Powder Mountain, UT Auctioning Historic Chairs For Charity
The Timberline Lift Chair Auction is currently live online, and chairlift enthusiasts from far and wide are placing (silent) bids on the iconic piece of Powder Mountain's history.
All proceeds are directly donated to the Community Foundation of Ogden Valley, UT. See below.
CFOV is a philanthropic center serving donors and nonprofits that seek to improve the lives of the community that live, work, or play in Ogden Valley, Utah. Their non-profits focus on areas such as recreation, arts, education, health and human services.
For over 52 years, the Timberline Chairlift has inspired memories and , as it is one of the last lifts of its kind in Utah.
However, maintaining fixed-grip lifts "older than the Godfather" has become a difficult task according to the resort. Officials advertise the auction as a way to "support a great cause with a porch swing or bench for your home; it's a win-win!"
The auction has already raised $148,622 out of a target of $160,000.
All of the chairs are going for at least $1,000. One chair of particular interest, if you will, was none other than Chair 69. The chair auctioned for $3,200 and was won by Ryan Miller.
We chatted up with Powder Mountain's Senior Marketing partnership and Events Manager Greg Covello to check in about the auction.
Timberline Chair Q&A with Greg Covello
How did Powder Mountain choose CFOV as the auction to benefit from this charity event?
"CFOV is a wonderful organization that supports and provides grants for a number of non-profits and mission-oriented organizations in the Ogden Valley. By supporting CFOV, we’re able to provide support for a number of different organizations. For us it’s a great way to spread the love around."
Powder Mountain has already raised over $62,000 from the last chair auction. Is there any speculation to the total amount raised by the end of both auctions?
"I wouldn’t say we have an expectation or goal in mind, but we’re continually appreciative of the generosity the Powder Community has shown."
Why do skiers and bidders love this event so much?
"51 years of memories have been made on those chairs. More than anything it’s a chance to own a piece of Powder history that many in our community have deep connections with.
Of course, the chance to support a great cause makes it that much better."
Do you have any stories of people who shared heartfelt responses to seeing this lift go?
"Butch Mason has been an employee at Powder Mountain on the snow safety and patrol teams for over 20 years, in the offseason Butch is a professional auctioneer. I personally believe without Butch as the auctioneer we wouldn’t have raised as much for CFOV over the 3 days of bidding at Powder Mountain."
This summer, Timberline lift will be replaced with a quad. What does this mean (besides an improved lift) for Powder Mountain?
"We’ve got a full summer on deck. Timberline is one of four total lifts that will either be replaced or added to our lift network this summer. As you might expect, the response to that from our passholder base has been positive. The resort footprint is just massive and with these improvements much more of it will be accessible via lift."
Related: Interview With The Man Who Skied 7+ Million Vertical Feet This Winter
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