Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key TakeawaysThey might be less efficient and feel more sketchy than a high-speed quad, and those bone-chillingly long ride times might have you wishing for a bubble chair, but the nostalgia and romance of an old fixed-grip double chairlift is truly undeniable. I can truly say I have more fond memories on double chair lifts than any other type of lift, despite how obsolete they seem to be these days. Whether it's an excuse to snuggle up to whoever you're sharing the chair with to keep warm on a 10+ minute lift ride or clinging to the safety-bar-less chair for dear life instead of pulling out your phone, riding a double chair is an experience in itself.While some mountains still have plenty of doubles left, others are still clinging to the nostalgia of their last one. Here are a few of the POWDER staff's favorite old, slow, doubles so next time you ride one of these you can take in the experience and also think of your favorite smelly ski bums, I mean ski journalists.Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.
Bar UE is for lovers. Photo: Mike Filander
1. Bar-UE - Steamboat, CO
Installed: 1977Steamboat skiers will know there's a reason they say "Bar-UE is for lovers." One of the last cozy double chairs at Steamboat Resort, Bar-UE has been taking duos from the bottom of Buddy's Run back to the top of Storm Peak to ski more of Steamboat's champagne powder since 1977. The lift was named for a cattle brand used at the Werner Ranch, which was owned by Edward and Hazie Werner, aka the parents of Steamboat legends and Olympians Buddy, Skeeter, and Bugs Werner, whom Mt. Werner is named for. The lift was manufactured by Yan and covers 1,352 vertical feet in 9.6 minutes.
Pony Express on a powder day!Photo: Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post / Getty Images
2. Pony Express - Mary Jane, CO
Installed: 1974Winter Park and Mary Jane still have quite a few old double chairs to serve some of their best terrain, but I've always been partial to Pony Express. Running from the Mary Jane base over some of Colorado's best mogul skiing, the Pony Express is a true Mary Jane experience. Built in 1974, this Heron Poma double rises 1,051 ft over 6.8 minutes.
Wildcat Lift, Alta, UtahPhoto: Adam Clark
3. Wildcat - Alta Ski Area, UT
Installed: 1980Riding the Wildcat double chair is perhaps as notorious as skiing Alta itself. The only remaining fixed-grip double at the ski area, Wildcat has a good, old-fashioned locals feel to it. Hop on The Kitty, as locals call it, and enjoy a potent blast from the past.Since 1980, the Yan double has carried skiers 1,226 vertical feet over Alta's legendary terrain in 8.5 minutes.
Seventh Heaven at Stevens Pass, Washington.Photo: Delaney Adrian/Vail Resorts
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2cekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4cekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe4. Seventh Heaven - Stevens Pass, WA
Installed: 1960Rumored to be the steepest chairlift in the US, Seventh Heaven is Stevens Pass' crown jewel of double chairs, and the last one standing. A 1960 Riblet chair, the lift rises just 437 vertical feet and provides access to terrain on Cowboy Mountain.
Silverton's one and only! Photo: Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images
5. Chairlift - Silverton, CO
Installed: 2001No need to come up with a fancier name than "Chairlift" when you only have one. Chairlift is a Yan double that was relocated from Mammoth Mountain to Silverton to be the experts-only ski area's only chair in 2001. Chairlift has no safety bar, and like all things Silverton, ride it if you dare!
One grainy iPhone photo of my friend Calvin lounging on Marmot Photo: Izzy Lidsky
6. Marmot - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY
Installed: 2011I have such an affinity for Marmot that I actually have it tattooed on my left foot.Jackson Hole's last remaining double chair takes you over the legendary Dick's Ditch run up to where the Bridger Gondola drops passengers off. Marmot may not access as much terrain or be as fast as the nearby Thunder and Gondola, but there's something about Marmot laps on a powder day that you just can't beat. One of the newer doubles around, Marmot is a Doppelmayr CTE and was installed in 2011.
A classic Tahoe dump buried the top of the Olympic Lady chairlift in this image. Looks tasty.Photo: Will Paden, Courtesy Palisades Tahoe
7. Olympic Lady - Palisades Tahoe, CA
Installed: 1974Positioned as the reliever lift for the legendary KT-22 at Palisades Tahoe, Olympic Lady deserves a little recognition of its own. While Olympic Lady doesn't run very often, when it does, it's well worth the novel experience. Installed in 1974, Olympic Lady has done its time at Palisades Tahoe, carrying passengers 1,096 vertical feet in just 5.4 minutes.
Madonna 1, near the mid stationPhoto: Matt Lorelli
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2pekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4pekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe8. Madonna I - Smuggler's Notch, VT
Installed: 1963Madonna chair is not only one of the northeast's steepest chairlifts, but it also provides access to the northeast's only triple black diamond run called The Black Hole. The lift boats a whopping 37 towers and rises 2,150 vertical feet. Despite roughly a 12-minute ride time (it feels longer when that Vermont chill settles in), Madonna has been carting guests to some of Smugg's best skiing since 1963.
Mt. Bohemia's whimsical double liftPhoto: Matt Lorelli
9. Honey Pot Hoist - Mt. Bohemia, MI
Installed: 2001Like all things at Mt. Bohemia, the chairlifts also have a fun spice to them with names like 'Honey Pot Hoist.' One of two chairs that serve the best skiing on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Honey Pot Hoist is a Riblet double chair that was installed in 2001 after being transported from another mountain. Like a lift straight out of Candyland, the towers are painted purple and the chairs bright green, so even if you get a little chilly in those frigid UP temps, at least you can cozy up on this adorable and eccentric double.
Whiteface Mountain. Freeway lift not pictured.Photo: Yulia Ivanova/Shutterstock
10. Freeway - Whiteface, NY
Installed: 1978Freeway is one of the last doubles around at New York's notoriously steep Whiteface. The lift accesses some of the mountain's intermediate terrain as well as gives you a little more vert to ski before dropping you off at the top of Upper Parkway, Upper Thruway, and Mountain Run. A Hall double installed in 1978, the lift rises 1,458 vertical feet over 8.5 minutes.
Chair 3 at Mt. BaldyPhoto: Dave Reddick
11. Chair 3 - Mt. Baldy, CA
Installed: 1978All of Mt. Baldy's lifts are doubles, but Chair 3 follows one of the ski area's original two lift lines from 1952. Chair 3 has been holding it down at Mt. Baldy since 1978, but got a little upgrade in 2024 when new chairs were installed. Don't worry, there's still only two seats per chair. The lift was manufactured by Mueller but has Ringer towers from the original Chair 3, which stood from 1952 until 1978.
Related: The Wackiest Vintage Ski Gear From POWDER Magazine's Archives
The 11 Best Fixed-Grip Double Chairlifts Still Spinning first appeared on Powder on Jun 29, 2025
