Sunridge Ski Area: Quad Chairlift Update
IN a statment the resort says:
A Leitner-Poma-BM chairlift was delivered in May 2017 and we are working to install it. The used four-passenger (quad) chair, which we bought from a ski area in Ontario, will replace both the Orange TBar and the Yellow TBar and will run from the bottom of Andy's Gully up to the top near our existing chair.
We had hoped to open the new chairlift at the beginning of the season but some things took a little longer than expected. All runs to be serviced by the new quad are still accessible as we kept the Yellow TBar in place and operational.
Although this is a used chairlift, every component (motor, gearbox, sheave assemblies, brakes, hydraulics, electronics and safety systems) has been rebuilt or is brand new. A critical component, the new drive electronics (basically the computer which monitors and controls the lift), arrived on December 18 which was a couple of months later than originally anticipated. While Christmas holidays and the recent cold snap after Christmas slowed our work somewhat, our staff are now working full-out to install and connect all the electrical and safety systems to the new drive.
On Jan. 2, the drive was energized and on Jan. 5, the new cable was hydraulically tensioned. This upcoming week (Jan. 8-12), we plan to to continue connecting the 150 or so safety systems to the drive, and to turn the chair for the first time (using the diesel backup motor). With the chair turning, we can put the work chair on the line and complete the last of the tower work. An NDT (non-destructive test) of the new cable is scheduled for the end of the week and once the NDT is complete, we can put the chairs on the line.
We still expect to have the chair open this season and likely this month, but we won't be able to give you an estimated time frame for opening until the chair passes all tests and inspections.“
Sunridge Ski Area is a ski area located off of 17 Street in Edmonton, Alberta.It is built on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River.
The ski area was opened in 1980 as part of the Strathcona Science Provincial Park. In 1983 the area was contracted to a private company and renamed Hidden Ridge Ski Area. In 1988 the ski area management changed again, and was renamed to its current Sunridge Ski Area.
In 2007, following the addition of earth fill to the area between the original Orange and Red T-bars, the original Silverlode triple chairlift from Red Mountain Resort was installed.
