Jump to content


Utah 2004 Lift Construction


80 replies to this topic

#1 Powdr

    Established User

  • Member
  • 204 Posts:

Posted 21 April 2004 - 01:12 PM

OK, so far I know of:


For Sure:
2 new lifts @ Deer Valley (Daly Chutes area)
1 new HSQ w/angle station @ Alta (replaces Wilcat & Germania)

Possibly:
HSQ replacing Town Chair @ PCMR (private development, subject to city approval)
HSQ up Spiro Tunnel area @ PCMR (also private annexation project, subject to city approval)

Anyone heard about others?

Powdr

#2 iceberg210

    Bald Eagle Lifts: Defying Gravity

  • Administrator II
  • 1,078 Posts:
  • Interests:42

Posted 21 April 2004 - 02:27 PM

Well I interviewed Mr Bob Bonar CEO of Snowbird for this report I'm doing and it looks like the Little Cloud replacement lift is going to be held off a year but other than that and a very faint rumour of a Solitude lift I really haven't heard anything.
Erik Berg
Bald Eagle Lifts: Defying Gravity
http://www.baldeaglelifts.com

#3 orangegondola

    Established User

  • Industry II
  • 108 Posts:

Posted 21 April 2004 - 08:11 PM

According to alta's site it will replace the collins and germainia with wildcat loading station being moved up hill two towers

#4 floridaskier

    Established User

  • Administrator I
  • 2,814 Posts:

Posted 22 April 2004 - 11:43 AM

I heard that at DV, one of the lifts was going to replace Sultan and start a little lower down on the hill, and that the other one was going to go in Empire Canyon.

At PCMR, where,s the Spiro Tunnel area? is that over by McConkey's?
That would be really cool to have an HSQ for Town lift. Maybe they could put in lattice towers to look like the ones from the old mining tram that are still there
- Tyler
West Palm Beach, FL - elev. 9 feet

#5 Powdr

    Established User

  • Member
  • 204 Posts:

Posted 22 April 2004 - 01:35 PM

floridaskier, on Apr 22 2004, 11:43 AM, said:

I heard that at DV, one of the lifts was going to replace Sultan and start a little lower down on the hill, and that the other one was going to go in Empire Canyon.

At PCMR, where,s the Spiro Tunnel area? is that over by McConkey's?
That would be really cool to have an HSQ for Town lift. Maybe they could put in lattice towers to look like the ones from the old mining tram that are still there

There are two projects, from what I've heard:

Sprio Tunnel is on the right flank of the Eagle Race Arena. The lift (HSQ) would run from the old Spiro Tunnel & water works area and connect with the King Con area, near Temptation. If you look closely, there already is a cut run (long since abandoned) in this area, from the old days when you could ride the mine train to the Thyanes area. In fact, the lift base would be at the entrance to the mine. This is a private development project that would include condos/work space where the mine buildings are. Park City government will vote soon on whether to annex the land and ok the development. Since the buildings will inlcude low income housing and artist-in-residence studios, it has a good chance of passing muster. I don't know about financing, which always seems to be the final hurdle on whether a project goes or not.

The Town Lift project is another private project, proposed by the Sweeney Bros, who own the land at the base of the Town lift and up into Creole Gulch. They propose a funicular from the current Town Lift lower terminal up to Creole Gulch, where they want to build luxury condos/homes. From there, they want a HSQ replacing the current Town Lift line. Appearantly, they have vested rights and the City can not stop the development.

Personal comment: These projects marks the first time that PCMR will have real ski/ski out homesites along the ski runs (exception are the Snow Flower Condos at Three Kings). All the other resorts in the PC area have this, and I always liked the fact that PCMR stuck to skiing, not real estate. Skiing DV often feels like sking amoung other peoples houses. Since PCMR does not actually control these projects, there is little they can do anyway.

I also think the Town Lift project uses the wrong lift alignment. This is an under-utilized area as it is, due to the tortuous ski path and long lift out. To increase usuage, riding the lift needs to be as simple/easy as possible. One lift all the way would be better, not two. In addition, the current top 1/3 of the Town Lift is a complete waste, traversive accross the mountain without gaining any height. It should have alway ended (or at least have a midway station) at the point where it enters the Payday run area. I hope they at least get that part right this time.

