Cracks Discovered In Quad Ski Lifts At Schweitzer

Schweitzer Mountain Resort’s largest, fastest ski lift will remain closed after small cracks were found in metal clamps that hold the lift’s chairs onto the cables, resort officials said Friday.

The cracks were discovered during a safety inspection requested by the lift manufacturer, Lift Engineering Ltd., of Carson City, Nev., Schweitzer officials said.

The lift is Schweitzer’s only “quad” lift with chairs that seat four skiers abreast. The lift was idled last weekend after the inspection was requested.

It will remain closed indefinitely, Schweitzer spokesman Tom Trulocke said. If the manufacturer approves, resort officials may remove the chairs with the cracked clamps and then reopen the lift, he said.

Until the lift reopens, Schweitzer is discounting lift tickets. The resort’s five double chairs remain open and provide access to the entire mountain.

Lift Engineering recently ordered inspections of all of its quad lifts at resorts in Canada and the United States, including southern Idaho’s Sun Valley.

Crews there found tiny cracks in clamps on the resort’s three quad lifts, Sun Valley spokesman Jack Sibbach said. The lifts are now running again after the cracked portions were replaced and the lifts were certified as safe by insurers and the U.S. Forest Service, he said.

The quad lifts are a different model than a lift involved in a fatal accident last year at Whistler Mountain in British Columbia.