Most ski lift mid-stations are pretty nondescript and don’t get a whole lot of attention. As is the case in most facets of the Mad River Glen experience, the Single Chair Mid-station breaks the mold, garnering lots of attention for various reasons.
Did you know it is the only lift in North America that can unload and load the same chair at its mid-station? It’s a fact and it’s a pretty tricky operation! It is also famous for a long line of memorable and engaging mid-station lifties. Heck, Brian the current Mid-Station head honcho, is so legendary he was just written up in Powder Magazine. But, there was a new addition to this hallowed ground this season that may have gone noticed by some.
A super-cool new bell, operated by an old-fashioned hand crank, was rigged up and installed by Josh, a some-time Mid-station minder and generally crafty guy. Countless skiers over the years have hung their poles on the safety bar and forgotten about it only to have them snap when reaching mid. A frustrating thing for sure and more common since the historic restoration of the Single Chair sans pole hooks.
The bell works when the operator cranks the decidedly old-school device inside the lift shack when an unsuspecting skier approaches. How many ski poles will be “saved by the bell” is anyone’s guess but the MRG community is grateful to Josh and all the lifties at MRG who consistently go way above and beyond. Thanks for continuing the tradition of ingenuity and creativity that helps define the Mad River Glen experience in so many different and surprising ways.