I also wonder about the 'we will put in a lift if you approve this project' mentality that third party developers currently use in the PC area (DV's Jordonelle Gondola & Deer Crest are done that way). It seems to me that these projects only result in marginal terrain additions, surrounded by luxury houses. Real terrain expansion should occur elsewhere (furhter up the mountain where the snow is much better). At least The Canyons has one thing figured out: the second half of the mountains in the PC area are MUCH better for skiing (Alta/Snowbird like) than the lower half.

As for an old style look to the new lifts, that would be cool!

Powdr

#6 SkiBachelor

    Forum Administrator

  • Administrator II
  • 6,242 Posts:
  • Interests:Hi, I'm Cameron!

Posted 22 April 2004 - 01:59 PM

Isn't Park City already flocked with new home lots for sale? Take a look at the Canyons, I wonder when the last time it sold a home lot. The Canyons probably dumped $120 million to build those access roads and put a sewer system up there and no one is buying the lots. But then again, ASC isn't that well off so who would really want to buy a home there. Deer Valley has been pretty successful, but the Deer Crest area doesn't look like it's growing at all. With three big destination resorts selling home lots, this could really affect these developers & ski resorts in that matter, especially when the economy is down. :(
- Cameron

#7 Powdr

    Established User

  • Member
  • 204 Posts:

Posted 22 April 2004 - 02:08 PM

Acually, the reports (according to the local paper & radio station) show that real estate sales were at a record in 2003. A late surge surpassed all years prior. Buildable lots in Park City town (not the county where ASC is) are all but built out. Only new development is where the developers create new lots (the pod developments mentioned in my post above). Growth continues unabated.

Powdr

#8 liftmech

    lift mechanic

  • Administrator II
  • 5,916 Posts:
  • Interests:Many.

Posted 24 April 2004 - 08:26 AM

It's tough to strike a balance between skiing and real estate at a resort. First you build the ski area (in most cases), then you sell condos and houses to bring in additional revenue, then you need to expand and improve the ski area because of the (hopefully) large influx of homeowners. We've got that issue on the far west of the area, where the Lewis Ranch Estates have sold for $750,000 a lot and two $2 million homes have been built. The estates have stalled, we think, because although they're ski in/ski out, they're served by an old, slow triple lift instead of a detachable (L-lift, 1981 Poma). But do we really need a detachable out there? That's one of the problems many resorts face.
Growth does continue unabated. According to the Summit Daily yesterday, Frisco is 98% built out. The rest of Summit county is maybe 7-10 years from buildout. Then what?
Member, Department of Ancient Technology, Colorado chapter.

#9 KZ

    Multipurpose Machine

  • Industry II
  • 2,087 Posts:
  • Interests:Howdy folks, Im Zack and I live in California.

Posted 24 April 2004 - 12:20 PM

Rebuilding bigger buildings probably. Thats the way it goes these days.
Zack

#10 palindrome

    Established User

  • Member
  • 32 Posts:

Posted 24 April 2004 - 07:20 PM

Or they get rid of free parking, build parking garages and charge you $20.00 a day.

#11 Kicking Horse

    Established User

  • Industry I
  • 3,071 Posts:
  • Interests:Chairlifts

Posted 24 April 2004 - 07:34 PM

liftmech,

they really do need to do something with k and L @ copper

:offtopic:

is that new lift going in this summer over in that area
back on topic now
Jeff

#12 SkiBachelor

    Forum Administrator

  • Administrator II
  • 6,242 Posts:
  • Interests:Hi, I'm Cameron!

