With opening day weeks away, the Locke Mountain and Spruce Peak chairlifts remain inoperable.
Sunday, September 18, 2016, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
With mid to late October starts in six of the last nine seasons, Sunday River is weeks away from opening. Locke Mountain and Spruce Peak, on the other hand, are not.
Both peaks have been served by three decade old Borvig triple chairlifts. On July 10, the Spruce Peak top terminal footing detached from the ledge below it, resulting in a catastrophic failure. Further testing suggested the Locke Mountain lift could have a similar issue.
As a result, on August 18, Sunday River announced it would be replacing the Spruce Peak lift, as well as the top terminal of the Locke Mountain lift.
As of September 16, the Locke Mountain Triple top terminal has been removed, however the old concrete footing remains, with a section missing from testing. No concrete work has taken place.
Locke Mountain Triple, September 16, 2016
Locke Mountain Triple, September 16, 2016
Locke Mountain Triple, September 16, 2016
Locke Mountain Triple, September 16, 2016
Meanwhile, the Spruce Peak Triple remains with its top terminal toppled and chairs strewn. With the exception of a sheared upper tower, no components have been removed, nor has any concrete work taken place. No timeline has been given for the $2.1 million Doppelmayr triple chairlift installation.
Sunday River had not yet responded to a request for information when this story was published.
In its current Mountain Report, Sunday River makes no mention of Spruce Peak. Early season snowmaking has been shifted to Aurora, followed by a "move back towards the eastern side of the resort to focus on Barker and Locke. By then construction on Locke's new top terminal should be coming to a close."
