China Peak is a ski area in Central California. It opened in 1958, named after the mountain, Chinese Peak. The original owner was Knut Flint who had been part of a worldwide helicopter services company. Mr. Flint had had his eye on this area for a number of years. He recognized the skiers in the San Joaquin Valley would have to drive to Lake Tahoe or Badger Pass. There were no other resorts on the southwest side of the Sierras. He recruited Herbert Schwarz, an Austrian immigrant with ski industry experience to be the general manager. He coordinated the permitting, construction, start-up and operations. During this time the Forest Service was quite receptive to development in the Sierras. Even Walt Disney was looking at developing Onion Valley.
The first chairlift was installed during the summer of 1958. At the time it was the longest chairlift in the U.S. at over one mile, including a midway station. It was manufactured by Riblet Lift Company based in Washington state, using what was then some very novel design concepts. This included support towers that were not vertical but rather 90 degrees to the ground surface.