During the winter of 1991, Timberline announced plans to replace the Magic Mile double chair, built in 1961, with a detachable quad. While the proposal did not call for changing the length of the 5,500-foot-long lift, the uphill capacity was increased from 810 to 2,800 people per hour. This chairlift is an integral component of both the winter and summer skiing operations, providing round-trip skiing on the upper mountain in the winter and access to the Palmer chair on a snowfield during the summer. In light of previous appeals and litigation involving ski-facility development at Timberline and nearby Mt. Hood Meadows, the U.S. Forest Service decided at the outset that a National Environmental Policy Act document would be required to analyze the impacts of the lift replacement.
A public scoping process identified a number of important issues in the areas of transportation, plants, wildlife, visual resources, cultural resources/ethnography and socioeconomics. Results of the scoping process, which included meetings with Native American tribal organizations, environmental groups, governmental agencies and concerned public, provided the basis for deciding that an Environmental Assessment (EA) must be prepared. With input from the Forest Service resource specialists, the consultants prepared a plan of study addressing issues of concern.
Since the project was expected to generate increased traffic, a transportation consultant was retained to assess impacts to an already-congested highway. The ensuing analysis indicated that the project would not significantly impact average daily or peak hour traffic volumes. Field surveys for various species of threatened, endangered and sensitive plants and animals were also conducted, determining that the project would not significalnty affect these species. In order to address cultural resources and ethnographic issues, meetings, interviews and site visits were conducted with Native Americans to determine impacts on religious, subsistence and residential uses. No major concerns were voiced by this group.
A socioeconomic impact analysis was performd to evaluate the impacts associated with different alternatives. One alternative included analyzing the effect of closing the ski facility for one summer in order to build the new lift on the old alignment. This suggestion was introduced by one of the environmental organizations involved in the scoping process. A thorough evaluation of this scenario revealed that the ski area operator and local community would experience an economic loss of over $5 million. Therefore, this alternative was not selected.
Visual impact was clearly an important issue, due to the historic significance of Timberline Lodge, Silcox Hut, an on-mountain building for hikers, climbers and skiers, and the surrounding landscape. Timberline Lodge was built in the 1930’s by the Works Progress Administration and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1977 as an example of Cascadian architecture. Silcox Hut, built in 1939, also an example of Cascadian architecture, was recently designated as a National Historic site.
The lift alignment also crosses the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, so extraordinary measures were taken to comprehensively analyze the visual impact of the lower and upper terminal buildings and the lift alignment. A number of views were photographed and scanned into a computer-modeling data base. The terminal buildings and lift towers were then simulated on a computer to illustrate the difference between existing conditions and the proposed changes.
The analysis showed that the proposed placement of the new lift would decrease visual impact from the existing ski lift by about 20 percent, because the new terminal buildings would have lower profiles than the old elevated ski ramps and the number of lift towers were reduced.
These analyses and others were incorporated into the EA and provided the basis for the Mt. Hood National Forest to issue in January 1992 a “Finding of No Significant Impact and Decision Notice” for the project. One appeal was filed, but the issues were quickly resolved due to the thoroughness of the environmental analysis.
The next step in the approval process involved preparing a comprehensive construction plan, including site/grading plans for the terminal areas, architectural plans for the upper and lower terminal buildings and design and engineering details for the new lift. The document provided specific guidelines for the installation of the lift and also established a framework for accomplishing appropriate mitigation, as prescribed in the EA and the USFS Decision Notice.
One set of guidelines required that the lift terminal buildings meet strict, U.S. Forest Service visual quality objectives for the Timberline area, which necessitated the use of Cascadian architectural style and materials to blend with the appearance of the Timberline Lodge and Silcox Hut. While the new buildings were designed to look similar, they were constructed differently, using state-of-the-art computer design and integrated welding technology to fabricate the steel framework. An ongoing operating and monitoring program was also developed as part of the construction plan to monitor future impacts to soils, water, vegetation, wildlife and cultural resources, as a result of increased summer visitor use on the upper mountain.
To the uninitiated, the extent of environmental documentation for replacing an existing chairlift appears to be excessive. However, when considering the level of scrutiny that has accompanied other seemingly benign projects, the commitment by the ski area operator and the USFS for completing a thorough environmental analysis paved the way toward gaining project project approval. Construction was not completed until October of 1992, almost 20 months after project initiation. Ski area operators should keep in mind that replacing or building a chairlift may require considerable lead time.
Project Timeline (reconstructed from the printed infographic)
The Magic Mile replacement moved through four phases over roughly 20 months (July 1990 – September 1992):
- PLANNING (July 1990, ~6 months): Ski Area Master Plan; Public Scoping; Form USFS ID Team; Decision to Prepare for EA or EIS.
- ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS (Dec. 1990 / Jan. 1991, ~6 months): Preparation of NEPA Document; Develop Alternatives; Plan of Study; Conduct Field Studies; Complete Impact Analysis / Mitigation; Retain Subconsultants (Traffic, Ethnographic, Visual).
- PERMITS / REVIEW (Dec. 1991 / Jan. 1992, ~1 month then ~4 months): USFS NEPA Decision (FONSI Decision Notice); USFS & Local Agency Permits (Lift Profile, Site Plans, Lift Design, Bldg. Design); Development of Operating and Monitoring Program.
- CONSTRUCTION (1992, ~4 months, to Sept.): Implementation; Design Review; Site Specific Mitigation; Construction; Monitor Construction / Mitigation; Load Test.
Both terminals are Cascadian architectural style to match the Timberline Lodge. The upper building has 3,000 square feet in floor space with 800 square feet for auxiliary uses. The Silcox Hut (foreground) was built in 1939 and restored in recent years; it is a National Historic site.
The lower terminal is 8,000 square feet and has storage space for 124 chairs. The lift is a Poma Competition 1100 with a rope speed of 1,100 fpm, an initial capacity of 1,770 pph with 76 chairs and a maximum capacity of 3,000 pph. The vertical rise is 1,089 feet; the slope is 5,472 feet long.
