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The 11 Best Fixed-Grip Double Chairlifts Still Spinning

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 9:12 AM ET

They might be less efficient and feel more sketchy than a high-speed quad, and those bone-chillingly long ride times might have you wishing for a bubble chair, but the nostalgia and romance of an old fixed-grip double chairlift is truly undeniable. I can truly say I have more fond memories on double chair lifts than any other type of lift, despite how obsolete they seem to be these days.

Whether it's an excuse to snuggle up to whoever you're sharing the chair with to keep warm on a 10+ minute lift ride or clinging to the safety-bar-less chair for dear life instead of pulling out your phone, riding a double chair is an experience in itself.

While some mountains still have plenty of doubles left, others are still clinging to the nostalgia of their last one. Here are a few of the POWDER staff's favorite old, slow, doubles so next time you ride one of these you can take in the experience and also think of your favorite smelly ski bums, I mean ski journalists.

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1. Bar-UE - Steamboat, CO

Installed: 1977

Steamboat skiers will know there's a reason they say "Bar-UE is for lovers." One of the last cozy double chairs at Steamboat Resort, Bar-UE has been taking duos from the bottom of Buddy's Run back to the top of Storm Peak to ski more of Steamboat's champagne powder since 1977.

The lift was named for a cattle brand used at the Werner Ranch, which was owned by Edward and Hazie Werner, aka the parents of Steamboat legends and Olympians Buddy, Skeeter, and Bugs Werner, whom Mt. Werner is named for.

The lift was manufactured by Yan and covers 1,352 vertical feet in 9.6 minutes.

Pony Express on a powder day!Photo: Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post / Getty Images

2. Pony Express - Mary Jane, CO

Installed: 1974

Winter Park and Mary Jane still have quite a few old double chairs to serve some of their best terrain, but I've always been partial to Pony Express. Running from the Mary Jane base over some of Colorado's best mogul skiing, the Pony Express is a true Mary Jane experience. Built in 1974, this Heron Poma double rises 1,051 ft over 6.8 minutes.

3. Wildcat - Alta Ski Area, UT

Installed: 1980

Riding the Wildcat double chair is perhaps as notorious as skiing Alta itself. The only remaining fixed-grip double at the ski area, Wildcat has a good, old-fashioned locals feel to it. Hop on The Kitty, as locals call it, and enjoy a potent blast from the past.

Since 1980, the Yan double has carried skiers 1,226 vertical feet over Alta's legendary terrain in 8.5 minutes.

4. Seventh Heaven - Stevens Pass, WA

Installed: 1960

Rumored to be the steepest chairlift in the US, Seventh Heaven is Stevens Pass' crown jewel of double chairs, and the last one standing. A 1960 Riblet chair, the lift rises just 437 vertical feet and provides access to terrain on Cowboy Mountain.

Silverton's one and only! Photo: Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images

5. Chairlift - Silverton, CO

Installed: 2001

No need to come up with a fancier name than "Chairlift" when you only have one. Chairlift is a Yan double that was relocated from Mammoth Mountain to Silverton to be the experts-only ski area's only chair in 2001. Chairlift has no safety bar, and like all things Silverton, ride it if you dare!

6. Marmot - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY

Installed: 2011

I have such an affinity for Marmot that I actually have it tattooed on my left foot.

Jackson Hole's last remaining double chair takes you over the legendary Dick's Ditch run up to where the Bridger Gondola drops passengers off. Marmot may not access as much terrain or be as fast as the nearby Thunder and Gondola, but there's something about Marmot laps on a powder day that you just can't beat.

One of the newer doubles around, Marmot is a Doppelmayr CTE and was installed in 2011.

7. Olympic Lady - Palisades Tahoe, CA

Installed: 1974

Positioned as the reliever lift for the legendary KT-22 at Palisades Tahoe, Olympic Lady deserves a little recognition of its own. While Olympic Lady doesn't run very often, when it does, it's well worth the novel experience.

Installed in 1974, Olympic Lady has done its time at Palisades Tahoe, carrying passengers 1,096 vertical feet in just 5.4 minutes.

8. Madonna I - Smuggler's Notch, VT

Installed: 1963

Madonna chair is not only one of the northeast's steepest chairlifts, but it also provides access to the northeast's only triple black diamond run called The Black Hole. The lift boats a whopping 37 towers and rises 2,150 vertical feet.

Despite roughly a 12-minute ride time (it feels longer when that Vermont chill settles in), Madonna has been carting guests to some of Smugg's best skiing since 1963.

9. Honey Pot Hoist - Mt. Bohemia, MI

Installed: 2001

Like all things at Mt. Bohemia, the chairlifts also have a fun spice to them with names like 'Honey Pot Hoist.'

One of two chairs that serve the best skiing on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Honey Pot Hoist is a Riblet double chair that was installed in 2001 after being transported from another mountain.

Like a lift straight out of Candyland, the towers are painted purple and the chairs bright green, so even if you get a little chilly in those frigid UP temps, at least you can cozy up on this adorable and eccentric double.

10. Freeway - Whiteface, NY

Installed: 1978

Freeway is one of the last doubles around at New York's notoriously steep Whiteface. The lift accesses some of the mountain's intermediate terrain as well as gives you a little more vert to ski before dropping you off at the top of Upper Parkway, Upper Thruway, and Mountain Run. A Hall double installed in 1978, the lift rises 1,458 vertical feet over 8.5 minutes.

11. Chair 3 - Mt. Baldy, CA

Installed: 1978

All of Mt. Baldy's lifts are doubles, but Chair 3 follows one of the ski area's original two lift lines from 1952. Chair 3 has been holding it down at Mt. Baldy since 1978, but got a little upgrade in 2024 when new chairs were installed. Don't worry, there's still only two seats per chair.

The lift was manufactured by Mueller but has Ringer towers from the original Chair 3, which stood from 1952 until 1978.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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