The Pallavicini “Pali” chairlift at A-Basin has a long and beloved history. When the Colorado ski resort announced in 2020 it would be replacing the lift with a new one, murmurs were that you could take a chair home. And indeed, you finally can — via an online auction. Most of the chairs were claimed or auctioned long ago, but A-Basin has put the last two up for bidding, with 100% of the proceeds going to chair-ity. (See what we did there?)
The auction for the two chairs will each take place in 2-week increments, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Why now? To be honest, according to A Basin’s COO Al Henceroth, the Basin “planned on auctioning off two more [chairs] when the original [Pali] was removed,” but “fell a little behind.” Then COVID happened. So now, a few years later, two iconic Pali chairs are back up for bidding.
About the Pali Lift Chairs
The Pali lift was installed at A-Basin back in 1978; it’s a two-seater Yan lift, no lap bar. It’s always been a slow but steady ride up to the top of the Pali Outpost, where you can reach frontside expert terrain, the Pali Cornice, the West Wall, and the pick-your-poison Steep Gullies.
It’s a breathtaking view, and has been named multiple times as one of the most iconic chairlifts in the U.S. In fact, the COO of A Basin Alan Henceroth went so far as to say, “It’s my favorite chairlift, anywhere.”
The beloved original Pallavicini lift retired in 2020, and was replaced with a newer 141-chair Leitner-Poma fixed-grip double chairlift. It’s not any faster, and maintains the two-seater charm — but with a safety bar.
The Auction: Own a Piece of Pali
The first Pali chair auction runs now until September 29, while the second chair e-bidding auction will open on September 30 and run to October 14, 2023. Nonprofits receive 100% of the funds — which will be split evenly between the local Family Intercultural Resource Center, Summit Community Care Clinic, and the Summit Foundation.
And hey, if the price of a chair is too steep for you (or you have nowhere to put it), you can still take home a piece of the legendary Pali lift! That’s right: A-Basin is also selling sections of the cable rope for keeps. The 3-foot cable rope sections are a reasonable $20.
If you are a diehard A Basin Ski Area fan looking to grab a piece of the Black Jewel, look no further.
Editor’s note: At the time of publishing, the auction site reported some issues with the link that it was investigating.