Posted 03 May 2004 - 10:36 PM

Well, Laschair_44 and I have been keeping this a secret for a while from the rest of you, but since it has been made public, the high-speed quad that Deer Valley is installing will be going up to Flagstaff and not where you guys were originally thinking. This article also talks about a few more lift installations from around the United States.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...walt.3c0c2.html
- Cameron

#13 floridaskier

    Established User

  • Administrator I
  • 2,814 Posts:

Posted 15 May 2004 - 05:08 AM

I finally got an answer today, and yes , the HSQ will be going up Flagstaff instead of Sultan, like I and others thought. So maybe Sultan will go in next year? Read on:

Dear Tyler,
Deer Valley Resort is installing two new lifts. The first will be called
Silver Strike, a detachable high speed quad. It will be located on
Flagstaff Mountain. It will be centered between Red Cloud and Northside,
with the top of the lift by the Northside Express and the bottom of the lift
will extend to the old guard road. With this lift there will be 2 to 3 new
runs and access the new Flagstaff development area. It will be 5,800 ft
long, a 990 ft rise and up load 2400 people per hour.

The second will be called Judge, a triple. It will be located in between
Quincy and Viking. With the base at Quincy and the top at the intersection
of Homeward bound and Birdseye. It will be 700 ft long, 200 ft rise and up
load 1800 people per hour.

Please let me know if I could help out with anything else.

Carolyn

Carolyn Owens
Marketing Assistant
Deer Valley Resort
Tel. 435.645.6512
Fax. 435.645.6939
carolyn@deervalley.com
www.deervalley.com
- Tyler
West Palm Beach, FL - elev. 9 feet

#14 floridaskier

    Established User

  • Administrator I
  • 2,814 Posts:

Posted 15 May 2004 - 05:09 AM

You need to register to go to the Dallas Morning News site. Could you post the article, Cameron?
- Tyler
West Palm Beach, FL - elev. 9 feet

#15 KZ

    Multipurpose Machine

  • Industry II
  • 2,087 Posts:
  • Interests:Howdy folks, Im Zack and I live in California.

Posted 15 May 2004 - 04:48 PM

Wow, what a reply from deer valley. Too bad no one else has pr or marketing that nice and helpful.
Zack

#16 SkiBachelor

    Forum Administrator

  • Administrator II
  • 6,242 Posts:
  • Interests:Hi, I'm Cameron!

Posted 15 May 2004 - 05:05 PM

Quote

Resorts planning new lifts and other major improvements

06:19 PM CST on Friday, April 2, 2004


By WALT ROESSING / Special contributor to The Dallas Morning News



Among resorts planning or still evaluating new lift and other facilities for the 2004-05 season are Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Crested Butte, Colo.; Alta, Deer Valley and Solitude, Utah; Tamarack, Idaho; and Heavenly, Calif.

Tamarack, a two-hour drive north of Boise, will open its first alpine season with five lifts. Until now, this projected four-season resort had featured only snowcat tours, 30 kilometers of cross-country terrain and 10-k of snowshoe trails.

"We'll have two high-speed detachable quad chairlifts ready to go next season. They'll include Tamarack Express, with a 2,000-foot vertical rise that will transport passengers to mid-mountain, and Summit Express, with an 800-foot vertical that'll take everyone to our peak at 7,700 feet," said the resort's Steve Stuebner. Also ready will be a terrain park and three surface lifts.

"There's much more," added Mr. Stuebner. "Tamarack's new Pioneer Village at the mountain's base area will open with a 4,500-square-foot day lodge, ski school and ski patrol buildings, and medical clinic. There will be a 2 ½ -acre area for snowplay and sledding." Lodging will be limited, however, to rental units in cottages and chalets at Tamarack and to hotels and other accommodations in the nearby towns of McCall and Cascade. The first Tamarack-based hotel is due to open in summer 2005.

In neighboring Utah, Alta is expected to replace its existing Collins double and Germania triple chairs with a high-speed quad. That'll shift the lift complement to two detachable quads, two triples, three doubles and five surface tows. As a reminder, Alta is one of three major Western areas – together with Deer Valley and Taos Ski Valley – that don't permit snowboarding.

Deer Valley is proposing to add two new chairlifts, a high-speed detachable quad and a triple, on Flagstaff Mountain. It will give the resort a gondola and 20 chairs. Other additions: more snowmaking and increased glade skiing.

