boardski, on 05 April 2015 - 10:21 AM, said:
I would rather see Ajax upgrade Gents Ridge to high speed and/ or replace Bell Mtn and Little Nell with a detatchable chair from the bottom of Little Nell to top of Bell Mtn. The only thing the high-speed lift at Shadow Mountain would do is overload Ruthies and cause horrific lines and make the few intermediate runs off that pod resemble I-70 on a Sunday afternoon. Unless, of course, the lift is extended to the top of Ruthies as the original lift 1 from long ago was. Then, we might have something.
Upgrading Lift 1A would not create horrific lines or overcrowding in that area of the mountain. The Shadow Mountain area is already under utilized. A new lift would make this area more desirable to ski, but it would not overcrowd the empty slopes. Furthermore this lift would most likely be installed with a reduced capacity similar to the current lift of 1200 or 1800 pph.
Little Nell will not be upgraded but remain as a secondary lift for the Gondola providing access to Lift 1A.
ASC has stated that their #1 priority for the future is the addition of the Pandora fixed-grip quad that will serve 85-acres of new, mostly intermediate terrain.
The second project is to remove both the Gents Ridge quad and Bell Mountain double and replace it with a new lift with a new alignment to serve the east side of the mountain. The new lift they're calling "Back of Bell" would have a bottom terminal uphill from Glade 1 in an area known as Glade Zero. This area is a shelf to the skiers right just where Copper Bowl starts to get steep. The upper terminal would be located just above the top of Knowltons.
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