8 replies to this topic

[skiersage]

Was just reading the latest updates on Magic Mountain's website and they had this little blurb posted at the bottom:

Quote

One final, very sad note. I learned yesterday that George Kruger, our partner and lift contractor who brought back Black Chair last year and made progress this year on installing the Green Lift, unexpectedly succumbed to his battle with cancer and passed on. He was a good friend, so knowledgeable of these lifts, and cared so much about trying to get back here from Maine to finish the job. Alas, that will not happen. George was a ski patroller here in the early days of Magic and even helped work on the installation of the Red Chair, which ignited his life long passion for installing and repairing ski lifts. It wasn't just a job for George. Skiing was life. And, he's now free to ski again in heaven. Farewell George, and save us a spot in line for the lift up there (a nice fixed-grip double!).

That is too bad. He was definitely one of the old greats of the ski lift industry and will be greatly missed. Rest in peace George

[Kelly]

Met George in 1979...he was (is) a total “skilift” guy.
Godspeed George
Article about Magic’s rebuild with a picture of George http://www.newenglan...php?storyid=540
Magic page: https://www.magicmtn.com/

[Lift Dinosaur]

I first met George in Sun Valley, ID in 1978. He showed up in the River Run parking lot and said Yan had hired him out of June Mountain to “help you guys build ski lifts”. Until the time of his death that’s what he continued to do. He was a Champion for the small ski areas and went out of his way to help whenever he could. Thanks, George. I enjoyed your friendship. Dive deep!

[cjb]

Rest in Peace George, a mechanics mechanic, knock back a couple with Bud!

[Peter Pitcher]

He was a giant and he sure knew how to use the language, he liked his beer and he liked his whiskey and his tequila. I don't know if I would be here without him. Thanks George godspeed

[lift_electrical]

After arriving in SV in 1991and meeting George, for the next few years I always thought my first name was "f____n" because he always called me "f____n electrician"! Fortunately I had a common to George ski lift electrician friend I worked with at Sugarloaf before going to SV and Reggie gave me a heads up to George's mechanical dislike of electricians which helped me not take his personality to heart. Believe it or not, he actually mentored me in a strange kind of way.

He actually was a neighbor of ours in Cold Springs and worked for the Ketchum fire department when I decided to take a digger at the house when I had a low blood sugar ( I'm a type 1 diabetic) and broke my arm and dislocated my shoulder. He showed up with the ambulance and as he was closing the doors to the ambulance, all he said to me "way to go f____n electrician" but with the smile only George had.

In my opinion, after he was wrongfully let go in SV, we would run into each other at the odd ski conference and BS about ski lift stuff. I hope his time in Maine was well spent with Reggie before his untimely passing. I know there is a YAN quad out there he beating the hell out of with a crescent hammer.

[Lift Dinosaur]

lift_electrical, on 19 December 2017 - 07:11 PM, said:

After arriving in SV in 1991and meeting George, for the next few years I always thought my first name was "f____n" because he always called me "f____n electrician"! Fortunately I had a common to George ski lift electrician friend I worked with at Sugarloaf before going to SV and Reggie gave me a heads up to George's mechanical dislike of electricians which helped me not take his personality to heart. Believe it or not, he actually mentored me in a strange kind of way.

He actually was a neighbor of ours in Colding Springs and worked for the Ketchum fire department when I decided to take a digger at the house when I had a low blood sugar ( I'm a type 1 diabetic) and broke my arm and dislocated my shoulder. He showed up with the ambulance and as he was closing the doors to the ambulance, all he said to me "way to go f____n electrician" but with the smile only George had.

In my opinion, after he was wrongfully let go in SV, we would run into each other at the odd ski conference and BS about ski lift stuff. I hope his time in Maine was well spent with Reggie before his untimely passing. I know there is a YAN quad out there he beating the hell out of with a crescent hammer.

That could also come from the “Yan Days”. Yan would ask Area Representative Engineers “What kind of Engineer are you?”
When they would say “Mechanical” or “Civil”, he would say “No. There are only 2 kinds of Engineers- God*am* and Fu**ing. Which are you?”��

[lift_electrical]

Yanik always treated us SV electricians pretty well. We once went to the Carson City facility for some electrical training. He let us stay out at his place on Lake Tahoe. He made the pool available to us and I'm pretty sure we put a ring around it!

I did hear him use the above quote a few times.

I am also sure George did not need any encouragement to call any electrician "f____g".

Jeff

[barnstormer]

I remember hearing a story about George when he was at Sun Valley. When they built the new Warm Springs lodge, it had some some of the first photo eye flushers on the urinals. Apparently when George used one of these for the first time he said, "For Christ sake, now we need 'F____g' Vulcans to flush our toilets!".

That said, George always treated me with respect, even if I am a Vulcan...