You鈥檙e looking at the Sherwood chairlift at the main base area of , a small ski resort located about 35 miles outside Las Vegas, Nevada. What a mess, right? Stones and mud are piled high enough to reach the machine鈥檚 drive bullwheel鈥攖he apparatus that powers the lift. At the adjacent lift, Bluebird, the debris pile touches the hold-down assembly鈥攖he series of wheels and sheaves that the chair rolls over before proceeding uphill. Nobody will be riding these lifts for a while.
This past winter鈥檚 epic powder dumps in and California made skiers like myself accustomed to seeing those glee-inducing photos of chairlifts disappearing into chest-high snowdrifts. The images of Lee Canyon鈥檚 lifts buried by mud and rock hit a little different, right? It鈥檚 a macabre reminder of nature鈥檚 destructive power.
The rock pile is from a massive landslide that ripped down the adjacent 11,289-foot Lee Peak over the weekend of August 19-20. The avalanche of rock and mud tore open some of Lee Canyon鈥檚 ski slopes and pushed boulders up against the towers of its lifts. Aerial images of the slide show exposed water pipes jutting from a rift in one run. Another image shows tree trunks scattered around the base like Lincoln Logs.
Lee Canyon and the greater Spring Mountains area was struck by remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary鈥攖he same storm that closed Death Valley National Park and other public lands, and drenched much of Southern California. The storm dropped an estimated ten inches of rain in the mountains surrounding Lee Canyon, causing flash flooding and landslides. Parts of the Mount Charleston area Some of the roads and recreation areas are closed through October 1 due to the cleanup.
You can see the underground pipes of some kind have been exposed as well
— Mt Charleston Mountain Man (@mountainman_mc)
How long will it take to remove the rocks and mud from below Lee Canyon鈥檚 chairlifts? The resort has yet to announce a timeline for the cleanup, but the U.S. Forest Service has closed the surrounding Spring Mountains National Recreation Area indefinitely. A few days after the storm hit, the saying that it had officially ended its summer mountain biking season early. Then, on Thursday, August 24, the resort released images showing the catastrophic damage. In a statement, resort management said it still planned to be open for the 2023-24 ski season. But for the near future, all terrain, lifts, and infrastructure will remain closed.
鈥淭his was an extraordinary storm event, which has left significant damage to Lee Canyon and the Spring Mountains,鈥 said Dan Hooper, Lee Canyon鈥檚 general manager in a statement. 鈥淥ur goal is to ensure public safety. When the U.S. Forest Service deems it safe, Lee Canyon鈥檚 teams will begin restoring affected areas.鈥
We wish them luck, and hopd to one day see photos of the Sherwood and Bluebird lifts covered in snow.