Stowe, VT – Officials at Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort have announced that this summer they will replace the ski and snowboard resort’s FourRunner chairlift on Mount Mansfield with a new high-speed quad. Originally installed in the 1980s, the FourRunner has been Stowe’s most popular lift, uploading more skiers and riders than any other lift in the resort’s history.nThe new lift will debut for the 2011-12 ski and ride season.

“Our goal is to provide the very best experience possible for all of our guests,” states Robert McEleney CEO and President of Stowe Mountain Resort. “The terrain on Mount Mansfield is the heart and soul of the resort. This brand new detachable quad lift will provide superlative lift service to the very best alpine terrain in the East.”

The replacement for the 6,400-foot lift, which runs from the base of the resort to the Octagon, beneath Mt. Mansfield’s “Nose,” will include improved electronics and mechanics to allow staffers to more easily run the lift in windy and icy conditions, something that has on occasion plagued the current lift in the past. Chairs will be stored indoors at night, and the lift run overnight at reduced speed to help prevent icing. The chairs themselves will be heavier than those on the current model, and are thus less prone to swaying in the winds that frequent Vermont’s highest peak.

The original FourRunner quad replaced both a double and single chairlift on Mt. Mansfield in 1986.