Chair 1 ready; lift to run Oct. 15

Whitefish Mountain Resort reports that Chair One, the main lift to the summit of Big Mountain, is ready for winter. This Saturday they’ll give 2011-12 winter season-pass holders one last chance to take an autumn scenic lift ride when they open the lift from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Food and drink specials will be available inside the Summit House.

“We want to say thank you to everyone involved with the tower six project,” Whitefish Mountain Resort president Dan Graves said. “From our employees who first noticed the condition, to all the local contractors involved in the re-construction of the tower’s foundation. This was a time-consuming, complex undertaking and we are fortunate to have had the resources, many of them local, to complete this project in a reasonable amount of time.”

The lift was open for one day this summer, June 18, its Opening Day, and was closed after the resort’s lift maintenance crews noticed a slump in the ground 25 feet above the tower, causing the tower to lean. Tower six was removed June 24 and replaced Sept. 30.

The resort recognized its year-round lift maintenance crew of Oly Bircher, Doug Jurenka, Billy Drye, Rick Lewis, Paul Strahl, Nick Smith, Paul Shaver and Augie Conkle, and the many other workers and contractors who helped with repairs.