Skilifts.org / SORT Forum

1. Sundown Express, Steaboat: Home to the Closet and the Shadows
2. Challenger Lift, Winter Park: Great bumps, no line, classic Mary Jane
3. Snowflake Lift, Breckenridge: The turn
4. Alpine Lift, Copper Mountain: Great terrain, and it's deserted!
5. Pallavicini, Arapahoe Basin: Great terrain

1. Gondola at Sunshine Village (long, turn and middle station)
2. Banff Gondola (only bi-cable gondola in N-A)
3. Timber Bowl at Fernie (funky terminals)
4. Silver at Nakiska (classic Doppelmayr)
5. North American at Norquay (steep)

no particular order:
(i have only been to stowe and snowmass)
1. 4runner quad @ stowe
2. sensation quad @ stowe
3. gondola @ stowe
4. sunny spruce quad @ stowe
5. fanny hill @ snowmass (i was 4)

Well, I have changed my opinions since I made my original post in this topic. I have skied many more ski areas this year!
These are in no order:

1. Spirit Express @ Spirit Mountain, MN- This lift is super cool and just weird. I like watching the entire system and studying it!
2. Mountain Chief @ Copper Mountain, CO- The lift really doesn't have lines and has great skiing too!
3. Resolution @ Copper Mountain, CO- The lift has some awesome mogul runs and is a great old POMA to ride!
4. Rocky Top @ Giants Ridge, MN- This lift has some really steep groomed runs and when it snows, powder!
5. I know it is removed but, Miner Double @ Buck Hill, MN- This lift was my favorite because it was so old and interesting to study.

To replace that lift, I will say 6 chair @ Breckenridge, CO- The lift accesses the bowls and has great runs underneath it!

My top 5 in no particular order: Mine make the list more or less for sentimental reasons, and the fact I just enjoy riding them because of their character.

1) Nubs Nob, MI - Blue Lift: 1971 Heron Poma Double, with the floating bullwheel. A unique design with the floating bullwheel, plus its a fast double compared to the quads. Plus it has the absorbers that make the jingle bell chime every time it passes over the sheaves. I've spent many a winters riding this cool lift. Too bad its only open on weekends/holidays

2) Mt. Holly, MI - Chair 6 White Lightning: 1975 Hall Triple. Again, another lift that I spent a lot of time on back in those middle school & high school days, screwing around, attempting (occasionally successful) at makin' out with girls, and just thinking we were just awesome back in the day. Oh those dark cold nights were fun, riding that lift that passed through the dark area in the woods. We threw a lot of ski poles into those trees. I'm glad to see that someone started a panty tree in there now.

3) Tussey Mountain, PA: - 1982 Borvig Quad. Man, I spent many of cold, windy nights on this lift during my college racing days. This somewhat of a frankenstein lift, was insanely slow, poorly maintained, would die for a day or two every season, and have very uncomfortable wooden slat/bench seats. Despite all that, it was just old school. I can ride HSQ's any day, but this lift definetely had character. Many of good discussions, self-reflection, and just trying to stay $#@#@ warm occured on this lift.

4) Vail, CO - Highline Chair 10: 1973 Riblet Double. A classic Colorado ski lift, and as someone said, this dying breed (in CO) is what made the state and the industry what it is today. I'm going to miss this one when she comes down after this season.

5) Park City Mountain Resort - Gondola: 1963 PHB 4-passenger Gondola. My first ever place to ride a Gondola and this lift was sweet for its old-school factor, high spans (on the lower mountain), and of course the Angle Station. I thought it was pretty cool that there was a guy who pulled the cabins through the turn in the Angle station. This lift was a classic, and the longest Gondola back in that era.
This post has been edited by afski722: 03 April 2007 - 02:19 PM

Salmo Ski Club T-bar
Sun Peaks summit poma
Whitewater's Riblet doubles
any chair at Powder Mountain, but preferably that one all the way out to the side
Alta Supreme

bonus favorites:
Harper Mountain T-bar
Lake Louise summit poma
Lookout Pass frontside Riblet

Mine are:

1. Omigosh at Cataloochee. This 1968 Hall FGD is comfterable, fast, and services very nice terrain.

2. Yellow at Sugar. This 1969 Hall FGD is fun, long, comftorable, and goes to some great terrain, because it serves nearly all of the mountain.

