Skilifts.org / SORT Forum

liftmech, on 21 February 2015 - 02:54 PM, said:

Actually, if R-Lift were replaced and extended with a high-speed chair, a Flyer upgrade might not even be necessary since one would no longer need to ski to the base to move from east to west. You would just have to keep it going for an indefinite number of years. :-)

Or keep it as a quad, but replace the terminals, chairs and grips (the towers stay but get new sheave trains).

My master plan for Windham, NY.

Install 6-pack bubble chair to replace Whistler Triple and replace the Whirlwind Express HSQ as the primary lift. The Whirlwind Express would now only run on busy weekends and holidays while the new bubble lift would run all day every day.

Replace Wonderama Triple with HSQ. The current triple chair stops a lot since the ski school uses it and since they are building more million dollar homes up there, those people probably want a fast ride. It is 3,500 feet long, so it is long enough to be high speed.

Replace Whiteway Triple with carpet loaded FGQ. That lift is the primary beginner lift, so it stops a lot, and it can get a long line sometimes. However, at only 2,000 feet long, it is not long enough to be high speed.

Add full or close to full night skiing. They already have it on the Wonderama and Whiteway Triple chairs. Now add it to some of the trails off of the new bubble lift and the East Peak Express. Windham is a destination resort and somewhat close enough to Albany and NYC for it to be worthwhile.

Add more trails in the area between East Peak and West Peak.

I'm already replacing major parts. If I keep on this programme the whole thing'll be new anyway. Boardski-- funny you should mention it, as the last time I asked how long I should plan on the lift being there I was told 'indefinitely'. The thing's burly and well-engineered, all I really dislike about it is the terminal enclosures (not the machinery, but the roof/wall structure).

Here's my thoughts for Sunday River, starting with what I think is likely and has a business case to dream list.

Replace Barker HSQ with a HSS and add dedicated Low E guns to Top Gun to have maximum routes off summit to spread capacity.

Replace Jordan HSQ with a HSS (would need to flip uphill side and have 90 unload at top with some tree work to not make the unload a disaster).

Add a carpet loader to Aurora Quad (while short, has to be one of the slowest lifts on the mountain now).

The less likely:

Replace White Cap Quad (tempest line) with the used Barker HSQ (giving white cap base a HS lift out of it)

Use the Old Jordan HSQ for a new line from base of Jordan to the Ridge crest just west of Witch Way and Flying Monkey (eliminates the Kansas cross country trail to get back and allows for top to bottom thinning of the section of Oz for a huge gladed area)

And totally dreaming:

Replace Locke Triple with something High Speed (maybe just a triple) with a mid station detach, at least 50% download capable from the midstation. This would make the early season gig much nicer prior to top to bottom, but that would be an almost impossible business case (unless the upper mountain only season gets longer in the future). I'd also widen Goat path to Ecstacy and add snowmaking to it to allow a Goat Path/Ecstacy early season route to the midstation as well.

Add terrain pod off backside of Barker and Spruce. Nice bowl back there and would be in the sun for those brutal New England days. Lack of business case as it is in the sun and most winters are not like our current one.
This post has been edited by machskier: 22 February 2015 - 07:57 AM

machskier, on 22 February 2015 - 07:56 AM, said:

I've had similar ideas, but would move Jordan to Spruce and run a six up the Jordan line then take the new loading carpet from Spruce and give it to Locke.

NO timeline on this yet, but scuttlebutt has it that when Barker is replaced, it will be a six-pack. Current lift will most likely be scrapped. I'd imagine Killington may scoop up some of the equipment for their fleet. I agree a HSQ would be great on Tempest though.

Aurora has been nominated for a load carpet, but no timeline.

I want to see the bowl west of Jordan developed with a couple of detaches. Could be amazing if done right.

Move Jordan Double to serve the Jordan Grand so you don't have to ride back up Lift 14 and ski Lollapalooza and replace it with a FGQ that's lower to the ground. I only say that due to days when winds come up quickly and 14 closes and the only way out of the bowl is on a double chair that dumps you in Aurora.

