Going to Camp: Windells To Install Portable Lift

Windells Snowboard Camp will debut a new, portable lift this summer that can be moved daily to access different terrain. The portable rope tow has been used extensively in Europe to pull riders up faces at 400 ft. per minute, but never in the U.S.

The portability of the 730-T wire handle tow lift, by SunKid lifts of Austria, makes it important during the summer ski and snowboard season on Mount Hood because it can be dismantled each day and moved to the best snow or halfpipe and be ready in the morning.

According to The Oregonian:
One of the world’s premiere snowboard camps, Windells has long been a pioneer in the snowboarding industry. Since Tim Windell opened his camp in 1988, he has trained most every top snowboarder in the world.

With a maximum speed of 400 feet per minute and the ability to extend up to 1,200 feet, lift lines at Windells will be a thing of the past. The 730-T rope tow is also portable so it can be moved at any time.

“Summer conditions are always changing,” says owner and operator Tim Windell, “This new lift will allow us to use the best snow everyday and maximize the experience for every camper at Windells all summer long.”

“I believe these lifts will bring Mount Hood into the 21st century,” said Windell. “Combined with new concrete, BMX and free ride parks, reconstruction on BOB (the camp’s indoor skate park), the newly remodeled cabins and facilities, Windells is gearing up for an action packed summer like no other.”

Uphill conveyance during the summer ski season on Mount Hood is provided by Timberline Lodge on its high-speed Magic Mile and Palmer quad chairlifts. The lifts are stationary, however, so they don’t necessary serve the best dwindling patches of snow as summer runs its course.