199 replies to this topic

[Bill]

So Crystal is pulling Chair 1 this summer as well? No official words have been received, just the hear-says about the haul rope and chairs from Chair 1.

[Peter]

It now appears the gondola will be called "Mount Rainier Gondola" Might be a bit confusing with 2 lifts named Rainier. I'd be in favor of naming the gondola Rainier Express Gondola and renaming Rex Crystal Mountain Express.

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[Kicking Horse]

Skier, It's not that cofusing......

Look at Snowmass. WE just say Quad and Gondi. No big deal. Does not confuse the guests either.

[Peter]

True, everyone will just call them Rex and the Gondola I have a feeling. People still call High Campbell chair 6 and that's been off the map for at least 15 years.

[Peter]

Some new information:
http://www.skicrysta...ountain/Gondola
Cabins will be red

Statistics:
-Base 4,400 feet
-Top 6,856 feet
-Vertical rise 2,456 feet
-Trip Time 9min 39 sec (approx)
-13 Towers
-18 cabins, with option to add another 18
-Uphill capacity; 450 people per hour, 900 after additional cabins are added
-Cabin interval: 64 seconds, 32 seconds after additional cabins are added
-Speed: 800ft/min.
-Cost: $5.5 million (approx)

What to expect:
-Open earlier and stay open later with skiing in Green Valley
-Gondola offers a warm, dry way to get up the mountain
-Scenic rides will be offered daily during the summer & winter months
-Breakfast, lunch & dinner will be served at the Summit house year-round for anyone, whether on skis or on foot. Learn more about the Summit House below.
-Fresh-tracks breakfast at the Summit House on weekend & holidays during the winter.
-Watch the sun set after skiing for Happy Hour and/or Dinner at the Summit House during the winter.
-Special events, weddings, private parties at the Summit
-The Gondola will serve as a backup when the Rainier Express chair is not able to run due to high winds.
-We plan to expand the size Summit House the Spring/Summer of 2011 to include a bar, additional seating and possibly a private meeting/conference space.
-Eventually we hope to offer mountain biking and ziptreak activites during the summer which will be serviced by the Gondola. Possibly by summer 2012.

[liftmech]

Skier-- I think very few people call the lifts by their names, outside of calling chair 10 REX and chair 11 Midway or Chinook. Crystal's been naming them on the map for years but none of the employees, including the ski reports, are very good at that.

Personally, I wouldn't rename REX as it's been called that for 22 years. Let's not confuse people any further. 'Rainier Express' and 'Mount Rainier Gondola' are different enough that there shouldn't be an issue.

[Bill]

It's in progress... Phase 1:

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[liftmech]

You'd think they could have picked a different spot to put the bottom terminal? There's a historic (at least to Crystal) building going down right there. I spent a lot of money on snacks there.

[Peter]

John, have you heard anything about how skiers will be expected to access the bottom terminal? It would make sense if they removed that roadway up to patrol so skiers could come right down next to the gondola. Patrol probably needs that access, however, so I suspect they will want people to walk down through the stairs in the middle of the plaza. Not exactly ideal. What would really be nice is if that whole base area was demolished and a more thoughtful one put in its place. Anyone know when that poorly laid out complex was built?

[Bill]

liftmech, on 29 April 2010 - 11:39 AM, said:

You'd think they could have picked a different spot to put the bottom terminal? There's a historic (at least to Crystal) building going down right there. I spent a lot of money on snacks there.

I pissed in little cups in the there numerous times too. Bill Steele had his office upstairs and he administered the drug testing, which I always won the daily raffle it seems like.

[liftmech]

Me too, Bill.

Peter-- it seems to me there isn't a thoughtful access plan in place yet. The only thing I can see happening is the shortening or removal of the access to the LPR, letting skiers go directly between the brown bag room and Baugher's office down to the base of the gondi. Patients needing transport would then stay in the toboggan straight off the hill to the ambulance, bypassing the LPR altogether. What will be difficult under that scenario is patients who have gone to the LPR first, and the decision to use the ambulance comes later. Unless there are plans to bridge Silver Creek across from the bottom of 1, but I haven't heard anything like that.