3. Chair 5 at Beech. This 1988 Doppelmayr HSQ is fast, comftorable, long, and is nice looking because it uses parts from the old gondola.

4. Outpost Gondola at Keystone. This 1991 Doppelmayr 6 person Gondola is the most interesting lift at Keystone.

5. Chair 5 at Breckenridge. This 1970 Riblet FGD is the collest lift at the ski resort, mostly because it has an unloading ramp and a summer-only midstation.

Time to revise, since the above was from before I went to Jackson Hole.

1. Tram - Jackson Hole. Rest in peace
2. Blackfoot - Grand Targhee. My first center pole riblet plus I skied the same run 10 times, and each time, the wind brought 7 inches of new snow. (I still need to go on Looking Glass at WP. I always end up taking Olympia if I'm over there.)
3. Sundown Express - Steamboat. I haven't gotten to ski at the 'boat this year, but there's still killer days in the shadows.
4. Challenger - Winter Park. Yep, the bumps are still amazing. It's faster than riding the 6pack any day, especially when it's broken.
5. Lower BC Mountain Express - Beaver Creek. What a roller coaster.

this is tough, i can't limit it to just 5 lifts

1) Lone Peak Tram - Big Sky
2) Jackson Hole Tram
3) Telluride Goldola System
4) Slide Brook Express - Sugarbush
5) Mineral Basin Chair - Snowbird
6) Castlerock Chair - Sugarbush
7) Four Runner Quad - Stowe
8) K1 Gondola - Killington (on midweek powder days)
9) 7th Heaven Express - Blackcomb
10) Big Burn - Snowmass

1. Omigosh at Cataloochee. This 1968 Hall FGD is comfterable, fast, and services very nice terrain.

It also should be noted Omigosh likely has the highest gaper to skier ratio of any chair in the nation. And no other chair offers such a superb vantage for watching Floridians try to ski.

5. Green Mountain Express (GMX) - SUGARBUSH, VT - Fast & Comfortable
4. Bunny Hill Lift - TUXEDO RIDGE (STERLING FOREST), NY - First Aerial Lift I Ever Went On + No Reason For it to be an Aerial Lift but That's Why I Like It
3. Adirondack Express - GORE MOUNTAIN, NY - First High-Speed Lift I Ever Went On + Its cool because its a High-Speed Triple
2. Snowlite Express - HUNTER MOUNTAIN, NY - Super Fast + Super Comfortable + Super Long
1. Tomahawk Quad - BELLEAYRE MOUNTAIN, NY - Even Though Its a Fixed Grip Chair, Its Still Pretty Fast With a Guy at the Mid-Station Who Blasts Showtunes + Its A Long and Calming Ride

Those Are My Top 5 Favorite Lifts

-Sam

1. MRG- single (a classic, I'm going to miss the old bird)
2. South Ridge Triple- Killington (Fixed Grip that turns... how can you go wrong)
3. Slide Brook- Sugarbush (run it on weekdays please)
4. Castlerock- Sugarbush (space between chairs makes it solitary)
5. Skyeship- Killington (stand in the midstation lifthouse and feel powerful

[u]1. Tomahawk Quad[/u] - BELLEAYRE MOUNTAIN, NY - Even Though Its a Fixed Grip Chair, Its Still Pretty Fast With a Guy at the Mid-Station Who Blasts Showtunes + Its A Long and Calming Ride

Those Are My Top 5 Favorite Lifts

-Sam
[/quote]
i have to agree with you on this one, btw his nick name is "the mistro"

