Is this what Squaw should be spending their money on? What do you guys think?
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More Info and Photos @ Squaw.com
Olympic Valley, CA - Preparations for the coming winter season as well underway at Squaw Valley USA, as one of the Lake Tahoe-area resort’s most popular skiing and snowboarding areas, Shirley Lake, will now be accessed via a brand new Doppelmayr CTEC detachable six-person chairlift.
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Helicopters worked earlier this month to carry lift towers for Squaw Valley’s new Shirley Lake six-pack chair, scheduled for completion by the start of the 2007-08 ski and snowboard season.
(photo: Squaw Valley USA)The Shirley Lake lift is one of the most frequently ridden lifts on the mountain. The new Shirley Lake Express Chair replaces an older quad chairlift that was installed in the mid-80s and was one of the first express quad chairlifts in the country. The new lift will provide access to 375 acres of technical intermediate terrain. Construction of the lift is scheduled to be completed by opening day of the 2007 ski and snowboard season.
Squaw Valley Ski Corp has redesigned the lift profile several times in an effort to minimize the impact to the environment while replacing the lift. All new lift towers were flown to a mid mountain staging area and refitted for the new chair. Use of a helicopter to bring in lift towers is a sustainable method as it eliminates the environmental impact incurred by using trucks to drag the towers. Less than 166 cubic yards of material will be excavated, eleven of the existing towers and footing will be reused, two towers will be replaced and the previously-disturbed top and bottom terminal footing will be incorporated into the new terminals. After completion, any disturbed areas will be treated and nursed back to pre-construction state.
