SLINGER, Wis. — As the temperature gets colder, Little Switzerland Ski Area in Slinger is ready to debut their brand new ski and snowboard lift system this month.
Staff tore down their 1964 system after the end of the last season, started building the new lifts in May and completed the project in early November.
The new chairs have more padding and fit four people instead of two, like the old machine.
“It was from 1964, maybe a little bit dated of an infrastructure, now we’ve got a brand new shiny lift," general manager Brandon Wagner said. "There are really nice pads on the things and it leans back a little as well. It’s just a nicer and smoother ride for anyone to enjoy.”
The new lifts include big red terminals that house the main machines above ground, rather than below ground, as well as updated battery/electric powered engines.
“Now, we have two unload terminals," Wagner said. "Which means it’s going to reduce stoppage time, cut that in half and make overall capacity here in Little Switzerland even better.”
He said it is the biggest and most expensive project they've ever completed. It cost $4 million to build, but he and co-owner Mike Schmitz said it was needed.
“It’s an electric backup motor, so it’s totally battery back up as opposed to our old diesel or propane generate you had to do," Schmitz said. "In case something were to fail, you’ve got a back up system. It’s a pretty neat system.”
Wagner said the new lift passed the load test and now it's ready for the first snow and opening day.
“Once the time comes," he said. "We’ll be ready to let it fly.”
Depending on the weather, they plan to open on November 27th. They will also run a social media campaign with their followers to see who will get to use the lift first.
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