New Magic Carpet lift system officially opened with ribbon-cutting ceremony at Fort McCoy

Photo By Scott Sturkol | Fort McCoy senior leaders ride on the new Magic Carpet lift system at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area on Dec. 21, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis., after the official ribbon-cutting to open the lift. The project was completed in fall 2018 at a cost of $703,633 by contractor Life Cycle Construction Service Inc. of Fredericksburg, Va. The lift is conveyor-based and is 840 feet long. A ride to the top takes between three to five minutes and it can move about 1,000 people per hour. (U.S. Army Photo by Sarah Wiedenfeld, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

01.09.2019

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                        

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

Garrison Commander Col. Hui Chae Kim, 88th Readiness Division Commanding General and Fort McCoy Senior Commander Maj. Gen. Jody J. Daniels, and Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Director Patric McGuane cut the ribbon Dec. 21, 2018, to open the new Magic Carpet lift system at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area at Fort McCoy, Wis.

The project was completed in fall 2018 at a cost of $703,633 by contractor Life Cycle Construction Service Inc. of Fredericksburg, Va.

The lift is conveyor-based and is 840 feet long. A ride to the top takes between three to five minutes and it can move about 1,000 people per hour.

"We affectionately nicknamed the lift the 'Budda-Bahn' after the recently retired Daryl Budda, the longtime business and recreation director of Fort McCoy," said Patric McGuane, director of the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation. "This was really his vision. He had been working with (our) team to bring this technology to Fort McCoy for more than 5 years, and today we finally have it.

"We can get almost a thousand customers an hour tubing now where we previously topped out at around 400, so this Magic Carpet will be able to literally more than double the number of people enjoying our beautiful Whitetail Ridge Ski Area," McGuane said. "Now we just need more snow!"

Whitetail Ridge Ski Area is open 4:30 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. Whitetail Ridge, part of Fort McCoy’s Pine View Recreation Area, offers a variety of activities for the whole family. The ski hill offers both downhill skiing and snowboarding.

For more information about costs and special events at Whitetail Ridge, call 608-388-4498/3517 or 800-531-4703. Information is also available online at https://mccoy.armymwr.com.

• Date Taken: 01.09.2019
• Date Posted: 01.09.2019 16:48
• Story ID: 306560
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US