I think Jordan is okay how it is, doesn't need to be a six for a little while.
Tempest HSQ would be great.
Barker HSS would definitely help.
And I really wish Locke was a HSQ as well.
To be honest, I like all of Sr's lifts the way the are, except for quantum leap and barker.
I really wish 3D would be a normal blue again. I think having 2 terrain parks on one peak is unnecessary.
I'd like to see one off spruce instead.

Yooper Skier, on 22 February 2015 - 08:13 AM, said:

I always thought if you replaced either Spruce or Locke triples, you'd use those to run up to the grand Jordan. I wouldn't mind seeing the Jordan double re-engineered, lowering the launch from Jordan down into the ravine and then hugging the ground lower on the hill up to the drop into Aurora. That would wind protect it better and with those plus maybe more weighted chairs on Quantum, would give a wind option to/fro hotel.

I figured the scrap heap awaits Barker, after all it is a mashed up LE converted twice I think by Poma. But if it has any usefull life left, even if it only runs at 700 or 800 FPM max, would be a good Tempest option. But I wonder if LP or any manufacturer would be keen on moving a LE frame with Poma equipment bolted on.
This post has been edited by machskier: 22 February 2015 - 10:25 AM

I've never seen a Yan HSQ relocated. They typically all go to scrap when retired. I wonder why Killington and Pico still have so many. The Snowshed HSQ at Killington will likely go sometime soon, but the Superstar Express ain't going anywhere because they gave it a new haul rope this year.

At Pico, the two HSQ's there might get upgraded again, but definitely not replaced unless the interconnect gets built.

Mount Snow has relagated their Yan HSQ to weekend operations only. It isn't going anywhere with the lighter use it gets now. They also put new chairs on it.

It is sort of a weird coincidence, but all 6 Tan HSQ's in the east were all controlled by ASC at some point, but only Barker was installed under Otten when his company was LBO Enterprises. The rest were all installed before he took over at those mountains.

At Crested Butte: replace Teocalli with HSQ originating in current lower terminal location with mid-unload and angle station at current top station and new top station could be slightly above Twister lift. Any needed parts from the current Teocalli could be used to restore Twister lift to normal operation, or at least, weekends and holidays. Some type of surface lift out of the Teocalli bowls (not to be confused with Teocalli lift since the bowls and the lift are nowhere near each other) would be nice also. The Teocalli lift improvement would help ease traffic on Paradise lift which is currently a HSQ (which gets lines) and not old enough to replace yet. Unless Painter Boy and Gold Link need to be replaced soon for mechanical reasons, they could be left "as-is" for years to come instead of upgrading to FGQ as the master plan calls for. With or without this improvement, Crested Butte is a fine mountain and very fun.
This post has been edited by boardski: 14 March 2015 - 06:45 AM

I don't know if there's room in the area above the top of Twister for another lift, considering that you'd have to find a way to work this extended Teocalli around Twister, the bottom terminal of the High Lift T-Bar, and the top terminal of the Silver Queen Express. Plus that sort of upgrade would make the Paradise Express lift kind of redundant.

The master plan for Teocalli, last I checked, had it get upgraded either to a fixed grip quad or high speed quad and realign it so the upper terminal is moved a little ways southwest, closer to the top of Red Lady.

