The first ski lift was built in 1908 by Robert Winterhalder in Schollach, Austria in the Black Forest Highlands.

However, this was mainly a prototype and only served for the few visitors of the Schneckenhof, a farm with a restaurant and guest house, belonging to the Winterhalder family. He first used the same mechanism to reach the upper floor of his farmhouse, where the hay and grain were stored, via an endless wire rope that visitors hooked to get to the top, only powered by a water wheel.

As more visitors came thanks to the new way to get to the slopes without any effort, he then made some additional tweaks to that project and it was officially launched and put into operation on 14 February 1908.

This elevator system, also known as the first ski lift in the world, was a huge success and everyone spread the word among winter sports enthusiasts across the whole of Germany. After that, he got the patent for Germany, France, Austria, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The American way

The first U.S. ski area as we know it today was inaugurated back in 1915 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. But the Chair Lift system didn’t just appear there.

Some frozen mountains were only frequented by the most adventurous hikers and especially young people who were not only active and brave enough to climb to the top with all their equipment but also able to afford it which was somewhat expensive back in the day. But then the unthinkable happened.

A lift chair was attached to the side of a truck to test the ski lift prototype. Photo: Union Pacific Library.

The revolutionary chairlift was actually designed and developed in Idaho by one of the greatest American corporations of all time: Union Pacific Railroad. Some engineers came up with adaptations of the German design but one young engineer, Jim Curran, had a different idea.

Prior to joining the railroad, Curran had worked as a structural engineer for an ironworks company. The inspiration for his idea, which would later be known as the chairlift, came from a system originally used to load bunches of bananas onto boats. Curran’s design replaced the hooks on which bananas hung with chairs on which people could sit while being transported up the mountain, even while wearing skis. The chairs would be suspended from a single cable running above the chair.

The two original single chairs were fabricated and installed in the rail yards of Omaha and installed in the Dollar and Proctor Mountains in time for the 1936-37 ski season.

After this invention, it was common for pretty much all Ski Resorts that were opening to add a Ski Lift into their facilities, and the US became slowly and prominently on top of downhill skiing as this sport was growing in popularity due to the easy and accessible was to get to the slopes fast and multiple times a day.

Today, Ski is one of the most enjoyable, family-friendly, and almost mandatory once-in-a-lifetime activities for a grown person, especially for those who live in winter places with snowy peaks able to enjoy the experience with their friends and family members. Basically part of our culture. 

But it was only possible with a great idea and great minds working together to sort out a plan to bring happiness and progress to American families.