Bridgton, ME – Maine’s Shawnee Peak Ski Area is replacing its existing Summit Triple chairlift this summer with a faster, bigger, more modern CTEC triple.nServicing the entire ski mountain, Shawnee Peak’s New Summit Triple Chairlift will feature larger, more comfortable seats and a significantly faster ride.

The old Riblet Summit Triple has been running essentially non-stop, day and night, since 1984. Shawnee Peak purchased the CTEC Lift from Loon Mountain, N.H., where the lift had serviced a relatively low-use area of the mountain, mainly on weekends and holidays.

“The old Riblet Summit Triple has been running essentially non-stop, day and night, since 1984,” said Chet Homer, owner of Shawnee Peak since 1994. “The CTEC lift has nearly half the number of operational hours as our old Riblet. To ensure the new lift will serve us well for many years, we have essentially replaced or refurbished all of the key components of the lift.

“Surveys showed that the skiing public would welcome a faster ride to the top of the mountain,” said Homer. “Our capital improvement goals always address the desires of our customers.”

The new lift is designed to reduce the ride to the summit by approximately 25 percent. Already the old chair has been dismantled, and helicopter work is currently anticipated on June 3.

Load testing for the new Summit Triple is scheduled to occur before Labor Day. Skiers and riders can access all 40 trails and glades and two terrain parks from the new lift.