Mad River Glen Ski Area in Fayston, Vermont is auctioning the last original Mad River Glen Single Chair available. This is the final and only opportunity that the general public will have to acquire this significant artifact of skiing history. The chair can easily be displayed indoors or out and will make you the envy of your skiing friends.
Each chair weighs approximately 150 lbs, and is just under 10' long from the top of the "goose neck" to the foot rest. The chair will be available at the close of this ski season which is on April 8th. Buyers are responsible for pick-up or the shipping charges.
The 2007 ski season is the last for Mad River Glen?s Single Chair. At the close of the season a $1.54 million historic restoration will begin. The Single Chair has long been the embodiment of the mountain?s rugged, practical, and unique personality. Completed in 1948, ?Old Faithful? has brought generations of skiers to the top of General Stark Mountain. It is one of two single chairs remaining in North America (the other is at Mt. Eyak in Cordova, Alaska).
Most ski areas today opt for high lift capacity to keep lift lines as short as possible. Of course the more people you put on the lift the more you have to put on the hill. Characteristically, Mad River Glen takes a slightly different tack, preferring radically lower skier density over the occasional lift line. This ethos isn?t for everyone, but a fiercely loyal following of skiers prefer to have the trails and woods to themselves, along with the more natural, down-to-earth experience that Mad River Glen offers.
The restoration will begin the day the mountain closes this season. The restored Single will have the same lift capacity (500 skiers per hour) and, to the untrained eye will look nearly identical to the existing lift. All of the components and the drive will be new, only the wire rope, the lattice towers and the return station framework will be reused. The towers and framework will be removed, sandblasted, re-painted, and re-installed on new concrete bases. The project will be completed in time for the mountain?s re-opening in December, 2007.
The project is being financed with a combination of Co-op share sales, the sale of the old chairs, and a charitable giving campaign. The Single Chair Campaign allows tax deductible donations to be made for the project. Because of the historic significance of the Single Chair restoration the Co-op was able to partner with the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Stark Mountain Foundation to accept tax deductible donations. The entire Mad River Glen community invites you to donate to the Single Chair Campaign. For more information about the Single Chair Campaign visit madriverglen.com/single/ .
