[Mtbike]

Just curious where the first lift assist resort was in America. What year did you take your first lift or gondola up the mountain? And just for fun what bike were you riding?

Edit: Sorry for the vague post. I was inquiring about lifts being used for mountain biking in North America.

 

[Salami]

America, as in the United States or as in North America?

 

[Mtbike]

America, as in the United States or as in North America?

I was originally thinking of the United States but me we can include all of North America.

 

[syadasti]

Are you talking about ski-lifts period or with bikes? Here is a thread about ski lifts:

http://www.skiinghistory.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1046

It left out the first lift in VT in 1934 though...

As far as personal history, I had a Marin Indian Fire Trail with a 3" travel Manitou EFC(considered entry level FR/DH fork then), a Bullet Brothers chain tensioner w/Onza V-brakes and took it to Mt. Snow in early summer 1995 and a year or two later I rode Platekill for the first time. In summer 1996 I took my first runs out West on Kona Stinky rentals at Whistler, BC and Crystal Mtn, WA.

 

[epic]

I think my first lift ride was 1989 (coulda been 1990) at Mt Snow on a Specialized Stumpjumper Team.

 

[IH8Rice]

took it to Mt. Snow in early summer 1995 and a year or two later I rode Platekill for the first time.

yeah, Platty opened for riding in 1995 and has been running every year since then.

 

[freemtnrider]

Columbus day 94' Cammelback PA. We where all underage so we couldnt ride the lift w/o parental approval. So we shuttled to the top, 6 of us in an Isuzu Rodeo. We got about 6 or 8 runs on the day. It was epic. Some of us where on full rigid bikes.

Summer 96' I was traveling from Stow, VT. over to Freeport ME. along the Kancamagus highway in NH. I stopped at Loon Mtn to ride the chairlift. $5 for one ride. I was on a Gary Fisher Hardtail with a RS mag 21 up front. The long travel version with a whopping 80mm of travel. I was the only one with a bike that day. There was an "extreme golf" game going on.

 

[Sandwich]

willing to bet the first place open for lift riding was mammoth or someplace nearby. they were ahead of the game and really started before it got big.

That being said, plattekill wasn't too far behind. My first lift ride was at Song Mountain in upstate NY in 1996, on my DBR V-link 1.0. Terrifying. I went back a year or two ago and rode down the now-closed alpine slide and water slide. OOPS.

 

[IH8Rice]

i rode Mt Snow in 1996 on a C'Dale Super V 600(i think it was) with a headshock. it was total sketch, but so much god damn fun, i got hooked into DHing right there.
we were going so fast for so long, the disc rotors warped and made a horrendous hum for most of the day.

 

[Rockland]

I think my first was '93 @ Sunday River. Was riding a rigid Raleigh. I remember having my derailleur pulleys rattle out on the way back down 3 Mile Trail.

 

[Eastern States Cup]

TMX should chime in, I understand she was there the first weekend of Plattekill Bike Park.

 

[boogenman]

a local place here had a annual DH and dual slalom race that dated back to 1994.

 

[OGRipper]

I think my first was '93 @ Sunday River. Was riding a rigid Raleigh. I remember having my derailleur pulleys rattle out on the way back down 3 Mile Trail.

Yep, same for me also, Sunday River sometime in the early 90's. Rockin' a fully rigid stumpjumper with regular cantilevers.

 

[Curler]

I know Snoqualmie Pass, WA was doing runs sometime in the 90's. Before my time maybe someone knows some details?

 

[greenhood]

1990 Lutsen Minnesota
trek 820 rigid

 

[LukeD]

what about snow summit, big bear? when did that open?

 

[stiksandstones]

what about snow summit, big bear? when did that open?

I do not know when they opened for bike access, but I remember doing DH runs there in 91'.

I remember doing DH training at durango worlds in 90' via chairlift.

I remember going to top of kamikaze in 87' via gondola for my first 'DH only' training runs...

 

[epic]

I remember going to top of kamikaze in 87' via gondola for my first 'DH only' training runs...

Sounds like we have a new front-runner.

 

[boogenman]

I can't imagine how crappy it would be to ride a bike at platty today with mid range bike from 1994 or 1995. I'm talking canti brakes here.

 

[syadasti]

I can't imagine how crappy it would be to ride a bike at platty today with mid range bike from 1994 or 1995. I'm talking canti brakes here.

I remember wicked arm pump by the end of the day

 

[IH8Rice]

I remember wicked arm pump by the end of the day

if your arms didnt flail off the bars first

 

[stiksandstones]

I can't imagine how crappy it would be to ride a bike at platty today with mid range bike from 1994 or 1995. I'm talking canti brakes here.

Speaking of arm pump and bad brakes...

I remember doing some runs on cap d'ail in 93' on a verlicchi FS bike, I think that bike was 2.5" travel, marz AIR shocks. It was barely fun....not to mention no chairlift, driving a sketchy road with a sketchy euro driving us.

Or riding MSA DH runs with my wife in 94 or so, she rode her DH bike, I rode her slalom bike. It was the years after the fireroad MSA and when they first started the burly MSA track....holy crap I was ruined after 3 runs....but atleast we got a gondola ride up!

 

[Eastern States Cup]

yeah, Platty opened for riding in 1995 and has been running every year since then.

Platty opened summer of 1994