History

The Years of Founding (1952–1965)

The modest beginnings of Summit Ridge can be traced back to the early 1950s, when two brothers, Paul and Gerry Voss, who were both local mechanics, thought that the steep hill by the pond would be the ideal location for a ski hill.

They created a two seat homemade double chairlift they lovingly call "The Valley Double", using salvaged parts from the logging industry and an old truck engine. Nearly the same line, but a little further west on the map, the lift ran alongside the location of the current Valley Lift. For a while, its hand welded grips and wooden towers were sturdy but unrefined.

The Valley Double (1952–1971)

The Valley Double became a local legend after being built primarily out of truck axles, repurposed pulleys, and telephone poles. Riders had to get on while the vehicle was still moving at around 6 m/s there were no safety bars or slow zones, and each chair was just a plain wooden bench fastened to a steel-pipe frame. 

The top station was located on the little plateau close to the intersection of Allen's Alley and Pee Wee. Because of its erratic stops and tendency to sway in high winds, the locals dubbed it "The Chair of Death." It was forced to close in 1971 due to new provincial safety codes, after twenty years of devoted service. A year later, it was superseded by the contemporary Valley Lift, which took a nearly identical path. Among the trees today, five rusted towers from the original line remain visible when the snowpack is light. Most of the towers that you see today were not taken down due to the trees growing around them before the lift was fully removed.

Modern Development (2000s–2017s)

The change at Summit Ridge began with the retirement of the Valley Double. The resort added in the mid-1970s: 

A gondola, The Summit Flyer (2000) reached the upper ridge, opening expert terrain such as La Cache and Heggetveit.

Bearclaw (2017) — an extension of the west face into deep glades and cliff zones.