GREAT BARRINGTON, Massachusetts ??” For those interested in having a unique piece of skiing nostalgia adorn their abode or garden Ski Butternut is offering their 44 year old Granny’s chairlift double chairs for sale for a $100 per chair donation. The lift was manufactured in 1961 by Mueller (a Swiss company that still manufactures chairlifts today). The lift was powered by a 65 HP motor and was originally installed at Mount Cathalia in Ellenville NY, before being purchased and relocated to Ski Butternut (known then as Butternut Basin). Channing Murdock and the Butternut Basin Lift Maintenance crew sweated through all aspects of the installation of the foreign made lift to get it ready for the coming winters’ guests. The 1961 Mueller lift carried many an aspiring novice to the top of the Cruiser slope until it was disassembled in May of 2005. Ski Butternut is replacing the aging lift with a new Dopplemayer-CTEC quad.

Fifty percent of the $100 funds collected from each double chairs sale will go toward the ski areas adaptive program. The adaptive program provides both specialized equipment and certified instruction so people with disabilities can experience the joys of skiing. The other half of the funds will be used to help underwrite the cost of bringing back the hourly chimes that Ski Butternut guests enjoyed for many years prior to their being vandalized.

There are only 96 of these wooden slatted chairs available. These are truly remarkable pieces of skiing history that are quickly disappearing. Each lift chair is being sold as is. Chairs will only be available for pickup at the back of the Ski Butternut parking lot on either Saturday June 25 or Sunday June 26. Please be prepared to pay by check or cash. The ski area will have a small staff there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Advanced reservations for chairs are being accepted provided payment is received prior to June 23rd. Send a check for $100 per chair to Butternut Basin Inc. 380 State Rd. Great Barrington, MA 01230. Or you can call Andrea at 413-528-2000 x112 Mon ??“ Fri 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to place an order using your CC. All chairs are sold on a 1st come first served basis.

Lift chairs do fit in a standard truck or on a roof rack. Chairs are 42″ wide by 98″ tall by 28″ deep and weigh about 35-45 pounds. Please bring tie down cords or other means to firmly attach the chair to your vehicle.

Many Ski Butternut instructors, patrollers and loyal guests have expressed interest in the chairs as a way to incorporate a piece of skiing history into their yard or garden while preserving the many fond memories they have for the mountain.

One lift chair has already been donated to Chairlift.org for their Chairlift Preservation Society Collection.