Leaning tower closes Chair 1

Excessive moisture this spring is likely to blame for a ground slump around a tower on Chair 1 at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The scenic lift will be closed indefinitely until the safety issue is resolved, resort spokesperson Riley Polumbus said.

Lift crews first noticed the slump on Saturday, the resort’s opening day. It is about 25 feet above tower six on the detachable quad lift. The lift ran for the entire day without incident while crews monitored the area.

Crews placed flags around the area that afternoon. When they returned on Sunday morning, they noticed the flags had moved and the slump had grown.

Visually inspection showed the tower to be leaning about 4 inches. Chairs and gondola cars were removed in order to release tension on the lift cable. Crews then tied back and secured the tower.

“We were on top of it from the get go,” Polumbus said.

The lift manufacturer, a hydrologist and a soil engineer have been contacted. A helicopter will arrive this week to remove the tower.

“We will be putting all necessary resources toward assessing the situation, finding a solution and getting our scenic lift up and running as soon as the lift is back to engineering standards,” said Dan Graves, president of the resort. “Our main concern is for the safety of our customers and employees.”

All hiking and mountain biking trails under Chair 1 are closed until further notice, which includes the Danny On and upper sections of the Go Fish and Gopher biking trails. The Summit House at the top of Chair One is also closed.