MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2020

90 Blue finished their Poma-based chair installs with the Badlands Double in 1994. All those older Poma lifts have since been removed and/or replaced by more modern chairs. The resort hit the Nineties hard with an expansive chairlift install schedule that welcomed the Weider Express and Century Express Detachable six-seaters in 1997 and 1999, respectively. The Graduate Triple was added to the modern roster in 1999 as well, and the Southern Comfort Detachable six-seater became the resort’s last big addition of the millennium. In 2003, the heart of Blue Mountain was installed. The Silver Bullet Detachable six-seater added a new major artery of transportation for Blue riders, representing the pivotal junction of activity, and the jump-off spot from the Village. In 2005, they welcomed the Voyageur Quad, while the Orchard Express arrived in 2013. From 1999-2013, all of Blue’s lifts were manufactured by Poma in their Grand Junction, Colorado factory, with some parts still coming from the old HQ in France. Around the turn of the century, Poma joined forces with one of their biggest competitors, Leitner, an Italian firm which had a fairly limited resume in North America prior to the mid-Nineties. They had installed a few lifts in Fernie, Kimberley, Big White, Norquay, Lake Louise, and Jay Peak over in Vermont—but it was the North American merger with Poma that solidified their presence. Interestingly, while Poma and Leitner merged here on Turtle Island, they remain separate in Europe. Around the same time as this merger, their biggest—and only legitimate competition—Doppelmayr, merged with aerial lift manufacturers Garaventa/CTEC, now based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since 2002, all Leitner Poma designs have been the product of Poma’s experience. As the years go on, lifts become quieter, more efficient, safer, more economical to operate, and more intelligent. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—Blue is all about the progression of skiing and mountain culture, and that’s solely dependent on the experience of riding Blue Mountain. It’s only as good as its riders, its staff, and its equipment. In the case of our backyard hill, we have, and will continue to hit well above our weight. Up, up, and away. What Blue lacks in vert, it more than makes up for in logistics-heavy, high-intensity shredding. COURTESY BLUE MOUNTAIN RESORT