Mammoth Mountain to Use Old Chairlift Towers as Terrain Park Features

California skiers may already be aware that Mammoth Mountain, California is in the process of replacing Chair 1 over the summer to be ready for next ski season. The process is going smoothly, and the towers have come down.

POWDER has recently learned that Mammoth's Unbound Terrain Park team has been repurposing the old Chair 1 towers as new features for the terrain park.

With over 30 team members, including 14 cat operators assigned solely to work on grooming and maintaining the parks, the Unbound crew has a lot of manpower. Now, they also have a lot of steel to use for new features.

In this case, the materials are the towers of the old Broadway lift (more often referred to as Chair #1 by skiers). As it turns out, the upgrade of Broadway doesn't mean we have to say goodbye to the old Chair 1, after all.

Mammoth's terrain parks are renowned for their creative use of space, features, and flow. Those who have skied at Mammoth may go for the freeskiing-like terrain, with bowls, cliffs, and moguls, and then stay for the large parks, including a pipe where Olympians and professional athletes often go to practice.

All of this is to say that in spring, Mammoth prioritizes these parks due to the decline in fresh powder and uptick in interest with warm-weather, corn skiing. Terrain parks provide the perfect playground when powder turns are no longer on tap.

According to an email sent to POWDER from Mammoth's officials, "come springtime, Mammoth's 'second season' begins and the Unbound team works to create and refine each feature based on their on-snow experience and rider feedback."

"The team is constantly creating and imagining new ways to improve the park often working with materials on hand at the mountain. It's a passionate bunch who want to create the best experience possible (especially because they're the ones riding it the most!)."

This is not only a creative way to repurpose an old, beloved chair, but also a wonderful example of sustainability at the resort. Ski resorts have the unique position of servicing the outdoor community, a group of people concerned with our planet's future, but ski resorts also, unfortunately, often contribute to pollution, gas burning to turn lifts, and cutting down trees to allow for trails and glades to be made.

Repurposing old chairlift parts shows that perhaps, ski resorts are becoming more sustainable and more concerned with doing their part in fighting the good fight. Or, maybe the Unbound crew simply saw the opportunity for new park features, much like skaters using anything they find to make DIYs.

We will find out soon when we chat with the Unbound crew for an update next week. Until then, this is positive news for environmental activists and park skiers alike.

Related: Wisconsin Ski Area Re-Brands to Original 1980s Name

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