Top 5 are:

Silver fir at Ski acres

Chair 2 at Alpental

Green valley at Crystel

Keechules at Hyak

Heather at Hood Meadows

5. (Tie) All of Stratton's 6-packs. I couldn't believe how fast they were and how quickly the lines moved. Even a long 8 lane queue took only 8 minutes in line.
4. D-Lift @ Hunter. This triple is a classic from 1966. It moves pretty quick and serves some great runs and never has a line.
3. Burnt Ridge Quad @ Gore. This is the most luxurious lift I have ever ridden. The padding must be almost 4 inches thick. It is also the fastest ride on the mountain serving some great high speed cruisers.
2. Skyeskip Gondola @ Killington. It's hard to believe that there is a whole mountain above it when it is a 2 stage ride over 10 minutes, even at 1,200 fpm.
1. Cloudsplitter Gondola @ Whiteface. This lift is long, fast, serves lots of vertical with an amazing view, all within a quick 7 minutes at 1,212 fpm.
This post has been edited by snoloco: 08 April 2014 - 03:58 PM

These aren't in any specific order.

1. Iron Mountain Express, Canyons- A relatively new UNI-G with really nice orange seats and orange windows in both terminals. An very sharp looking quad with no lines.
2. Red Pine Gondola, Canyons- The span over the canyon is pretty neat and the angle station is also pretty cool, I think it functions rather well and I really like the burnt orange cabins with the Canyons logo in the corner.
3. Gondola One, Vail- Heated seats, wifi access in the cabins, the first Sigma Diamond 10 Passenger cabins in the country, the first LPA gondola terminals and a smooth, quick ride up to Mid Vail. It makes it easy to lap the Frontside Chutes and the Narrows when the Back Bowls snow isn't very good.
4. Purgatory Village Express, Durango Mountain Resort- This was one of Doppelmayr's first UNI-G's in the country and has European towers and chairs, as opposed to the other lifts built around the time with Garaventa CTEC chairs.
5. (I couldn't chose the last one so its a tie) Lower Beaver Creek Mountain Express and Highline Express at Beaver Creek/Vail- Lower Beaver Creek Mountain goes up and over two hills and never has a line, it's the fastest way up the mountain and especially when Centennial's crowded. Highline Express at Vail is also never crowded, serves some great mogul trails and is the fastest way to the Back Bowls by using Riva Bahn, then Highline and then Sourdough. A smooth Leitner-Poma Omega that was built just before the introduction of the LPA terminals. (It was actually supposed to have LPA terminals but because of some issue with getting the LPA parts from Europe, it was an Omega instead)

My top 7:

1. Mercury SuperChair
2. Montezuma Express
3. Avanti Express
4. Kensho SuperChair
5. High Noon Express
6. Mountaintop Express
7. Outback Express

Summit at Solitude, Little Cloud at Bird, Collins at Alta, even though I hate the thing sometimes, the terrain is worth it, Gold Hill at Telluride and Eagle at Solitude because the VonRoll/CTEC is just such a weird yet very effective combo.

Favourite lifts from a mechanic's perspective:
-Seventh Heaven, Stevens Pass. Mid-60s Riblet, so steep there are no mid-line towers but one, and the railroad-track bottom terminal to boot.
-Old Summit Express, Bachelor. Unique early Doppelmayr detach triple.
-American Flyer, Copper (there may be some bias present) One of only two vault-drive Poma detach quads in North America (that I'm aware of). Imported from France.
-Chair 2, Loveland. Rare YAN Type 6 triple, still has the original aluminum sand-cast 'banana' assemblies.
-Old Chair 6, Crystal Mountain. Rare centre-pole Hall.
My favourites as a skier would be a bit different.

KT22, Squaw
Little Cloud, Snowbird
Jackson Tram
Big Sky Tram
Gold Hill, Telluride