I would have placed the base of the gondi right next to the bottom of Midway (sorry, Chinook) but closer to the lodge to avoid building on the culvert over Silver Creek. I don't work there, though.

[sbwhidbey]

You can ski to the ski school area across the plaza from the old store. It's a short walk accross to where the lift will be. You have to take your skiis off anyway. There is usually snow around the rental shop.

[Peter]

I heard there is a new market/espresso stand going in over there?

[liftmech]

sbwhidbey, on 29 April 2010 - 07:17 PM, said:

You can ski to the ski school area across the plaza from the old store. It's a short walk accross to where the lift will be. You have to take your skiis off anyway. There is usually snow around the rental shop.

True, although if one is using the new lift to do laps, it would require cutting across the maze area in front of Midway, which could be interesting.

When Crystal built its first round of lifts (1, 4, 5, 7), they placed them in odd spots relative to the lodge (anyone remember using the old rope tows to access 4 and 5? Tough when you're six years old). Round two (8, 11) made much more sense. It seems they're regressing a bit with this one:)

[Crystal Coach]

liftmech, on 30 April 2010 - 03:41 AM, said:

True, although if one is using the new lift to do laps, it would require cutting across the maze area in front of Midway, which could be interesting.

When Crystal built its first round of lifts (1, 4, 5, 7), they placed them in odd spots relative to the lodge (anyone remember using the old rope tows to access 4 and 5? Tough when you're six years old). Round two (8, 11) made much more sense. It seems they're regressing a bit with this one:)

Because of the narrow gully-valley at the base, I don't know that they have a lot of options. You have to spread the Cues out, or else it wouldn't be possible to even move at the bottom of the hill on crowded weekends. The hoofing required to get to chair 4 IS a pain occasionally, but I'm wondering if CMACers actually benefit from it. Currently, almost nobody except racers uses that chair. If it were easier to get to (and faster), there would be outcry from the public about racers using so much of the hill... and there would also be more encroachments into the courses there.

[liftmech]

True. I remember giving breaks as the night supervisor and loading CMAC almost exclusively at Quarterway. Anyway

[Peter]

Crystal has been getting snow almost nonstop since closing. Probably the last thing construction crews want. John, any news on the tree cutting? It seems like there wouldn't be that many to cut. Also does anyone know if Crystal crews are doing the work in-house again like with Northway? Boyne doesn't usually have Doppelmayr do a turn-key project, but this is a big one.

[liftmech]

Haven't heard if any felling has started yet. Pa's been working in the area but on another job. There will be a few near the top of Exterminator south of Exterminator Point, but not much else. I don't know if they're doing it in-house; when I talked to them last they were still surveying and nothing was mentioned.

[Peter]

From Kim Kircher on the Crystal Mountain blog:

"Flagged the Gondola line today. Did it in snow shoes, but we should have worn skis. There's still plenty of snow in Green Valley (several feet in places) and no rocks showing through. Surveyors marked the tower locations a few days ago, and now the sawyers can start cutting the line. The bottom terminal will be located where the Market used to sit in the plaza (see photos below). The first six towers will be on Lower Exterminator. Then the next five towers will start along the bottom of Upper Exterminator, then cut into the treed area between Exterminator and Leo's Rock (the cliff on Upper Bull below the dogleg), then finally across the top of Upper Bull and Middle Ferk's. This middle section of the line should even open some hitherto unskiable terrain, which is a nice bonus. Tower 12 will sit on the knoll above Middle Ferk's. Tower 13 will be just to the right of the tree island in Green Valley. Towers 14 and 15 will be on either side of the cat track just below the top of Rex. The top tower will be to the left of the offload area of Rex. Finally, the top terminal will be located slightly uphill of the old radio building on the ridge between the Summit House and the trail map. It's an exciting project and nice to see it come alive"

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[Peter]

I took some pictures at Crystal today of the gondola project:

Bottom terminal area:
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Tower 3 markers looking down, then up with Miner’s Basin right next to it:
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Looking down, then up from the Tower 4 marker which is on the knoll at the bottom of exterminator:
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Looking down, then up from Tower 11, at the top of Iceberg Gulch:
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Tower 12:
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Towers 14 and 15, which are on either side of the road that comes up just below the Rex retaining wall:
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