The nearly 6,000 foot Thompson double stopped operating after a March 2004 accident.This lift was built by Stadeli in 1967.View up the very long lift line.Bottom terminal building and tower 1.Unfortunately this bullwheel has turned its final time.Chair graveyard.Lift overview.Another view of the Big Moose Mountain.
Let’s hope those bullwheels start rotating again. Oh, by the way, the last tower still has sheaves on it. And the short-lived 70’s midstation is still standing…somehow…
Based on google earth, the top two towers as well as the tower right before the midstation. It’d be very interesting to see more pics of the upper line of this lift.
They pulled the sheaves off the lift but left the haul rope up? That is weird. Also looks like they have some lifting frames on the lower towers–at least temporary ones.
I rode this lift when back when it was still operating in the 90s. The owner of Big Squaw is Jim Confalone. It was scary riding it then. And this was before the grip failure around 2004.
The nonprofit currently operating the area as Big Moose is currently fundraising to buy the land.
Jim Confalone also owned Chalk’s Ocean Airways which operated seaplanes in the Caribbean. Look up their Flight 101. Lack of maintenance led one of their seaplanes to break up mid flight and crash into Government Cut off Miami Beach, FL killing all 20 onboard.
Lift Blog 
Will they ever use this lift and also what went wrong during the accident
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“On March 7, 2004, a chair grip on the Thompson Double Chair failed, resulting slide back, collision, and drop, causing four injuries”
https://newenglandskihistory.com/skiareaexpansions/Maine/squawmtn/uppermtn.php
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Let’s hope those bullwheels start rotating again. Oh, by the way, the last tower still has sheaves on it. And the short-lived 70’s midstation is still standing…somehow…
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Do you have pictures? That would be interesting to see.
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Google Earth.
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https://earth.google.com/web/@45.88772744,6.87347841,2393.82440566a,304.4635179d,35y,328.07328215h,0t,0r Sorry, that link goes to the abandoned Col du Midi cable car (telepherique) in France. Typing “static” after “/web/” will solve this.
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Based on google earth, the top two towers as well as the tower right before the midstation. It’d be very interesting to see more pics of the upper line of this lift.
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They pulled the sheaves off the lift but left the haul rope up? That is weird. Also looks like they have some lifting frames on the lower towers–at least temporary ones.
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I found some footage of this lift operating in 1989.
The chair is operating from 4:26 to 4:40 and then again from 5:09 to 6:12.
In addition, there is also some nice footage of one of the t-bars 0:25
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Hey Ben, I have pictures of it from last year. I hiked up under the lift during the winter. If you email me I can send them. nilsjohnson328@gmail.com
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Could I see those pictures as well?
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Found two photos on Instagram (@maine.lift) of the top terminal. Looks in sad shape.
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Geez, they really need to put another lift up there. Now it’s only served by a snowcat.
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Stadelli chairlifts were built like tanks. It would take some serious neglect of maintenance to put one of these out of service
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Yes, significant lack of maintenance…
I rode this lift when back when it was still operating in the 90s. The owner of Big Squaw is Jim Confalone. It was scary riding it then. And this was before the grip failure around 2004.
The nonprofit currently operating the area as Big Moose is currently fundraising to buy the land.
Jim Confalone also owned Chalk’s Ocean Airways which operated seaplanes in the Caribbean. Look up their Flight 101. Lack of maintenance led one of their seaplanes to break up mid flight and crash into Government Cut off Miami Beach, FL killing all 20 onboard.
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