Alyeska Resort officials said experts have been hired from around the world to repair a tram damaged on New Year's Eve.
High winds caused the tram to crash into a support tower. Officials said was still out of operation as of Tuesday, January 8. In a season that's had a rough start due to late snowfall, Alyeska said they're working diligently on fixing the tram.
“We brought in a specialized crew that do this for a living working alongside with our crew making sure not only that it's safe but also that its up and operational as soon as we can,” said Alyeska Director of Sales Jason Lott.
On Tuesday, Girdwood had some snowfall and that typically would mean the tram would be busy, however it's taking more time for skiers and snowboarders to get to the top of the mountain.
“As far as getting up there, you have to take 2 chairs; one chair up, snowboard down, take another chair up, so it's kind of a nuisance but I don't really mind,” said snowboarder Tyler Nasti.
Out of state guests, like Hans Anderson, were spedning a lot more time Tuesday riding the chair lift then they had hoped for.
“It’s fun riding the chair but I can't help but wonder what that would be like, that tram they talk about,” said Andersen.
The two trams are the most direct route to the top of the mountain. While only one tram was damaged on New Year's Eve, both are out of service since they rely on one another for counter-balance.
During the time crews work to repair the tram, resort officials said guests can still take advantage of the other ski lifts, including the resort's newly-built high speed quad chair.
“Everyday we're really grateful that we did all the work this summer on chair 4, it allows people to get up on the mountain a lot faster,” said Lott.
As guests take advantage of the new quad lift this year, specialists are working to make their assessment as quickly as possible.
“We're continuing to address all our angles and what opportunities we're going to have and that’s really why the specialist are here. To kind of help guide us in the right direction and make the correct assessments of the tram,” said Lott.
Resort officials expect to have the tram back in operation within a few weeks but said that's entirely dependent on when the additional parts needed for repairs arrive.
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