35 replies to this topic

[highspeedquad]

What's your opinion on gondolas, all types. Personally, I love them. I just like being able to know that I can open my ski map without my poles, gloves, or map flying to the ground. The only thing I wouldn't like is the fact that I have to take of my skis.

[SkiBachelor]

I feel the same way. However, I don't mind if the gondola is long, but if it's short, that tends to airitate me having to take off and put on my skis all the time.

[poloxskier]

Unless its a wickedly cold and miserable day or im not skiing I hate them and I go out of my way to not ride them. But if its a bad day I'll ride them and if I going somewhere on it for transportation(ie t-ride, keytones resturant access or new breck gondi).

[crazyskier91]

I hate gondi's in colorado because it is usually not freezing, however in the east where I had to ski in 10 below a gondola is my best freind.

[poloxskier]

I would agree with that since its usualy fairly good weather in most of colorado but at Breckenfridge somtimes a gondola would be nice.
But if its cold its usualy windy too so a gondola would probably be closed.

This post has been edited by poloxskier: 02 February 2005 - 09:52 AM

[highspeedquad]

I don't like short ones either, and I would definitely ride them if not skiing.

[calgaryguy]

crazyskier91, you think ten below is cold??? Here in Calgary, it can get down to -50 with windchill!!!

[Durrrant]

I perfer chairs unless its either raining or freezing. I dislike gondolas and despise trams for the same reason: I hate taking off my skis and waddleing around in my boots. trams where you have to walk up steeps are the worst. I stand/sit in the tram/gondi and just feel the warmth and muscle looseness being sucked out of my body. its like eating lunch before every run.

all of that said tho, on those classic east coast days, they are a godsend.

[edmontonguy]

Personaly i love gondolas if they diliver a great variety of runs. Genrally if the ride time up is shorter than it takes to come down a gondola is very welcome. For example the Golden Eagle at kicking horse would be a brutal chair ride but the gondola is a nice way to enclose the skiier and give them a chance to rest while speeding up the mountian. Gondolas with under 500 m of vertical are unessesary as most HSQs travel this in a short time and do not need the removal of skis.

[floridaskier]

I don't like having to take off my skis, but it can be a fun ride once in a while. I like terminals inside buildings

[poloxskier]

Durrrant, on Feb 2 2005, 07:56 PM, said:

I perfer chairs unless its either raining or freezing. I dislike gondolas and despise trams for the same reason: I hate taking off my skis and waddleing around in my boots. trams where you have to walk up steeps are the worst.  I stand/sit in the tram/gondi and just feel the warmth and muscle looseness being sucked out of my body. its like eating lunch before every run.

all of that said tho, on those classic east coast days, they are a godsend.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The absolute worst gondola was the old Vail gondola. 45min- 1hr 30min wait (at busy times) in ski boots and a huge stair case to walk up to board.

[highspeedquad]

I like the outdoor stations if that makes tham a lot easier to access, but if it's in a building then there is a good chance that you can see mare of how it works. You usually don't get that from an outdoor station. If your don't know what I'm talking about, see http://www.pomagroup.com/gondola.htm. You should find some better examples at http://www.pomagroup.com/Gondola%20prop%20...)!!.htm. They show outdoor stations. My guess is that most new stations will be outdoors.

This post has been edited by highspeedquad: 02 February 2005 - 06:39 PM

[snowboardguy]

Gondis suck! I hate taking my stuff off. Then going up.

[orangegondola]

being an easterner with a fear of manmade heights, I love them. Plus the lighter doesn't blow out

[highspeedquad]

Good one, orangegondola. they really are good if you are going really high and have a fear of Heights, because you don't typically look down.

[Kicking Horse]

it depends on my mood........

[liftmech]

I don't really have an opinion either way. For a long ride they're pretty nice as your legs don't fall asleep. When Whistler's Village base opened up it must have sucked to ride the Village, Olympic, Black, and then either the Big Red or Green chairs to reach the top.

[KZ]

Well i say it depends. I really dont like long gondola's, same with short ones. I think they only one I like is the funitel at squaw just because it goes 8000 feet in 6 minutes and gets you up on the mountain really quick and if you want to just ride the mountain run you can make quick laps. I do not like taking off my gear and squeezing in with a bunch of people, so gondola's like Mammoth's I dont like at all. The worst has to be Heavenly's though. It is like 3 miles long, so that 15-17 minutes and if you arent in the mood to spend $12 on a burger and have to go down to your car it ends up being an hour off your day just sitting on it.

[poloxskier]

Keystone's is Horrible too the 6 passenger CWA cabins are really small and not all the racks for skis and boards are updated to accept wide tail skis and some will ony accept two boards so when youre the only skier riding with 5 boarders there are three boards in the cabin and it leads to lots of equipment in little space. Their plastic seats are really uncomfortable too. Probably the most comfortable gondola I have been on was the new Vail gondola, nice padded seats, suposedly heat and theres sometimes music. I also heard that when Vail bought cabins they bought 15 pass. but outfitted them to only hold 12 so they have more room than any other I have ridden.

[crazyskier91]

I like gondolas when skiing in New England because of the freezing temperatures, while maybe not as extreme as canada, are still cold. I hate the whistler village gondola because there are no seats for a 20 minute ride.