Hundreds Join Holiday Valley in a Toast to the New Lift

   E’VILLE - The Grand Opening of the new Spruce Lake Quad Chairlift at Holiday Valley took place this past Wednesday, December 26 at 10am at the base of the chair. Hundreds joined Holiday Valley officials in a champagne toast and were among the first to ski the new slopes, Cathedral, Spruce Line and Raccoon Run.

   The Spruce Lake Quad was constructed by the Holiday Valley Mountain Crew over the summer of 2007. The base of the lift is located adjacent to the existing Tannenbaum Express Quad and the lift terminates at Spruce Lake at the western boundary of Holiday Valley.

   Lift Stats:

• Length: 2,950 feet

• Vertical Rise: 449 feet

• Capacity: 4 people per chair, 1800 people per hour

• Number of Towers: 12

• Manufacturer: Doppelmayr Ctec

• Drive: Uni Star (base)

• Tension Return: Intrepid (top)

   This chairlift will service three new trails: Spruce Line (under the lift) and Raccoon Run (skier's left) are rated easier, and Cathedral (skier's right) is more difficult. The three beautiful tree lined slopes were cut in the 2006 summer during construction of Spruce Lake, a 62-million gallon reservoir used for snowmaking and summer recreation. Snowmaking was installed on these slopes over the summer.

   With the addition of the new chair and trails, Holiday Valley now boasts 56 slopes and trails and 13 lifts, including 10 quad chairlifts, the largest network in Western New York.

   To learn more about Holiday Valley, visit www.holidayvalley.com.

   Photo/Bob Knab