Magic Mile

The Magic Mile is an aerial chairlift at Timberline Lodge ski area, Mount Hood, Oregon, U.S. It was named for its unique location above the tree line and for its original length. When constructed by Byron Riblet in 1938, it was the longest chairlift in existence, the second in the world to be built as a passenger chairlift, and the first to use metal towers.

The chairlift has been replaced twice, in 1962 and 1992.

Like its predecessors, the current chairlift loads near the lodge at 5,950 feet (1829 m) and unloads at 7,000 foot (2134 m), up an average gradient of 20%. Except for the very lowest part of the route, the lift is not protected by trees or land features and faces the full force of snow storms. Heavy winds frequently produce huge snowdrifts and copious and dense snow challenge lift crews to keep the lift open. The lift is generally closed when winds exceed 50-60 mph or dense fog reduces visibility below about 25 feet (7.6 m) — in all, about 40% of winter days.

Construction of the original Magic Mile began in mid-1938, a few months after Timberline Lodge opened for business with a portable rope tow. (The tow remained in operation for at least several years.) The chairlift was the first built by the Riblet company, which drew heavily on its designs for aerial trams for mining companies.

Completed in late 1939, it loaded its first passengers on November 17, 1939, and was dedicated by the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway (later King Olaf).

The original chairlift was a single — each chair held one rider. The ride took 11 minutes and carried 225 passengers per hour. It was as popular a summer tourist attraction then as it is now.

The lift line was slightly east of the present chair. The upper bullwheel was inside Silcox Hut, which is 212 m (700 ft) ESE and 40 ft (12 m) lower in elevation. The bottom was east of the lodge about 377 m (1236 ft, one quarter mile) ENE at essentially the same elevation as the present chair.

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Wikipedia