Raven / Yutlx / Qukin chair
The Raven chair is Whitewater Ski Resort’s latest undertaking to elevate our on-mountain experience by introducing a new fixed-grip quad for the 2023/24 season. This chair will add 123 acres of terrain and 14 new groomed and gladed runs. Read on to learn about the journey we’ve been on for the Raven chair to take flight!
It started with a dream of Terrain Development
In March 2022, Whitewater announced plans to build a new chairlift, and in the spring and summer of 2022, the Whitewater Trail Crew and Mountain Operations teams began the process of clearing the terrain for the new quad chair. Glover Contracting was brought on to cut the lift line and new runs and Fall Line Forestry worked on the glading and danger tree falling. This was an ambitious project that encouraged us to imagine all of the possibilities presented by this new terrain expansion. The new chairlift will feature ample world-class gladed skiing with steep fall lines. Runs such as Raven’s Nest, Worth It, and Tramline are expected to be the go-to choice for locals, filled with playful terrain features and untracked corridors, and Booster, running directly under the lift line, will rival the Blast.
As with all development at the resort, we went through referrals and stakeholder engagement during the 2019 Master Plan addendum which helped us ensure that the lift would be constructed in a responsible way. Whitewater receives an average of 40+ feet of snow per year, making the weather window for lift construction short, so development was scheduled over a two year period.
Naming of the Raven chair
Before the chair was named Raven, we had considered naming it the Queen’s Quad, drawing a correlation to White Queen mountain’s backcountry terrain that is accessible from the Silver King Ridge. It was also a play off of the Silver King chair, which is located in close proximity.
Over the last few years, we have been working to educate ourselves on the journey of truth and reconciliation and focusing more on our connection to the land and what this means for Whitewater. In consulting with local First Nations, including local language experts, we began the conversation around what name would be appropriate for this new step in our evolution. After much learning and listening, we decided to name it the Raven chair, which is written as Yutlx (Yew’tulhh) in the Interior Salish dialect and Qukin (Goo-kin) in the Ktunaxa language. We will continue to engage with our local First Nations on education, pronunciation, and authentic storytelling as we move forward.
Preparation & Tower Foundations
This past spring, we constructed the logging road up to the ridge which allowed construction crews to access the Silver King slope for lift installation.
Leitner-Poma, the contractor for this project, began digging tower foundations in preparation for concrete pouring this past summer. This was an extensive project which entailed operating equipment on steep terrain that is difficult to access. Over the course of 3 days, while navigating the challenges of helicopter access during a busy wildfire season, High Terrain Helicopters assisted with flying in the footings for the top terminal and Heliquest flew their Black Hawk to bring in the remaining concrete for these tower foundations while keeping the project on schedule.
Flying Towers & Crossarms
In early October 2023, East West Helicopters began flying the lift towers and crossarms into place, and in mid-October, the top station with the frame and bull wheel were installed on the ridgeline. The communications and fiber-optic lines were laid in preparation for the haul rope to get spliced in early November. Poma also had a team of electricians on-site commissioning the main electrical, diesel auxiliary, and emergency back-up drives. Chairs and grips were built over that time period and then installed on the chairlift once the haul rope was spliced.
What’s Next
The last stage of development entailed load testing in late November, with final commissioning and the Technical Safety BC inspection and approval enabling us to officially open the Raven / Yutlx / Qukin chair for the winter 23/24 season.
We'd like to sincerely thank Leitner-Poma, Gimli Builders, Whitewater’s entire Mountain Operations team, and all of our partners along this journey. For all of us here at Whitewater, it all started with a dream, and we're so excited to live the dream with you all this season and enjoy everything that the Raven chair has to offer.
