What’s Going to Happen to the Orange Chair? Here’s the Game Plan!

Hopefully, you have already heard the exciting news out of Manning Park Resort this year – we are taking down the iconic Orange Chair at the end of this season to be replaced in winter 2019/20 with a brand-new quad chairlift!

We are so excited about the new quad, but we also recognize how iconic and special the Orange Chair has been for our guests and Manning Park for the 49 years that it has been in service.

Since we made the announcement that the Orange Chair will be taken down, we have been inundated with calls from our local community asking what will happen with the Orange Chair chairs once it is retired this year.

We know how much you love and treasure the memories you’ve created on the Orange Chair and at Manning Park Resort, and we’re grateful to share many of those awesome memories with you.

Here is the game plan for how we’re planning to divest of our iconic Orange Chair chairs.
If you are interested in having one of these big hunks of metal that have a lifetime of memories on them, we’ve got a few ways to get your hands on one.

3 Ways to Get an Orange Chair

1. #IRodeTheOrangeChair Contest

If you want an Orange Chair – tell us about it! What does the Orange Chair mean to you and what is your greatest memory about it and Manning Park?
  • Was it the first chairlift you rode when you graduated from the Bunny Hill? Was it your first job to run it as a lift operator? Did you get engaged on it?
We want to hear your story & to see a photo that commemorates your good memories of the Orange Chair.
We’ve got 3 chairs to give away in this contest.
Enter on Facebook or Instagram by using the hashtag #IRodeTheOrangeChair
Contest will run from February 25 – March 20th. Winners will be judged and chosen on March 21st.

 #2. First Come, First Serve Sale on March 22nd at 9am.

This is it. If you love Manning Park so much that you can’t imagine not having a giant Orange Chair on your front lawn, then this is the place to be.
To apply to get a chair, you have to be online at the time and place noted, with credit card in hand, as well as some skill testing questions. To see the link and the form questions that will be asked, visit this website: https://manningpark.com/orange-chair-sale/ 
The price is $250.
Have your credit card, and your answers ready to go to copy and paste into the form in order to be processed as quick as you can.
We’ve had a lot of interest in the chairs and we are expecting this to sell out quickly, so if you are keen, be ready!

3. Auction for Charity!

So you didn’t win the contest, and you missed the First Come, First Serve Sale, well you still have two more chances to pay to have an iconic chair.
We have chosen 5 charitable organizations that live and play in Manning Park. You can bid for a chair from the organization of your choice, with 100% proceeds going to them!
There will be 2 auctions of 5 chairs each:
The dates of the Auctions are: 
Auction 1: March 23 at 8am to March 30 at 8pm: https://www.32auctions.com/orangechairauction1
Auction 2: April 1 at 8am to April 6 at 8pm. https://www.32auctions.com/orangechairauction2
  • These two auctions are your very last chance! Pay what you want to have a piece of Manning Park history and know that your dollars are going to a great cause. Bonus – you will receive a charitable tax receipt for this donation!The five charitable organizations are:
    –Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning is a registered charity working to strengthen people’s connection with nature by offering outdoor events for all ages and abilities, spanning all seasons.
    –Manning Park Interpretive Programs: offered daily throughout the summer, these important programs teach us how to connect with and love E.C. Manning Provincial Park. *A tax receipt is available for this program through the Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning
    –Manning Ski Club: this parent-run group is aimed at getting kids out on the mountain skiing!
    –Canadian Ski Patrol: these awesome volunteers have been keeping us safe on the mountain since 1941
    –Friends of Manning Park: is a not-for-profit coalition of recreational users that partner with each other and BC Provincial Parks to protect and maintain the historic, conservation and recreation values of E. C. Manning Park. through collaboration and volunteer efforts in planning, trail maintenance, fund raising educational events and historic recognition.
***All chairs will be as is (paint chips, graffiti, stickers and all!), and will need to be picked up in person (no shipping available) on April 6-7.
Limit one per family.***

We are also saving a few key chairs to use around the Resort, so if you don’t get one, don’t worry, you will still get to have your #IRodeTheOrangeChair moment at Manning Park Resort for years to come.

We know that March is going to be a big month at Manning Park – we’re still getting awesome snow conditions, and we’ve got some great events on, like the Rockstar Rail Jam, a new Guided Snowshoe Fondue date and our ever popular Spring Fest.

We also invite you to come celebrate with us for our “Last Chair Fest” on March 31st, where we will be paying homage with a toast to the Orange Chair and having a great last day of the season. Join us to celebrate and send it off in style! This is also Season Passholder Appreciation day.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to celebrating the last days of the Orange Chair before we welcome in the brand new quad chairlift next year!

Brand New Quad Chairlift – Coming next Winter 2019/20!

Coming next winter, a brand-new quadruple chairlift will be installed at Manning Park Resort ski hill to replace the existing Orange Chair.

At a large gathering on Sunday morning, General Manager, Vern Schram, made this major announcement at the ski hill location where the new lift will be installed. Schram stated that “work will commence at the end of the current winter season and the new Doppelmayr four-person chairlift will be ready to take skiers and snowboarders up the mountain at the beginning of Winter 2019/20.”

Schram’s enthusiasm was evident as he talked about the work that is in progress for the mountain already this winter, as well as referencing the many improvements in the past five years at Manning Park Resort, which include the addition of the Alpine Room for weddings and group functions, the completion of five new premium cabins, new pavement around the Resort and other significant infrastructure upgrades.

The new quad chairlift represents the largest investment since owners, Kevin and Donna Demers, purchased the company in 2013. The new chairlift will replace the iconic Orange Chair, which has been in place since 1970.

In attendance for the announcement were representatives of local user groups, season passholders, staff and local residents, who were thrilled to learn the news. Many had no idea of the plans for the chairlift. The mayor of Princeton, Spencer Coyne, was also in attendance to hear about it firsthand.

“We are looking forward to a great year at the ski hill to celebrate the Orange’s last year,” says ski area manager, Andy Boulé. “We can’t wait to show you the areas on the mountain where we have completed brush cutting, entrance widening and run reclaiming this year, as well as showcase our new Rockstar sponsored terrain park.”

The ski hill is tentatively scheduled to open weekends from December 1st, then seven days a week from December 14th onwards. Some more snowfall is required before the opening dates are confirmed, although snowshoe trails are now available.

 

See some of the announcement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GnNAFG8wEg