Marble Mountain celebrates anniversary of high-speed lift opening

Marble Mountain ski resort held a special event on Friday to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of the Lightning Express high-speed chairlift.

"It was such an undertaking, and such a huge addition to the resort, we felt we should mark the occasion with a celebration," Chris Beckett, Marble Mountain's general manager, said in a release.

The new lift replaced the Governor's Express, which caught fire and was destroyed after being struck by lightning in August 2014.

The Lightning Express was completed by manufacturer Leitner-Poma between November 2014 and March 2015, despite being scheduled to open in December 2014 at the start of the ski season.

Numerous technical problems delayed the opening of the lift.

Beckett said the resort wanted to celebrate the occasion and planned an event for Friday, as it is rare that a lift opens during the ski season.

A cake was prepared by Marble's chefs and served free of charged at the bottom of the lift in the morning, and then inside the lodge for the rest of the day.

The Lightning Express lift is Atlantic Canada's only high-speed chairlift, and it services all 39 of the mountain's trails.