The mountains were calling and he decided he must go. Twice. A Chicago kid who had just graduated from high school, Chuck Melichar had his pick of colleges to attend. He narrowed his decision to top-tier institutions MIT and Colorado School of Mines. Melichar chose the latter, and that choice has had a significant effect on operations at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Snow King Mountain Resort since 1993. He went from Chicago to the Colorado Rockies having never skied and knowing nothing about chairlifts and their operation â both quickly changed. For those riding Snow Kingâs Summit Lift for its last hurrah â the 40-year-old lift will have been replaced by a new gondola by next ski season â during the last day of the World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb on March 28, Melicharâs 50 years of experience since heading out West from the Windy City were on display. On the lift himself when it malfunctioned and stopped running, Melichar talked the Snow King lift maintenance team through the process to get him to the bottom by walkie-talkie. From there he guided the team through the diagnosis and quick repair of the problem to get the lift up and running to clear all the lift-riders from what would be the Summit Liftâs last spin up the Town Hill.