West Mtn Update

The West Mountain lift will be closed this weekend for maintenance, while we wait for the haul rope (or cable) to be re-spliced next week.

A lift's haul rope is the long cable that carries the chairs, and it is made into a loop by splicing the two ends of the cable together. A haul rope splice is intricate work, and there are a limited number of professionals in the country certified to perform a haul rope splice (check out this video of how a splice works).

Last week, the West Mountain Haul rope began making an unusual sound as it passed through the lift's bull wheel. Upon further inspection, the sound was due to an irregularity in the splice. While this irregularity does not appear to affect the integrity of the splice, we have made the decision to be cautious and re-splice the  rope before operating the lift again.

The splice is scheduled to happen late next week, and we expect to have the lift up and running for MLK Jr Weekend.

Haul ropes and their splices are all inspected by certified professionals every year before a lift is licensed to operate by the State of Maine. The inspection of the West Mountain haul rope this year uncovered no problems or concerns.

We will keep you updated with any additional information as it becomes available.