The Woodstock Ski Runners’ Quick Lift

The ski club at Suicide Six in South Pomfret, Vt., sold off the chairs from an old lift as a fundraiser earlier this month and got a quick boost in more ways than one. Woodstock Ski Runners’ board vice president and one of three fundraising organizers, Chris Adams, had to work the morning the lift chairs went on sale.

He got to the office and quickly made the call. “How’s it going?”

The sale was already over. All the chairs sold out in 15 minutes.

Short story: 60 chairs sold, $20,000 raised.

The chairlift had been installed in the early 1970s and will be replaced with a new quad. “There was interest in the chairs,” says Adams, “[but] we didn’t know how much.”

Enough interest to crash their website and leave numerous folks wondering if they had successfully secured one or not. A wait list was created in case any of the confirmed bidders fails to pick up the chair, many of which went to current members of the Ski Runners.

“There were some cool stories,” Adams says. One woman, who had never been to the state of Vermont, bought a chair to give her Woodstock-raised husband for his birthday.

“At least half the money [has] to go toward the Friday Program.” – Chris Adams

“The Woodstock Inn owns the ski area,” notes Adams. “Inn President and GM Gary Thulander generously donated the chairs to us. There was one condition. At least half the money [has] to go toward the Friday Program.”

That program is a learn-to-ski-and-ride offering at reduced cost for all students in the area schools.

Thulander was enthusiastic in talking up the ski club and ski area. “We’re very excited by the energy going into the ski area,” he says.

The Ski Runners are excited for the upcoming season with the new quad lift, new snowmaking equipment, and a newly named alpine director and head coach, Justin Lillie.

Among other improvements at Suicide Six will be a new start house, something ski racers from around the East will use at the 80^th annual Fisk Trophy Race come Feb. 12.