When does a chairlift achieve legendary, rock star status? When that chairlift leads to some of the steepest, most advanced ski terrain in the entire Lake Tahoe, CA, ski region. Take a look at this actual KT-22 chair up for auction, part of a package that includes this Squaw Valley KT-22 Chair + Gold Season Pass + Bogner Apparel + 1 Week Vacation:
So it doesn’t really look like much, but imagine the bragging rights you would secure if you won this auction and brought the chair home. Not only can you say you hot-dogged down the mountain, but you can claim that you brought part of the mountain home with you! No one has to know the truth (that you won it in this auction) except you and me. Just think of the stories you could make up…
Usually only ski runs are given a rating such as black diamond or double diamond, indicating that these are some of the most difficult ski runs on the mountain. But at Squaw Valley, the KT-22 chairlift itself gets a black diamond rating. According to examiner.com, Squaw Valley’s trail map system rates the chairlifts rather than the runs. A black diamond rating for the KT-22 is warranted, given that most of the runs you can access from the lift are single or double black diamond runs, including a run called The Fingers, which is directly underneath the KT-22 chairlift.
There is nothing quite like a ride on a chairlift, crossing over some pretty hairy terrain, thinking to yourself either “what a challenge” or “what have I gotten myself into” when a skier suddenly comes flying off one of the snow-covered rocks directly in front of you and plunges straight down a rock-lined chute. Welcome to The Fingers run, where going straight down is the only option…there is nary an opportunity to take an S-shaped turn. Take a look at this video, and get inspired:
The chair is being offered by Lombardi Sports, an outfitter that was given the chair nearly 20 years ago. The listing notes that if you win the chair you’ll need to pick it up at Lombardi’s San Francisco location. But aside from this piece of skiing history, the winning bidder will receive:
“A Gold Tahoe Super Pass Plus valid for unlimited skiing/riding on ALL Squaw Valley & Alpine Meadows lifts for the 2012/13 season, plus free days at Whistler-Blackcomb and Sierra-at-Tahoe ($849 value)
A $600 Bogner Gift Certificate to be used towards the purchase of any one originally priced item available from www.shop-us.bogner.com. (Gift cannot be combined with any other sales or promotion. Gift valid at the United States Bogner website only. Gift must be redeemed no later than March 31, 2013. (No ‘cash’ value, Gift Certificate valid for purchase only.)
A 1-week timeshare family vacation at one of Interval International’s 2,000+ resorts worldwide. (Date and resort options depend upon exchange availability and minor resort/incidental charges may apply.) ($1,200 value)”
Right now the high bid is about $1,900, which is well under the total package value of $2,649. And that is before you take into account you are also getting the KT-22 chair, with a value the seller describes as “priceless!”
This is the ultimate gift for the skier or snowboarder in your life, or maybe as a secret indulgence for yourself. If this auction and post have gotten you in the mood to come check out Squaw Valley and the KT-22 chairlift specifically, take a look at these reviews from the folks on Yelp.com. As one of the reviewers notes, this is not a place for those folks afraid of heights. But we have to wonder, what ski area is?
But at the end of the day you would be supporting a good cause, SkiDuck. SkiDuck is a Tahoe-based non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of disadvantaged youth by teaching and sharing the joys of skiing and snowboarding. If you want to find out more, click here.
Happy bidding!
An amazing resort, a cool auction listing & a totally awesome non-profit organization giving disadvantaged kids a chance to learn to ski & ride!