Ski Lift International (SLI) was an aerial lift manufacturer based out of

Incline Village, Nevada Incline Village is a census-designated place (CDP) on the north shore of Lake Tahoe in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 8,777 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Reno− Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Until the ...

. SLI was established in 1965 by co-founders Samuel G. Bonasso and Joseph Sugarman, with Bonasso as its first president. The company built 46 lifts, mainly double

chairlifts An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

, from 1965 until 1973. SLI had a prototype gondola and triple chair, but it is unlikely that these designs were ever used. SLI chairlifts can still be seen at ski areas such as

Catamount Ski Area Catamount Ski Area is a ski resort located on Mount Fray of the Taconic Mountains in Hillsdale, New York and South Egremont, Massachusetts. Catamount is one of three ski areas in the southern Berkshires; the others are Butternut in Great Barri ...

. The company was known for inventing the first maintenance-free bail chair, well before competitors such as

Riblet 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, in 1865 and earned ...

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

. SLI shipped pre-welded towers and terminal parts to the ski areas, avoiding welding on site. SLI was purchased by

Riblet Tramway Company 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, in 1865 and earned ...

in 1973. Since then more and more of these lifts have been removed due to mechanical failures or the need for higher capacity. These lifts are currently very rare and are still rapidly disappearing from the earth.

List of SLI lifts still standing

Alpine Slide-Big Bear Lake, California double Bryce Resort, Virginia A Double Sapphire Valley, North Carolina A Lift Double Bryce Resort, Virginia B Double Diamond Peak, Nevada Ridge Double Iron Mountain, California (CLOSED) - Chair 1 (Double) Iron Mountain, California (CLOSED) - Chair 2 (Double) June Mountain, California 4 Double June Mountain, California 2 Double Aspen Mountain, Colorado Shadow Mountain Double

Wolf Ridge Wolf Ridge Ski Resort is a ski area in the eastern United States in western North Carolina, near Mars Hill. Five miles (8 km) from Interstate 26, it has fifteen ski slopes and trails, with four of the slopes rated for beginners, nine 'int ...

, North Carolina A Double Telluride, Colorado 7 Coonskin Double Telluride, Colorado Oak Street Double 49 Degrees North, Washington 2 Grubstake Double 49 Degrees North, Washington 3 Payday Double Teton Pass, Montana Chairlift Double Bighorn, Wyoming Beginner Double Heavenly, Nevada World Cup Double Wolf Creek, Colorado Nova Double Blacktail Mountain, MT Crystal Double (former C-5 at Crystal Mountain, WA) Ober Gatlinburg, TN Blue Double Mountain Run, Virginia (CLOSED) - Double

References

{{reflist Aerial lift manufacturers American companies established in 1965 Companies disestablished in 1973