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New Marble Mountain chair lift won't open for at least a month

The opening of a new chair lift at Marble Mountain is once again delayed, and the resort said it could now be more than a month before it is ready.
The Lightning Express at Marble Mountain has been plagued by delays since the start of the ski season in December. (Twitter/@SkiMarble)

The opening of a new chair lift at Marble Mountain is once again delayed, and the resort said it could now be more than a month before it is ready.

Leitner-Poma, the manufacturer and company responsible for installing the new lift, said an incompatibility between new and re-used components is the cause of the delay. 

In a press release sent out Saturday, the company said, "There are additional engineering and on-site modifications necessary before officially opening the chairlift to the public."

A helicopter was used to help finish some repairs to the chair lift at Marble Mountain, which was damaged in a fire caused by a lightning strike earlier this year. (CBC)

The new chair lift, named The Lightning Express, has been plagued by delays over the past several weeks. The old lift was completely destroyed by a fire last summer after being hit by a lightning strike.

Originally, the lift was supposed to be ready when the resort opened in December, however technical problems have caused that opening date to be pushed ahead.

The high-speed chair lift is usually the most popular at Marble Mountain, and without it in service, many trails on the western side of the hill are inaccessible.