There were a couple of Hjorth lifts at Squaw Valley. The story goes that they were sitting in a yard somewhere in Nevada and whomever owned them said that all of the parts could be had for $200,000. As related to me, they were new, never installed lifts. Squaw owner Alex Cushing got wind of the deal and bought all the parts. One of the lift maintenance guys laid out a line and just dropped in a tower every few hundred feet. This worked out OK on one lift, but not as well on the other, where the downline would ‘float’ above the sheaves on one tower when the upline was full.
And Kelowna Mountain BC left their Hall Triple chairlift uncovered when they built it in 2012. Since the ski area closed, the lift’s motor and gearbox have been exposed to the elements, much like Magic’s green chairlift.
Sorry, I should have provided this video of the chairlift I was talking about. It is a relocated hall triple, sent to the mountain in 2012. It only has three carriers on the line, and a Leitner-Poma top bullwheel and lifting frames. The place is called Kelowna Mountain, and it is in a state of disrepair. The lift has never been open to the public.
Why do the carriers on this lift look so much like American Cableways carriers? At Sundance, this lift had restraint bars that were identical to the ones that were on Snowbasin’s Wildcat double, which was an American Cableways lift. The carrier design is very similar other than how the hanger attaches to the chair frame. Was Hjorth Brothers using chairs from American Cableways with some minor modifications?
I forgot to add that Hjorth had a very similar drive/tension terminal design and a fixed return design as American Cableways. Here are some American Cableway lifts I have been able to identify:
Former Wildcat Double from Snowbasin. (pics have been posted in the comments section on the Utah page)
Double at Frost Fire, ND. (It had some Telecar modifications)
Abandoned double at Aspen Hills development near Fairview, UT. (pics have been posted in the comments section on the Utah page)
Mt. Rose, NV had two American Cableways doubles and one T-bar. (Pics have been posted in the comments section for Mt. Rose)
Andes Tower Hills has a lift with American Cableways towers.
Mammoth may have had one or two lifts from American Cableways. The former Madden double at Homewood could have either been a Hjorth or an American Cableway judging from the design of the top terminal.
I forgot to add that the lift at the private ski area near Mountain Green, UT may have an American Cableways lift that most likely came from somewhere else. It may be the last unmodified American Cableway lift out there that still operates.
You might be right about Hjorth, the design matches the other lifts. But the three lifts at Mt. Rose were installed by Hunziker Lift, not Swiss-American Cableways (as I already told you). I spoke with someone who did the construction and he confirmed it. Here is more about it: http://www.skilifts.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=11167
On the Skilifts.org forum, you mention that there was an unknown project in California built by Hjorth. Could that project be the former Madden double at Homewood? The top terminal design that Yan reused looks very much like a Hjorth design.
I’m posting it here because I don’t have access to Skilifts.org.
You can sign up on the forum, just use the Register button in the upper left corner.
Madden Ridge was built in 1967, but the Hjorth chairs at Mammoth were likely installed in 1965. So I don’t think that makes sense. But maybe Hjorth sold another lift to Homewood that we don’t know about yet. I will check with my sources.
Hjorth, no… American Cableways, yes. There is an abandoned double at Frost Fire, ND, as it was deemed inoperable when Frost Fire reopened, I find it likely that management wants to get rid of it.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
There was some talk going around that Hjorth Bros possibly fabricated chairs for American Cableways. Do you know if that is correct info? If so, are they stamped Hjorth Bros?
You could ask a steel fabricator to make one with the old design drawings if you could find them. Maybe Kelly Canyon has them? Some ski areas have copies of the drawings for lifts that they own.
Lift Blog 
Was this the only Horth bros lift?
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There were a couple of Hjorth lifts at Squaw Valley. The story goes that they were sitting in a yard somewhere in Nevada and whomever owned them said that all of the parts could be had for $200,000. As related to me, they were new, never installed lifts. Squaw owner Alex Cushing got wind of the deal and bought all the parts. One of the lift maintenance guys laid out a line and just dropped in a tower every few hundred feet. This worked out OK on one lift, but not as well on the other, where the downline would ‘float’ above the sheaves on one tower when the upline was full.
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The structure over the bottom terminal is new. It used to be exposed, according to the skilifts.org pictures.
