Poma lift

Aside from the triple chairlift, the other way to the top is a between-the-legs Poma lift with direct access to the imposing array of ski jumps that make Howelsen Hill such a prime training ground for aspiring Olympians.

Enjoy Echo Valley’s volunteer-run, nonprofit ski resort’s eight groomed trails over 70 acres, a six-lane tubing hill, and a 1,400 foot Poma Lift, an invention popular in Europe that whisks skiers uphill.

The single-rider Poma lift that long served the primary training hill has been replaced by a higher-speed T-bar that can accommodate two skiers at a time and increase the number of repetitions athletes can pack into a morning session.

In 1971, a Poma lift was added, making the ridge a magnet for serious skiers.

“You would wait in line for a long, long time just to get one or two runs in, especially on days when there was some powder,” Livak, 47, said of the old poma lift, which uses plastic discs attached to poles and cables to scoot people to the top of the run.