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The Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane, Washington, which operated from 1908 to 2003, was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world.
The company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet, who was born in
liftblog.com
as of September 5th, 2021. More Riblet chairlifts may be in existence, though some listed below may have already been removed. There is a total of at least 265 existing Riblet chairlifts and 268 no longer installed.
Company websiteLiftblog.com
Aerial lift manufacturers Defunct companies based in Spokane, Washington Defunct manufacturing companies based in Washington (state) American companies established in 1908 American companies disestablished in 2003 Manufacturing companies established in 1908 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2003
The Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane, Washington, which operated from 1908 to 2003, was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world.
The company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet, who was born in Osage, Iowa
Osage is a city in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,627 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Mitchell County.
Geography
Osage is located at (43.284618, -92.812129).
According to the United States C ...
, in 1865 and earned a degree in Civil Engineering. Arriving in Spokane in 1885, his first work was laying out railway and streetcar lines. He also built dams and irrigation projects.
In 1896, Riblet was contracted to erect an ore tramway designed by the Finlayson company at the Noble Five silver mine in Sandon, British Columbia
Sandon is in the foothills of the Selkirk Mountains in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The near ghost town lies off BC Highway 31A, and is at the confluence of Sandon Creek into Carpenter Creek. By road, the place is ab ...
, to assist in moving ore down Reco Mountain to the mill at Cody. Apparently Riblet thought he was coming to build a streetcar line. Even so, Riblet decided he could improve the mining tram performance. Over time, Riblet raised more aerial tramways in the booming mining district, building 30 in the next decade. Riblet returned to Spokane in 1908, after working in the Kootenays
The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
Boundaries
The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...
, to found the Riblet Tramway Company. The company, which specialized in mining tramways, built them in Alaska, Canada, the western United States, and South America.
Riblet built its first chairlift in 1938 at Mount Hood
Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portlan ...
, Oregon. Byron Riblet died in 1952, but the company boomed with the postwar rise of ski resorts. Skiing gained in popularity, and soon ski lifts became the major part of the Riblet Tramway Company's business. They built more than 400 lifts, particularly in Washington, Oregon, and California, and as far away as Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, New Zealand and Chile; one secondhand American lift has also been relocated to Pakistan. They have the most double chair lifts operating in the U.S.
The company only built fixed-grip lifts, whose chair grip is woven into the haul rope rather than clamped onto it. But other technologies eventually proved more popular. In early 2003, the firm announced that it was no longer viable and would go out of business.
Installations
Riblet chairlifts can be found in many places still in service, though the majority have been removed. The following tables contain those documented bliftblog.com
as of September 5th, 2021. More Riblet chairlifts may be in existence, though some listed below may have already been removed. There is a total of at least 265 existing Riblet chairlifts and 268 no longer installed.
See also
*Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope (called a ''haul rope'') that is strung between two (or ...
: the technological successor to the fixed-grip chairlift
* Magic Mile
,
The Magic Mile is an aerial chairlift at Timberline Lodge ski area, Mount Hood, Oregon, United States, U.S. It was named for its unique location above the tree line and for its original length. When constructed by Byron Riblet in 19 ...
, Riblet's first chairlift
References
Sources
{{cite book , author = Martin J. Wells , title = Tramway Titan: Byron Riblet, Wire Rope and Western Resource Towns , publisher = Trafford Publishing, Victoria , date=December 2005 , isbn = 978-1-4120-5093-7External links
Company website
Aerial lift manufacturers Defunct companies based in Spokane, Washington Defunct manufacturing companies based in Washington (state) American companies established in 1908 American companies disestablished in 2003 Manufacturing companies established in 1908 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2003