End of an era; Snow King Summit Lift spins for last time - Buckrail

The iconic Snow King Summit Lift will be replaced by an eight-person gondola by next winter season. Photo: Jacob Gore // Buckrail

JACKSON, Wyo. — The iconic Snow King Mountain Resort Summit Lift spun guests up to the top of the Town Hill for the last time on Sunday, March 28, after the resort announced plans to replace it with a gondola over the summer months.

Whether Summit Lift users were skiers, snowboarders, Olympic athletes, or sightseers, most can agree that the tiny lift offered a big view.

On a clear day from the top, viewers have a straight sight into east and downtown Jackson with Tetons towering in the background. During the winter, thousands of tiny dots can be seen scattered on the National Elk Refuge, translating to the world’s largest elk herd that winters in the area. At night, headlights from the road beam patterns throughout the valley as they travel through Grand Teton National Park between Yellowstone and Jackson. Never-ending mountains to the east show where the continental divide cuts through Wyoming and glimpses of the Yellowstone Plateau can even be seen from the summit.

According to the Jackson Hole News&Guide, the lift to the top originally began as a single chair lift in the 1940s, but by the late 1950s, the single chair was replaced with a double. In 1981 the entire lift was replaced with the Summit Lift there now.

Although it is time to bid the Summit Lift a farewell, construction for an eight-person gondola is slated to begin this upcoming summer (2021) and expected to be completed by next winter season.

The placement of the gondola loading platform will result in the relocation of the base portion of the Cougar Lift, which will be moved uphill some 250 feet.

Below is a Reddit post of the previous two-chair Summit Lift, before the current one was installed in 1981:

Safety Standards, 1960s from r/OldSchoolCool