The resort will replace its single-chair lift with a replica. (Brian Mohr)

For many Vermont skiers, a 59-year-old single-chair ski lift is the secret to a peaceful day on the slopes.

Now Mad River Glen's 158-seat lift, which deposits about 500 people each hour on the 3,637-foot peak of General Stark Mountain, needs major restoration in order to continue functioning safely.

As the last diesel-powered single-chair lift in North America, the chair lift, with its 30-minute wait, represents the quiet days before fast-moving, modern lifts.

"The single-lift limits the amount of people at the top. Even on Christmas weekend, you have the trails to yourself," says Eric Friedman, spokesman for Mad River Glen in Waitsfield, Vt. "It's counter to everything in America. Our skiers believe that everything good in life is worth waiting for."

Mad River Glen is the only cooperatively owned ski resort in the country. With 1,700 shareholders, no decision is easy. However, when faced with the option to replace the lift with a modern, multi-passenger system or to undertake an extensive, expensive restoration, 81 percent of the shareholders voted to rebuild the lift, which debuted in 1948.

At a closed-bid auction fundraiser this Saturday, 140 of the original lift chairs will be auctioned to shareholders for a minimum bid of $1,000 each. Donations will cover most of the $1.5 million project.

Friedman maintains that, although everything except the towers is being replaced, the project is restorative in nature. "We are retaining as much as we can while meeting safety codes," he says, noting that the resort has partnered with the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Stark Mountain Foundation for the project.

The original towers, which, according to the project's engineers, are better engineered than modern towers, will be sandblasted, repainted, and installed on new bases. Its diesel engine will be replaced with an electric motor, and all its chairs will be replaced.

"The chairs are being replaced in kind," says Meg Campbell, spokeswoman for the Preservation Trust of Vermont. "They are being replaced because of metal fatigue and other minor safety features, but with great sensitivity to the historical nature of the chairs."

Mad River Glen will begin the project this spring, hoping to have the lift finished in time for next year's ski season.

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