Ski hill plans to remove favourite T-bar

Though some think fondly of the Kiefer T-bar at Marmot Basin as the “locals lift,” nostalgia for the T-bar doesn’t count for much in the ski hill’s upcoming development plan to remove it and construct a chair lift in its place.

Brian Rode, vice president of marketing and sales for Marmot, said he is as fond of the T-bar as anyone. “I personally have always liked the Kiefer T-bar, as an expert skier I just enjoy riding a surface lift,” Rode said. “But the vast majority of the skiers would much prefer the comfort of a chair lift.”

Resident Helmut Kreiner has been skiing at Marmot since 1962, and is one of many who will be sad to see the T-bar go.  “That was the first lift they ever put up, it was the only one to start with,” he said. “That was our favourite hill going up the T-bar.”

Kreiner said the T-bar has at times been the only way to access that part of the mountain, when winds were too strong for other lifts to unload.

Rode said Marmot consultants’ looked at whether the chair will be subject to closures due to safety in high winds. “The new chair has a much different alignment and because it will be at least a quad it will be heavier, so the wind will have much less of an effect on its operation,” he said. 

Some skiers say they prefer the T-bar on cold days, when it’s too cold to be up in the air, but Rode said wind chill is not an important factor because if it were, the resort would have to consider switching every lift on the hill to a surface lift for warmth.

“If there comes a point it becomes too cold to ski, it’s too cold to ski regardless of whether you’re riding the chair or riding the T-bar,” Rode said. “I would hazard to guess that as fairly hearty Albertan skiers we can get out at pretty cold temperatures.”

Marmot has looked at options such as Plexiglas covers for the chairs, but Rode said some ski areas have installed them only to remove them again. “We’re looking at the pros and cons to make a determination,” he said. 

A bonus of the development, Rode said, is that once the T-bar is gone, skiers will be able to make better use of the run where it used to be. “When the Kiefer T-bar and those towers and the track is removed, it will actually open up, it will make that face more enjoyable to ski,” he said.

Besides issues with the new lift itself, suggestions that Marmot’s getting the chair lift at a good price have begun to surface. But according to Rode, reports that the hill is rushing ahead with the project because lift manufacturer Pomma has offered a deal are unfounded. 

“There’s no substance to any rumour whatsoever that anybody’s made us any offers,” he said. “The lift manufacturer has no influence whatsoever into what or where we’re going to build other than whether it’s doable.”

Rode said anyone who’s against taking out the Kiefer T-bar will change their mind once they get on the new lift. “It’s going to be an absolute boon for the ski areas and the skiers,” he said. 

An environmental assessment of the development prepared by Parks Canada was available for review and comment at the beginning of July. Though Parks has not yet published a summary of the feedback, Shawn Cardiff, manager of land use policy and planning, said Parks takes the comments into consideration.

Parks looks for feedback regarding how the project is to be carried out, and how the environment and people may be affected, Cardiff said. “It’s important that people understand that their comments are taken seriously and they can and do influence the outcome of projects and decisions.”

Kreiner took advantage of the opportunity to write in and suggest the new lift be constructed 50 yards further west, where he thinks unloading skiers would be protected from the wind, or to leave the T-bar and run the new one above it.

According to Rode, all the options and issues have been considered. “It’s an old lift, it has to come out, it’s lived its life,” he said. “There’s no perfect answer, but this is the best solution.”

As part of the development, Marmot also plans to remove the Tranquilizer. The proposal calls for the construction to be completed by the end of this summer, time permitting.