories of skiing were on the intermediate one at White Pass, and Snoqualmie Pass /Hyak had quite a few back in the day. I worked on one until recently at Copper as well.
Detachable poma lifts are common in Europe. I’ve ridden pomas in France that are activated by the skier rather than a liftie. A wand is placed across the track and the skier activates the grip by pushing their ski boots against the wand, kind of like the start wand on a race course.
Detachable pomalifts are very common in Spain and France, and to a lesser extent in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, but almost absent in German-speaking regions, which use surface lifts with retractable carriers instead. Elsewhere (Scotland, Scandinavia, the Balkans etc.) there seems to be about an even split between the two types. This divide is even evident in cross-border ski areas; the frontside of Chatel in France only has Pomalifts, but the backbowls across the ridge in Switzerland also have retractable platter lifts.
I have a funny story about the activation mechanisms – the first pomalift I rode was the Keyset lift in Chatel, France, which at the time had the operator attach the grip by pulling on a handle. I assumed that was how all pomalifts worked, so when I later rode the Stade lift in the same ski area, I skated around the “wand” thinking it was an emergency stop tripwire, straddled the bar and motioned to the operator to attach the grip; he looked very confused. Suddenly, the back of my boot activated the wand, and the pole suddenly departed the station pulling me up at an awkward angle and straight onto the ground, right in front of the local race team.
I had a similar experience with my first skier-activated poma lift in Megeve. I looked at the wand, then the liftie (who just stared at me),then back at the wand. Somehow it clicked thanks to my racing experience.
I have a strong connection to this lift. It originally serviced Squilchuck state park. My backyard borders the park. The top terminal remnants were a short walk from my house. Bits & Pieces of decaying ski area infrastructure are strewn about the north side of the park. Mission Ridge opened in 1967… the final nail in the Squilchuck coffin.
A few years ago, I landed my dream job. Operations manager at Echo Valley. Echo brought this poma back to life in the 70’s. It’s well maintained, but we’ve had some recent reliability issues. We open on Saturday… we’ll see how reliable she is this season.
Lift Blog 
Wow, a detachable pomalift! I didn’t even know one existed here!
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They used to be everywhere. Some of my earliest memories of skiing were on the intermediate one at White Pass, and Snoqualmie Pass /Hyak had quite a few back in the day. I worked on one until recently at Copper as well.
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Detachable poma lifts are common in Europe. I’ve ridden pomas in France that are activated by the skier rather than a liftie. A wand is placed across the track and the skier activates the grip by pushing their ski boots against the wand, kind of like the start wand on a race course.
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A detachable Poma exists at Snowmass, CO. I have been on that many times.
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Detachable pomalifts are very common in Spain and France, and to a lesser extent in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, but almost absent in German-speaking regions, which use surface lifts with retractable carriers instead. Elsewhere (Scotland, Scandinavia, the Balkans etc.) there seems to be about an even split between the two types. This divide is even evident in cross-border ski areas; the frontside of Chatel in France only has Pomalifts, but the backbowls across the ridge in Switzerland also have retractable platter lifts.
I have a funny story about the activation mechanisms – the first pomalift I rode was the Keyset lift in Chatel, France, which at the time had the operator attach the grip by pulling on a handle. I assumed that was how all pomalifts worked, so when I later rode the Stade lift in the same ski area, I skated around the “wand” thinking it was an emergency stop tripwire, straddled the bar and motioned to the operator to attach the grip; he looked very confused. Suddenly, the back of my boot activated the wand, and the pole suddenly departed the station pulling me up at an awkward angle and straight onto the ground, right in front of the local race team.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had a similar experience with my first skier-activated poma lift in Megeve. I looked at the wand, then the liftie (who just stared at me),then back at the wand. Somehow it clicked thanks to my racing experience.
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There’s one at Loup Loup, which serves beginner terrain.
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I have a strong connection to this lift. It originally serviced Squilchuck state park. My backyard borders the park. The top terminal remnants were a short walk from my house. Bits & Pieces of decaying ski area infrastructure are strewn about the north side of the park. Mission Ridge opened in 1967… the final nail in the Squilchuck coffin.
A few years ago, I landed my dream job. Operations manager at Echo Valley. Echo brought this poma back to life in the 70’s. It’s well maintained, but we’ve had some recent reliability issues. We open on Saturday… we’ll see how reliable she is this season.
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Theres rope tows too rope tows are lifts too your being racist! In Colorado we got 2 hills served by ropes only bro
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The drive looks more like a Montaz Mautino. Maybe because Pierre Montaz was a designer at Poma at one point?
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