WATCH: Kelly Canyon gearing up for ski season with installation of poles for new lift

RIRIE - Kelly Canyon is one step closer to the completion of its new ski lift.

The ski resort worked with Salt Lake City-based lift manufacturer SkyTrac Saturday morning to install 15 new ski poles for the new Fix-grip Triple Lift.

Resort Owner Mike VanSteenkiste tells EastIdahoNews.com the new lift will be able to serve 1,500 skiers per hour -- nearly triple the amount the old lifts could accommodate in that same timeframe.

"For a long time, people have wanted something new and upgraded," VanSteenkiste says. "It will help create a better experience here at Kelly's."

Skiers have used two lifts at Kelly Canyon in previous years.

Another reason for the new ski lift, VanSteenkiste says, is partly due to wind issues on the ridge near the mid-station on the second lift, which has been a safety concern in the past and would sometimes result in lift one being shutdown during prime skiing time.

VanSteenkiste and his crew have been working to open up new terrain on the mountain and the new lift goes up an additional 600 feet to accommodate that.

“There’s a whole bunch of area that’s been opened up that people haven’t been able to ski. They’ll also be able to ski down Moose and some other terrain that you previously had to hike to,” he says.

The original lifts were installed in 1957. The first one will be decommissioned prior to the start of ski season in December. The second one will continue to operate in conjunction with the new one.