Home     Past     Present     Links     Photo Galleries     Feedback The Past Installing a Chairlift Nowadays a double chairlift is, well, a double chairlift - nothing special. In 1961, however, a double chairlift was just about the best alpine ski lift money could buy. Thunder Mountain would have a brand new one. Mueller chairlifts are quickly becoming a rarity in the ski industry - the last remaining Mueller at Berkshire East was removed after the 2002-2003 season. Nonetheless, Muellers were cutting edge in the 1960s - rustproof lattice towers, colorful centerpole chairs, and special double-gripped connections to the cable. The concrete truck had to be pulled up the mountain Workers raising a tower Despite having a liftline cut and graded, there was still a lot of work to be done. Engineering/designing the lift to fit the contour of the mountain. Pouring concrete tower footings. Assembling, raising, and bolting the lattice towers into place. Installing the top and bottom terminals. Splicing the haul rope. Putting the chairs on the line. Months of work. Nonetheless, the work was done and the chairlift was open for the winter of 1961-62. The Early 60s Copyright 1997-2011 SkiBerkshireEast.com, All Rights Reserved This is not an official Berkshire East Ski Area web site