Marmot Basin's new 'Knob' chair lift on track to open this season; old chairs up for sale

Two skiers look out over Marmot Cirque, a new area that will be accessible by Marmot Basin's new Knob chair lift line starting in the 2023-24 season. (Credit: Marmot Basin)

A new Knob chair will take Marmot Basin skiers and snowboarders higher than ever before when it opens this season in Jasper National Park.

"That's what's really got skiers and snowboarders excited, is it goes up higher. They can get into this new terrain," commented Marmot Basin's vice president Brian Rode in a Wednesday interview with CTV News Edmonton.

The Knob is one of the highest areas open to Marmot Basin users and the highest accessible by a lift.

Both the Knob and lift named after it are considered a rite of passage for those making the transition from intermediate to advanced, Rode said.

"[It's] very exciting terrain. Lots of steep bowls and chutes. A lot of people kind of put a notch on their belt when they get up to the Knob."

Previously, skiers and snowboarders would ride to the Knob and hike if they wanted to take off from closer to Marmot Peak.

The new Knob chair lift line will both start lower and end higher than the old line. The difference at the top will be about 110 vertical metres.

A helicopter lifts a post that will end up a part of Marmot Basin's new Knob chair lift line, opening in the winter of 2023. (Credit: Marmot Basin)

The new end point – at an elevation of 2,518 metres – will be located about halfway between the peak and the end of the previous Knob lift. The new runs accessible by the new lift have been called Marmot Cirque.

"Many do enjoy hiking; it kind of gives them a special feeling that they're accessing something that not everybody is accessing. So the new chair is not taking people right to the peak," Rode said.

"So those who want to hike will still have some terrain that they can hike up further, but those who maybe aren't as interested in hiking can still get up higher via this new lift.

"It fits all worlds."

A new Knob chair lift line at Marmot Basin, opening for the 2023-24 season, will end about 110 vertical metres above where the previous line ended. (Credit: Marmot Basin)

Not only does the new lift provide better access, but it is also faster, boasting a load-to-unload time of eight minutes. It is also equipped with four-seat swings and fixed grips, and is loaded by a conveyor.

OLD KNOB CHAIRS FOR SALE

While the new Knob line is being built, the old Knob line that was put up in 1976 is being used to carry workers up and down the mountain.

But when the chairs are no longer needed, they'll be available for purchase for $500.

"Because it has such a long history and legacy and so many people have a real affinity for the knob chair, we got a huge demand when people started to hear and it trickled out that we were starting to put in this new chair lift," Rode recalled.

He's making a list of interested buyers. About 100 chairs, by his estimate, will be in good enough condition to sell.

Many requests have come in from businesses, racers and avid Marmot Basin users, according to Rode.

"They're pretty sturdy chairs; they're not light. A lot of people like them for backyard swings or porch swings; they put them in their garden."

An undated photo of the two-seat chairs that used to be a part of Marmot Basin's Knob chair line. The chairs are being sold for $500. (Credit: Marmot Basin)

Rode's name is on his list, too.

"I've got a spot already picked out in the yard, and maybe I'll get it at a better deal than $500, but we'll see about that," he joked.

Requests to purchase an old Knob chair can be made by emailing [e-mail].

The new Knob line will open when weather allows.

Season passes are on sale at early bird prices until Sept. 1.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brittany Ekelund