If you’d like to own a piece of Whitetail history, you will soon have a chance as the resort plans to auction off vintage ski lift chairs and trail signs. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the EpicPromise Foundation, which provides hardship relief grants and academic scholarships to Vail Resorts employees.
In the summer of 2008, Whitetail Resort installed a short fixed-grip double chairlift beside the Jib Junction Terrain Park. The Jib Junction Double provided skiers and snowboarders a shorter trip back to the top of the terrain park, eliminating the need to ride the Whitetail Express quad all the way to the top of the mountain. In subsequent years, the lift was utilized at busy times, but in recent years it has failed to operate.
Whitetail will soon be permanently removing this lift, and as a precursor to that, it is putting 30 chairs and 17 signs up for auction. The auction will open on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 12 p.m. ET, and will close on Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 12 p.m. ET. More information on the auction is available at the auction web site.
LiftBlog.com has a detailed set of photos showing the Jib Junction double.
Each chair measures approximately 106” by 45” and weighs 80 pounds. The trail signs are approximately 12” by 71”. Vail Resorts notes that the chairs are vintage and are not in “working” condition; chairs will be in varying condition and some might be missing pieces.
Winning bidders will need to pick up their auction item(s) from Whitetail Resort on Saturday, October 26, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Monday, October 28, 2024 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Whitetail will not hold or ship the items.
In 2023, the EpicPromise Employee Foundation supported 416 team members with $1.1 million in awards, including $690,000 in hardship relief grants and $441,000 in academic scholarships. Each year, Vail Resorts makes a $500,000 contribution to the Foundation. Additional contributions come from Vail Resorts team members and guests, and through activities such as this auction.
Whitetail is one of eight Mid-Atlantic ski resorts owned by Vail Resorts. A variety of Epic Pass season and day passes are valid across these resorts. As the season approaches, the prices of these passes rises; the next price increase will occur on October 9, 2024.
M. Scott Smith is the founder and Editor of DCSki. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer.
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