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Poma group website
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2006-09-17
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While the term technically refers to any Poma installation, it is mostly commonly used as a nostalgic term for a
Platter Lift or
T-bar , as it was the company's first and most popular system.
The majority of Poma systems are in
Ski Area s, but can also be found at
Amusement Park s and in scenic locations as skyrides and
Peoplemover s.
The founder, Jean Pomagalski, of Polish descendants, began building ski lifts in 1935. The first systems used detachable technology in a surface lift.
In 1953, Pomalift Inc. established itself in the U.S. In 1958, they built their first chairlift in the U.S., followed in 1960 with chairlifts at
Squaw Valley for the
Winter Olympics . In 1981 they established manufacturing capability in
Grand Junction ,
Colorado at their
North America n headquarters.
They build the first detachable quad chairlift in 1981, installed at
Sept Laux, France (in the
Dauphiné Alps ).
In 1984, Poma installed the world's highest gondola lift towers at 358 ft (109 m) for the
Mississippi Aerial River Transit across the
Mississippi River , in
New Orleans, Louisiana .
Poma merged with Leitner in 2002 to form Leitner-Poma of America.
Some famous Poma lifts include the
Silver Queen Gondola in
Aspen, Colorado , the
Mount Roberts Tramway in
Juneau ,
Alaska , The Village Gondola in
Whistler-Blackcomb in
British Columbia ,
Canada and the third generation
Magic Mile at
Timberline Lodge Ski Area on
Mount Hood ,
Oregon .
