GREENWOOD — Mt. Abram Ski Resort is planning to begin repairs on their main chairlift after an inspection earlier in the year uncovered a worn bearing, General Manager Dave Scanlan said in a news release Monday.

On March 22, during a daily inspection of the resort’s machinery, employees discovered that the main bearing on the return bullwheel at the bottom of the Wayback Chair was making strange noises and showed signs of wear-and-tear.

The bullwheel is the main wheel that draws the cable to move the chairlift.

Scanlan said that the bullwheel was first installed on the Wayback Chair in 1970, and that “after these repairs are completed, the chair will be good to go for another 20 years.”

While the Wayback Chair was shut down, Scanlan said that the Big T-bar was used “to keep the chairlift lines short during peak periods on the weekends and holidays during the season.”

Work will begin on the Wayback Chair beginning July 21 and will continue throughout the summer, Scanlan said.

In other business, Scanlan said that Mt. Abram has purchased a new band saw that “is going to allow us to selectively harvest resources from the mountain to start improving the development of the base area infrastructure and mountaintop buildings.”

Among the renovations that Scanlan said could be possible with the band saw include a new slope-side party deck, an expansion of the ticket office and a new snow-making pump house.

“We will be working with local timber framing experts to put together some digital renderings for the new base lodge,” Scanlan said.

Scanlan said that Mt. Abram will also remain “busy salvaging old snow-making pipe from various parts of the mountain to continue with expanding our snow-making capacity” on the Lower Easy Rider trail.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com