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Pretty sure that was during the time when they were replacing it. No mountain would leave their motors out in the elements like that.
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Except Magic, they left Green Chair’s motor out exposed for quite a while
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And Kelowna Mountain BC left their Hall Triple chairlift uncovered when they built it in 2012. Since the ski area closed, the lift’s motor and gearbox have been exposed to the elements, much like Magic’s green chairlift.
Click to access 1575860166.pdf
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Oh they left a lot of stuff out and exposed for a long time!
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The Aspen Riblet double at Arizona Snowbowl has 0 motor room or covering.
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Sorry, I should have provided this video of the chairlift I was talking about. It is a relocated hall triple, sent to the mountain in 2012. It only has three carriers on the line, and a Leitner-Poma top bullwheel and lifting frames. The place is called Kelowna Mountain, and it is in a state of disrepair. The lift has never been open to the public.
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Why do the carriers on this lift look so much like American Cableways carriers? At Sundance, this lift had restraint bars that were identical to the ones that were on Snowbasin’s Wildcat double, which was an American Cableways lift. The carrier design is very similar other than how the hanger attaches to the chair frame. Was Hjorth Brothers using chairs from American Cableways with some minor modifications?
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What are some examples of American Cableway lifts?
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I forgot to add that Hjorth had a very similar drive/tension terminal design and a fixed return design as American Cableways. Here are some American Cableway lifts I have been able to identify:
Former Wildcat Double from Snowbasin. (pics have been posted in the comments section on the Utah page)
Double at Frost Fire, ND. (It had some Telecar modifications)
Abandoned double at Aspen Hills development near Fairview, UT. (pics have been posted in the comments section on the Utah page)
Mt. Rose, NV had two American Cableways doubles and one T-bar. (Pics have been posted in the comments section for Mt. Rose)
Andes Tower Hills has a lift with American Cableways towers.
Mammoth may have had one or two lifts from American Cableways. The former Madden double at Homewood could have either been a Hjorth or an American Cableway judging from the design of the top terminal.
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I forgot to add that the lift at the private ski area near Mountain Green, UT may have an American Cableways lift that most likely came from somewhere else. It may be the last unmodified American Cableway lift out there that still operates.
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You might be right about Hjorth, the design matches the other lifts. But the three lifts at Mt. Rose were installed by Hunziker Lift, not Swiss-American Cableways (as I already told you). I spoke with someone who did the construction and he confirmed it. Here is more about it: http://www.skilifts.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=11167
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On the Skilifts.org forum, you mention that there was an unknown project in California built by Hjorth. Could that project be the former Madden double at Homewood? The top terminal design that Yan reused looks very much like a Hjorth design.
I’m posting it here because I don’t have access to Skilifts.org.
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You can sign up on the forum, just use the Register button in the upper left corner.
Madden Ridge was built in 1967, but the Hjorth chairs at Mammoth were likely installed in 1965. So I don’t think that makes sense. But maybe Hjorth sold another lift to Homewood that we don’t know about yet. I will check with my sources.
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Does anyone have an idea on where I can purchase a Hjorth Brothers chair?
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Hjorth, no… American Cableways, yes. There is an abandoned double at Frost Fire, ND, as it was deemed inoperable when Frost Fire reopened, I find it likely that management wants to get rid of it.
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Thanks for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
There was some talk going around that Hjorth Bros possibly fabricated chairs for American Cableways. Do you know if that is correct info? If so, are they stamped Hjorth Bros?
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You can find more on this whole topic here: http://www.skilifts.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=11167 I just returned from a trip to SLC and will update the topic soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
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I do not know. The chairs on that double are from Poma. Replacements, perhaps? I do not know of any others with the original chairs. My apologies.
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You could ask them. Maybe they‘ll make you a new one: https://hjorthbros.com/
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Thanks for the input. Hugh Hjorth was my maternal grandfather and since he is no longer with us I would love to find one that he made.
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You could ask a steel fabricator to make one with the old design drawings if you could find them. Maybe Kelly Canyon has them? Some ski areas have copies of the drawings for lifts that they own.
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Per Google Earth, the inclined length is ~1544 and the vertical is ~322.
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