by Kelly Hayes - Castanet
October 04, 2006 / 10:00 am
Construction of Canada's longest six-person chairlift is nearing completion.
Work on Big White's new Snow Ghost Express, at the base of the Ridge began in earnest last April, a day after the resort shut down.
The concrete for the base towers was put in place in August and the second phase got under way Tuesday with the installation of the towers.
A heavy duty Bell helicopter from Chilliwack was brought in for the job.
Chief pilot Kerry Kokoszka of Transwest Helicopters, says he's disassembled ski lifts before, but this was his first assembly job.
"I haven't assembled any ski towers, but about a month ago we disassembled one in Kimberley, so it should be interesting."
Kokoszka says accuracy is the key to pulling off the job.
"The wind will cause the aircraft to move around. Another important factor is keeping the helicopter stable because there's always a danger for the ground crews. It's a bit of a high stress job."
Kokoska lifted the 20 towers Tuesday with the heaviest one weighing in at more than 5,000 pounds -- maxing out the helicopter's lift.
The man in charge of making everything run smoothly on the ground is Pat Boyle of Leitner-Poma. He says there was a lot of prep-work involved before the towers could be installed.
"We spent months doing the concrete and assembling the steel. After the towers are up, we have to install the haul-rope. And the end of the month, we should have everything set up and ready for a test. If all goes according to plan, the lift will be up and running by November and all we'll need is the snow."
Once the Snow Ghost Express is up and going, it will be able to handle up to 5,400 skiers per hour or 10 passengers every seven seconds. The lift will also be the longest six-passenger chair in Canada - nearly 6200 feet long and will have a ride time of less than six minutes.
Chairlifts don't come cheap. Big White's Michael J. Ballingall says it comes with a $7 million price tag. But he says the extra expense is worth it.
"The record breaking number of guests during our Christmas, Presidents Week and Spring Break periods clearly indicated that we had to expand our existing carrying capacity, especially in the highest-traffic area of the Ridge ski pod. The Snow Ghost Express will definitely reduce the wait times to a minimum during these busy periods," says Michael J. Ballingall.
Snow permitting, Big White should be open by November 23.
