68 replies to this topic

[edmontonguy]

Ok since we've been looking up the steepness of lifts here's a topic for that. The goal i guess is to find the steepest lift. But add any information you see fit or post any questions about steep lifts.

As is stands NorthAmerican @ Mt Norquay is the steepest lift at an average slope of 46.2%.

[SkiBachelor]

Even though it tends to be pretty flat near the base of the lift, but the Creekside gondola at Whistler has that really steep section. It's probably as steep if not more than a lot of the lifts mentioned so far.

[edmontonguy]

yeah there are probably alot of lifts with steeper sections. Does anyone know off hand how long the Oak Street or Coonskin lifts @ telluride are? because they look to be pretty steep.

Chair 1 @ silver mountian is an impressive 45.4%

[Bill]

If C-5 at Crystal was still there it was have a steep climb up and over K2 Face.

7th Heaven at Stevens would be pretty steep as well, I have no clue what the degree is on that one either.

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[liftmech]

Mountain Chief has a pretty steep section near the top, but overall the line probably averages around 30 degrees.

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[ccslider]

edmontonguy, on Jan 8 2005, 10:58 PM, said:

yeah there are probably alot of lifts with steeper sections. Does anyone know off hand how long the Oak Street or Coonskin lifts @ telluride are? because they look to be pretty steep.
Chair 1 @ silver mountian is an impressive 45.4%
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

TELLURIDE
Lift 8 (Oak St) 42.7% (v-1055; h-2470; sl-2686)
Lift 7 (Coonskin) 42.4% (1845; 4350; 4725)
Lift 14 (Gold Hill) 44.3% (1475; 3333; 3645)
Lift 6 (Apex) 42.0% (1144; 2727; 2957)

[ccslider]

liftmech, on Jan 9 2005, 04:59 AM, said:

Mountain Chief has a pretty steep section near the top, but overall the line probably averages around 30 degrees.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If this is so, then this would be a hands down leader for steepest lift in N America. 30 degrees is equivalent to 57.7% - that's way steep for an average slope percent!

[liftmech]

I don't think it's that steep, then. I guess I need to read your attachment about how to calculate slope percentages...

[ccslider]

Mountain Chief lift has a 829' vertical (according to Copper's trail map) and the ride time is ~ 5 min. So, assuming that the lift runs at 450 fpm, then the slope length would be ~ 2250'. That makes the horizontal length ~ 2092' so the average slope would be a respectible 39.6%. If the lift runs a little faster, then the slope length is longer, so is the horizontal and the slope % is less.

Lone Peak Tram at Big Sky
v-1450; h-2428; sl-2828 = 59.7%



Slope % = vertical / horizontal
Horizontal = square root {(slope length x slope length) - (vertical x vertical)}

[liftmech]

Most days the Chef (no, that's not misspelled; long story) runs at 500 FPM. It feels awfully steep when you're in the work chair changing sheaves...

[Owen]

The Cliff Chair at Big White is quite steep.

[edmontonguy]

The cliff chair is steep and averages 36% but in comparison to the lifts mentioned so far it is relatively mild.

[KZ]

Scott Chair at Alpine Meadows

Slope Length= 2249'
Vertical= 1054'
Length= 1988'

I think I did this right and go an impressive 52.967% or 53% Average slope.

I totally forgot about this lift but its pretty insane. Out of the terminal and one tower or medium steepness then you are straight over a double black run, and at alpine double black is 50 degrees and up. I'll get some pictures up tommarow night of it. Quite the ugly conversion of a yan double to ctec triple, but new paint may have helped it.

[ccslider]

Here's the tally of lifts > 40.0% so far:

1 Lone Peak Tram Big Sky 59.7%
2 Scott Chair Alpine Meadows 53.0%
3 North American Norquay 46.2%
4 Chair 1 Silver Mtn 45.4%
5 Deep Steeplechase Aspen Highlands 45.1% (proposed)
6 Mineral Basin Expr Snowbird 44.9%
7 Gold Hill Telluride 44.3%
8 Oak Street Telluride 42.7%
9 Chair 23 Mammoth 42.6%
10 Coonskin Telluride 42.4%
11 Pathfinder Norquay 42.2%
12 Apex Telluride 42.0%
13 Little Cloud Snowbird 40.3%

Any other North American steep lifts out there?

[edmontonguy]

3 C-5 Mt Baker 52.5 %
4 Olympic Express Grouse Mountain 45.9%
10 Ptarmigan LakeLouise 44.1%

If my calculations are correct

This post has been edited by edmontonguy: 16 January 2005 - 12:41 AM

[edmontonguy]

Does anyone know off hand how fast an early eighties doppelmayr triple or double travels at?

Peak Express Whistler 43.1%

This post has been edited by edmontonguy: 16 January 2005 - 10:43 AM

[SkiBachelor]

Quote

Does anyone know off hand how fast an early eighties doppelmayr triple or double travels at?

It all depends on the resort on how fast they want the lift to travel at. It's not like one lift manufacturer is faster than the other, even though it may seem like that. Looking at all the lift surveys I have put together, I have seen a lot of Doppelmayr's have a slower line speed than the other lift manufacturers, but then there have been some that do travel up to 450 fpm or faster. So you can't really tell how fast an older Doppelmayr double/ triple goes unless knowing its line speed. I guess you could just pick one like 450 fpm or so.

[KZ]

Those doppelmayr doubles/triples i've ridden seem to go quite a bit slower then yan's or riblets or ctec's. Im guessing those from the 70's run 425 fpm or so, or at least at squaw. Mott double at heavenly is also pretty slow, especially for a double chair.

[edmontonguy]

Thanks for the advice and i understand what you mean. I only have the vertical and ride length in minutes of several of these triples and double so ii was trying to guage lift slope. Most of these run pretty fast though i'll have to look into it.

[edmontonguy]

Lift #1 @ Taos A poma Quad is really steep at 48.6%
Olympic Tram @ snowbasin is 48.8%

Does anyone have more stats on the Silverton Mountain lift? All i have found is it serves 1900 Vt feet and the lift line varies from 30-40 degrees but from the looks of the line i wouldn't doubt if this lift is one of the steepest in North America. Some rough calculations using the minimum slope i've seen sighted is 57.7% which in other words is insanely steep! A picture of the lift line

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This post has been edited by edmontonguy: 25 January 2005 - 12:06 AM