Industry News
Sunday marked the end of more than just the ski season at Whiteface Mountain—it was also the final day of operations for two of the resort’s most iconic lifts: the Little Whiteface Double and the Mountain Run Double.
In a sendoff steeped in nostalgia, mountain staff temporarily reactivated the Little Whiteface Double on Sunday afternoon, giving skiers and riders one last chance to take a ride before the lift is removed this summer. The chair hadn’t run in some time, so crews shoveled fresh snow onto bare loading and unloading ramps for a short farewell spin.
“These lifts have served us well for decades, but they’re ready for retirement,” Whiteface General Manager Aaron Kellett said in a statement to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. “The Little Whiteface Double in particular has a ton of hours on it. It was our main lift year-round until the gondola went in in 1999.”
The Little Whiteface Double has been a staple of the resort since its installation in the 1980s. With upgrades to its upper line in the 2010s and a mid-station unloading platform, the lift became beloved among expert skiers for its efficient access to black diamond terrain. Riders could hop off halfway and lap steep trails like Mountain Run, Wilderness, and Thruway—avoiding the need to descend all the way to the base.
Installed in 1989, the Mountain Run Double chairlift paralleled the Little Whiteface lift, sharing towers for much of the route before ending lower on the mountain. At one time, the “double double” configuration was vital to managing crowds, particularly before the gondola and Lookout Mountain expansion dispersed skier traffic. In recent years, the Mountain Run Double was rarely used but still required regular maintenance to meet safety codes. The decision to replace both lifts stems from practicality as well as long-term efficiency.
A new lift—manufactured by Skytrac—is scheduled to be installed this summer and operational for the 2025–26 season. It will combine the function of both older lifts, generally following the same alignment as the Little Whiteface Double and including a mid-station. Skytrac has previously installed several other lifts at Whiteface, including the Warhorse and Falcon Flyer, and uses similar systems to the Summit Quad.
With the removal of two long-serving lifts and a new one on the way, Whiteface is turning a page. But for many longtime skiers, Sunday’s final laps were a reminder of just how many memories were made on those iconic doubles.