At Solitude, Jay Burke said, "We're definitely going to make major improvements this summer to Moonbeam Center, the arrival point at our resort, oriented toward the day skier. We're expanding Moonbeam's skier-services center by 8,000 square feet, which will give us a total footage of 12,000." He added, "Though it's tentative, things look real good for replacing the existing Moonbeam triple chair with a high-speed six-passenger or quad chair."

Aspen Skiing Company has announced $10 million in improvements. Major upgrades are a new high-speed quad chairlift replacing the West Buttermilk lift, a new double chair replacing Aspen Mountain's 46-year-old F.I.S. lift and a renovation of Aspen Highlands' Merry-Go-Round restaurant. A study will be launched to determine future lift design and construction of a lift that would open the northeast facing slopes of Aspen Highlands' Deep Temerity terrain.

Crested Butte was to debut its Prospect fixed-grip quad this season but didn't because of construction delays. That lift and four new trails now are pegged for a December opening.

Heavenly's lift upgrade is focused on the California side of its bistate resort. Molly Cuffe reported, "We are proposing to install a new six-passenger detachable chairlift that will replace the Waterfall and Powderbowl lifts," two slow triple chairs dating to 1982. The new lift will provide faster access to the Ridge, Canyon and Sky Express chairlifts. In Nevada, the East Peak mid-mountain day lodge and sundeck will be remodeled.

Some closing dates Tentative Utah closings are April 11, Brian Head, Canyons, Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbasin; April 18, Alta, Solitude; mid-April, Powder Mountain; late April, Brighton; May 31, Snowbird. Tentative Colorado closings: Today, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, Ski Cooper, SolVista, Sunlight, Telluride; April 6, Monarch; April 11, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Snowmass, Steamboat, Winter Park; April 18, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Vail; April 20, Keystone; July 4, Arapahoe Basin.


Short Swings

Who said snowboarding is only for the young? An enthusiastic snowboarder and snowshoer is Sen. John Kerry of Massachussetts ... Snowbird has opened its first Internet Café on level 2 of Snowbird Center. It offers multiple NetWORLD high-speed internet stations and wireless service that extends into the adjacent hallway and Tram line ... Copper Mountain's wackiest spring event will be its 19th annual bikini contest, with male and female contestants of all ages sliding down Main Vein Trail in creative costumes. A party follows the April 18 event.

- Cameron

#17 floridaskier

    Established User

  • Administrator I
  • 2,814 Posts:

Posted 16 May 2004 - 04:51 AM

That makes it sound like DV's Viking lift will stay and not be replaced by this new one, like I was thinking...(20 lifts + gondola after this new one, they have 18 + gondola now)
- Tyler
West Palm Beach, FL - elev. 9 feet

#18 Powdr

    Established User

  • Member
  • 204 Posts:

Posted 17 May 2004 - 08:50 AM

Looks like Alta is already getting started. In the picture below, it looks like they are staging equipment, although I'm not sure why it in the Albion parking lot, which is a mile away from the lower lot, where the new lift will start from.

Powdr

#19 Powdr

    Established User

  • Member
  • 204 Posts:

Posted 17 May 2004 - 08:50 AM

Whoops, pict didn't get added:

Attached File(s)



#20 Powdr

    Established User

  • Member
  • 204 Posts:

Posted 17 May 2004 - 11:20 AM

As for Deer Valley, this comes from SkiExpress News:

Two New Chairs at Deer Valley

Although full details are not yet available, Deer Valley ski area by Park City in Utah, USA has announced that a new detachable quad chair and a new triple chair will be installed at the area over the summer, ready for the ‘04-‘05 season.

Both Doppelmayr/CTEC built and installed lifts; the quad, named Silver Strike will be in the Flagstaff area and will follow a new route and two new trails will be created as a result - their grading is yet to be determined. Silver Strike will transport 2400 skiers per hour at 1,000 feet per minute

The triple, called The Judge will also be on Flagstaff Mountain. This is an access lift which will take guests from the Flagstaff area to Silver Lake Village and will have a capacity of 1800 skiers/hour.

Powdr





1 User(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users