‘Nostalgic’ SilverStar chairlifts become showpiece of new roundabout in Vernon | CBC News
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A new monument in a Vernon, B.C., roundabout is turning heads and bringing back memories of a slower era of ski resort leisure.
Norman Kreutz was first hired as an instructor at SilverStar Mountain Resort in 1984, and has fond memories of riding the retired, two-seater lifts now displayed at a roundabout that was unveiled on Jan. 28.
“It’s cool to see those old chairlifts there,” said Kreutz who is now the technical director of the SilverStar Mountain Resort ski school.
“It brings back a bit of a nostalgic … feel to it. I think it’s great.”
Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming said the city approached SilverStar Mountain Resort with the idea to display two of the resort’s original lifts at the roundabout, which was to be constructed at the base of the mountain to accommodate an increase in traffic.
Local artist Nancy Wilde of Wilde Designs designed and constructed the art piece, which features two vintage chairs hanging above a miniature version of the mountain.
Cumming said the city wanted to honour the 68-year-long relationship between the city and the resort.
“It’s a welcoming for people who are heading up the mountain or coming back down,” said Cumming.
He said not only was SilverStar Resort immediately on board, but the resort dusted off the two old-school lifts from storage and donated the chairs, along with a funds for the project.
“We just thought it was a really, really great way to kind of show the history of skiing and the connection between Vernon, the community and the mountain,” said Ian Jenkins, director of marketing at SilverStar Mountain Resort.
A mountain monument is turning heads at a new roundabout in Vernon, B.C. As the CBC’s Jacqueline Gelineau reports, a chairlift display is bringing back memories for longtime SilverStar skiers and riders.
Kreutz, who rode the vintage two-seater chairs for years, said the green and yellow lifts were decommissioned in 2017 and 2004 and replaced by a gondola with more comfortable and faster, modern chairs.
He said he also loves being able to reminisce on memories of the quaint history of SilverStar every day, while driving through the roundabout.
He said the yellow and green chairlifts were so slow, your friends down below used to be able to throw snowballs and have a fairly good chance at hitting you, as you made your way up the mountain.
“It was a real romantic time in the ski business, you didn’t have helmets on. In the spring, you had your sunglasses on and it was stretch pants and, and ski sweaters that you wore. It was quite different than the modern era of skiing,” said Kreutz.
Terence Giesbrecht is the owner of Skyride cycle shop in Vernon, located a few kilometers downhill from the new roundabout and monument.
He grew up at SilverStar, riding bikes in the summer and skiing in the winter.
“It’s pretty cool. There’s a lot of people with a lot of good memories, riding on those chairlifts. So that’s pretty neat to see it fixed in the community like this.”
Giesbrecht said he is excited to be able to point at the old lifts while driving his kids up to SilverStar, and tell them stories of the mountain, while on their way to make new mountain memories.