246 replies to this topic

[DonaldMReif]

I'd expect that the Mountaintop Express lift should open tomorrow, and possibly also the Northwoods Express. The webcam at Patrol Headquarters clearly shows that ski racks have been put up as have the picnic tables outside. As I mentioned earlier, I plan to take video of the new lift on Thursday to post on YouTube and to here. In the interim, Vail has released a "How to Load" animation graphic of the loading carpet. Whereas of the European lifts I've seen in photos have carpets where the chair catches you before the edge of the carpet, the Mountaintop Express does it by having the carpet pull you forward once the gates open and it transports you as far as the yellow "wait here" line, cutting off right before it. Other than that, loading is the same.

Here's the video:
https://www.youtube....h?v=rj8qEQwGaoY

I'm still used to spelling the lift the way it's spelled on the trail maps (a single word), not as "Mountain Top Express" the way it's painted on the lift.

This post has been edited by DonaldMReif: 26 November 2013 - 03:52 PM

[Allan]

Well that's a steep exit out of the station!

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[DonaldMReif]

Allan, on 26 November 2013 - 09:03 PM, said:

Well that's a steep exit out of the station!

I think Zendo has a similar steep exit for a bottom terminal. Speaking of Breckenridge, here are some distant photos I was able to get of the Kensho SuperChair from I-70 while driving to Vail. They're kind of blurry and grainy, but you can make out towers and the upper terminal:

This post has been edited by DonaldMReif: 28 November 2013 - 08:31 PM

[liftmech]

DonaldMReif, on 25 November 2013 - 06:33 AM, said:

I should be in Vail on Thursday to take pictures and video of the Mountaintop Express lift. Also, looking at the Keystone webcams, it looks like A-51/former Packsaddle II has new towers. I know that the towers were originally built without tower heads, but the webcam shows what clearly look like towers with Doppelmayr tower heads.

Did you mean 'lifting gantries'? Kinda need towerheads to hold the sheaves up :) Perhaps they added the gantries this past summer. 2MileHi?

[DonaldMReif]

liftmech, on 30 November 2013 - 07:30 AM, said:

Did you mean 'lifting gantries'? Kinda need towerheads to hold the sheaves up :) Perhaps they added the gantries this past summer. 2MileHi?

I would look at the Keystone webcams for A-51. Those appear to be new lifting gantries from Doppelmayr on the towers. Makes me think that Keystone is turning their Lift Engineering double chairlifts into frankenlifts, given that A-51/former Packsaddle II is now a Lift Engineering double chairlift with a custom upper terminal skin (put on the lift in 2011, which was the same year that Keystone replaced the maintenance shack at the top of the Peru Express lift and repainted the terminals for that lift, the Montezuma Express and Summit Express lifts in a retro-dark green from the old beige) and Riblet chairs.

[2milehi]

DonaldMReif, on 03 December 2013 - 07:06 AM, said:

I would look at the Keystone webcams for A-51. Those appear to be new lifting gantries from Doppelmayr on the towers. Makes me think that Keystone is turning their Lift Engineering double chairlifts into frankenlifts, given that A-51/former Packsaddle II is now a Lift Engineering double chairlift with a custom upper terminal skin (put on the lift in 2011, which was the same year that Keystone replaced the maintenance shack at the top of the Peru Express lift and repainted the terminals for that lift, the Montezuma Express and Summit Express lifts in a retro-dark green from the old beige) and Riblet chairs.

What ever it takes to keep 'em turning.

[DonaldMReif]

2milehi, on 04 December 2013 - 08:41 PM, said:

What ever it takes to keep 'em turning.

Well admittedly frankenlifts are more interesting than regular lifts. I mean, Steamboat's Yan/Lift Engineering lifts (with the possible exception of Bashor) are Frankenlifts because they use some Doppelmayr equipment on them - usually just the sheaves, but in some cases, also the chairs. On another note, 2milehi, has Keystone repainted the upper terminal of the Outback Express lift this year? I know that in the last two years Keystone has been repainting their high speed quad and six pack terminals from beige to a retro dark green similar to what these lifts used when they were originally constructed. They did the Peru Express, Summit Express, Ruby Express and upper terminal of the Montezuma Express in 2011. In 2012, the new paint job was given to the bottom terminal of the Montezuma Express, both terminals on the Santiago Express, and the bottom terminal of the Outback Express lift. However, last year the Outback Express lift's upper terminal was still painted beige. I am expecting that this year it will appear painted green if Keystone finishes up their repainting work.

[iceberg210]

If you ask some folks a "frankenlift" is the best lift, cause they take the best ideas from each manufacture to get together the best llift possible. Especially with fixed grip lifts, there's some seriously solid frankenlifts out there that are better than anything that any lift manufacture pushed out of the shop brand new... Keep the good old stuff, update the stuff you need to end up with one heck of a lift!

[liftmech]

....and have a warehouse full of random parts from various manufacturers. We now have a CTEC section and we don't even have a (full) CTEC lift!

[DonaldMReif]

Still waiting for Breckenridge to release a photo update on the Kensho SuperChair and/or the Zendo lift.

[Andy1962]

iceberg210, on 05 December 2013 - 10:49 AM, said:

If you ask some folks a "frankenlift" is the best lift, cause they take the best ideas from each manufacture to get together the best llift possible. Especially with fixed grip lifts, there's some seriously solid frankenlifts out there that are better than anything that any lift manufacture pushed out of the shop brand new... Keep the good old stuff, update the stuff you need to end up with one heck of a lift!

This topic is getting seriously OFF Topic :) (has been for a while - just noticing not complaining)

[DonaldMReif]

Yeah, well. Just waiting for Breckenridge to release another photo update from Peak 6.

[Peter]

Leitner-Poma's project in Mexico, tower 3:

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[DonaldMReif]

Wow, tripod Leitner-Poma towers.

[skier2]

Kinda necessary at that height!

[SuperRat]

Its like an old PHB got hit with gamma rays

[JSteigs]

A few pictures from the top of Teleferico de Orizaba.

[Peter]

Crow's Peak at Sugar Bowl
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[vons]

Bolt together bull wheel, haven't seen many Letner-poma lifts with one of those.

This post has been edited by vons: 08 December 2013 - 06:17 PM

[Peter]

Greek Peak, NY
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Mont Saint Anne, Quebec
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