Barker only runs 800 FPM max? I ALWAYS wondered why it was so slow!
It would be a fine replacement for Aurora, a lift that gets 9 minutes for those who don't know, but then again it can get pretty icy down there so I dunno.
I would also consider it for Locke as well, seeing as both lifts are of equal length (I think Locke might actually be a little longer)
What would be interesting is if one of the fixed lifts were relocated, would be to run it up to jordan hotel, have a mid load/unload at the base of the express quad, and have a load and unload at aurora. Basically the Jordan double but extended to the hotel. I don't know how easy that would be to accomplish. Maybe i'm still dreaming :P

NHskier13, on 24 March 2015 - 03:27 PM, said:

She runs 700 every day, barring no wind.
You also have to remember that this is the Ice Coast, so there still is a very important role for fixed-grips :)

After skiing/ riding Purgatory, I think a high-speed upgrade for #8 would be excellent! That is one long, slow lift. 15 minute ride with no stops. Latest word is this is part of the plan with #4 lift becoming a triple, which I am thinking might be made from some re-usable parts from current #8 once it is replaced. #4 is also very long and would benefit from detatchable technology however it can be avoided by riding up #1 (a HSS) and skiing/ riding to the bottom of #2 which is close to the top of #4. #8, on the other hand, cannot. Another nice improvement which is also on the master plan map posted in the lodge is some type of surface lift system with multiple load/unload points connecting the bottoms of lifts 3,5, and 8. This would eliminate the need to skate along the flats on top to return to the main mountain. It would just put more traffic on lift #3. Good thing it is high speed already. Otherwise a great mountain and a very welcoming atmosphere. I always enjoy my days there even though the drive from Denver is very long.

I believe that a noticeable thing on Purgatory's master plan is that the proposed Legends Express does not have a midstation. They're planning to regrade the section of hill between the bottom terminal and the midload where intermediate skiers lapping the pod can get on.

Definitely agree, I think Purgatory is a fantastic mountain and hopefully the new owner makes #8 high speed soon. If they did have a midstation, it would be one tiny section from the bottom station to the midstation so financially I'm sure its worth it to regrade the hill rather than add a midstation.

After skiing Big Sky, I would definitely say that a replacement for the Lone Peak Triple with a low capacity high speed quad would be nice for faster laps in the bowl, which is really some of the best snow at Big Sky because of the slope aspect. A low capacity HSQ would be nice for Challenger too, since the ride is so long and it is a pretty old lift that had some maintenance issues this year. Also maybe you could route a high speed quad between Shedhorn and Dakota to serve both lifts and trails from one lift, that way you don't have to replace both lifts but still have high speed access in that area. Lastly, a think a HSS is needed for Lewis and Clark because it gets so crowded.... Just kidding :)

Backbowlsbilly, on 29 March 2015 - 07:33 PM, said:

The snow in that part of the mountain was just plain awful when I was there so there wasn't a line but I don't think Dakota needed a replacement. Shedhorn would be nice though, especially since they could cut a new trail or two and expand grooming in the area if need be.
I read somewhere that they were considering replacing Lone Peak Triple with a Chondola on the old Gondola One line with a mid station at the bottom of the bowl, then following the Lone Peak line up. I feel like that would be great since Swifty does seem to have a line at the start of the day, just trying to get people out of the base area. It would help out with traffic there and help access in the bowl.

Backbowlsbilly, on 29 March 2015 - 07:33 PM, said:

I don't think you could replace Dakota and Shedhorn with 1 lift, you have the spine that is Castro's in the way. A shedhorn replacement and upgrade would be nice and at some point in the future, a new Dakota that goes higher into Liberty/Dakota Bowl (assuming Dakota is brought "in bounds") would be nice too. That would take some pressure off the Tram.

Rumor mill from DMR is that Twilight is next up to be replaced and they are still working out if it will be a HSQ or HSS. I'm betting HSQ. New owner should have something out on that very soon apparently??

RibStaThiok, on 31 March 2015 - 10:04 AM, said:

Twilight is a slow, old lift but it can easily be by-passed using lifts 1,2, & 3. Too bad 8 doesn't get upgraded first. Although the lift is a bit younger, that 15 minute ride from bottom to top (with no slows or stops) is rough and there is actually quite a lot of terrain in the Legends area which all funnels down to lift 8. On a positive note, the beginners will enjoy the upgraded Twilight lift and it may take traffic away from lift 1. Is it happening this summer or next?