35 replies to this topic

[WBSKI]

Quote

Please be advised that as of Monday April 4, we will be conducting our annual servicing of the Red Skyride and will be operating our Blue Skyride for a few weeks. The Blue Skyide will be departing from our valley station every 15 minutes.

Well if you guys want to ride it! There you go!

Check this page for updates. http://www.grousemou....com/report.cfm

[Whistler]

I'm Going Tommorrow!! I'll get some pictures!

[Whistler]

Ok it's 11:45 and I just got home from Grouse Mountain. My advice to anyone else thinking of going just to ride the Voest Blue Tram...DON'T! It's not worth the two hour wait (coming up and down)...and it's Monday, technically the least busiest day of the week, so I can only imagine the horrible line-ups that we will see come the weekend. Actually. when you get up skiing, there is no line-ups for the chairlifts, but because the tram is the only way up and down Grouse Mountain (45 person tram, departing every fifteen minutes), my advice would be just to stay home. I also overheard a couple of Skyride operators taking about how they "fried the motor" on the Red Tram because of excess use, and that it would be at least three weeks before a new one arrives from Switzerland...interesting. Another "joyous" moment today was when some leaned against the Emergency stop button and it took another 20 minutes to get the tram up and running again. I also took several pictures; i'll post them tommorrow . Here's what I got pics of:

-Blue Skyride terminal
-Blue Skyride leaving station
-Blue Skyride travelling up the mountain
-Olympic Express Bottom and top terminal
-Some old Mueller Towers from the former Inferno Chair
-Former unload station for the Peak Chair
-Load station for Peak Chair
-Screaming Eagle top/bottom terminal
-And, I also got a few pics of the Screaming Eagle Midstation.

[Kicking Horse]

Whistler, on Apr 5 2005, 12:50 AM, said:

Ok it's 11:45 and I just got home from Grouse Mountain. My advice to anyone else thinking of going just to ride the Voest Blue Tram...DON'T! It's not worth the two hour wait (coming up and down)...and it's Monday, technically the least busiest day of the week, so I can only imagine the horrible line-ups that we will see come the weekend. Actually. when you get up skiing, there is no line-ups for the chairlifts, but because the tram is the only way up and down Grouse Mountain (45 person tram, departing every fifteen minutes), my advice would be just to stay home. I also overheard a couple of Skyride operators taking about how they "fried the motor" on the Red Tram because of excess use, and that it would be at least three weeks before a new one arrives from Switzerland...interesting. Another "joyous" moment today was when some  leaned against the Emergency stop button and it took another 20 minutes to get the tram up and running again. I also took several pictures; i'll post them tommorrow . Here's what I got pics of:

-Blue Skyride terminal
-Blue Skyride leaving station
-Blue Skyride travelling up the mountain
-Olympic Express Bottom and top terminal
-Some old Mueller Towers from the former Inferno Chair
-Former unload station for the Peak Chair
-Load station for Peak Chair
-Screaming Eagle top/bottom terminal
-And, I also got a few pics of the Screaming Eagle Midstation.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

sounds fun :)

[Whistler]

The snow was perfect, but the wait just wasn't worth it. :)

[Duck]

Interesting layout! So you have to take that large ropeway up to the top, and back down?

Blue and red run parallel for presumably this very purpose (maintenance on either)?

-Iain

[SkiBachelor]

Screaming Eagle has a mid station?

[Whistler]

Yes, it's not a detachable station, the cable is lowered to a set of sheaves near the base of a tower. This happens when there is not enough snow on the lower part of the run that the Screaming Eagle serves. When this happens, the lift is run at FG speed.

[Whistler]

Duck, on Apr 5 2005, 04:19 AM, said:

Interesting layout!  So you have to take that large ropeway up to the top, and back down?

Blue and red run parallel for presumably this very purpose (maintenance on either)?

-Iain
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, (unless you hike, and there is a trail) there is also a logging road in which they transport large equipment but for aside from that, that's the only way up or down Grouse Mountain. They have two cable car systems because the blue one (1966) quickly became too small with its 45 person capacity and a larger one was needed. In 1976, the current red one opened and the Blue one is now used full time to transport supplies, and in the current situation, releive the red tram when it is out for maintenance.

[WBSKI]

I never knew about the mid-station! Ive noticed that before and wondered what it was for, I think they had it on the old Cut Chair, not sure though. In your opinion what was better, having the Peak, Inferno, Blueberry chairs or having the Olympic Chair? Just curious.

[liftmech]

Whistler, on Apr 5 2005, 03:26 PM, said:

Yes, it's not a detachable station, the cable is lowered to a set of sheaves near the base of a tower. This happens when there is not enough snow on the lower part of the run that the Screaming Eagle serves. When this happens, the lift is run at FG speed.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting station. The first time Lizz and I rode the Eagle was maybe two weeks after it opened and it had no snow at the bottom. So, we loaded at the midstation and did partial laps that way. Terminal speed seemed to take forever.

Rumour has it one of the trams will be replaced soon, don't know which one but I assume it would be the Blue. That way, Grouse could upgrade the capacity and avoid the kind of mess you guys are talking about.

[Whistler]

WBSKI, on Apr 5 2005, 06:42 PM, said:

I never knew about the mid-station! Ive noticed that before and wondered what it was for, I think they had it on the old Cut Chair, not sure though. In your opinion what was better, having the Peak, Inferno, Blueberry chairs or having the Olympic Chair? Just curious.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I ALWAYS complain about the fact (and so does everyone i know that skies there) that the Blueberry/Peak/Inferno chairs were removed. I think that they should of at least kept the Blueberry chair, because now if you want to ski down the Blueberry bowl, you have no choice but to ski down the peak...kinda sucks. But rom what I hear, Grouse is planning to pust some sort of lift to replace Blueberry in the near future.

[Whistler]

liftmech, on Apr 5 2005, 06:56 PM, said:

Interesting station. The first time Lizz and I rode the Eagle was maybe two weeks after it opened and it had no snow at the bottom. So, we loaded at the midstation and did partial laps that way. Terminal speed seemed to take forever.

Rumour has it one of the trams will be replaced soon, don't know which one but I assume it would be the Blue. That way, Grouse could upgrade the capacity and avoid the kind of mess you guys are talking about.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I highly doubt that a new tram would be put in the current location of the Blue Tram, because the Blue Tram goes right into the Cafeteria of the Chalet, and because of the cliff, there would be no place to put an accomidating enough loading station. I have heard rumours that Grouse is planning to get new, larger, cabins for the Red tram, just like Squaw did.

*Sorry about the deley for the pics...I just have to wait until my dad comes home, Because I don't know where the USB cable is.

This post has been edited by Whistler: 05 April 2005 - 07:40 PM

[liftmech]

Right, but do you suppose a new one may be put up to the left of the Red tram, looking up? I can't remember if that's Crown land over there or Vancouver Municipal property.

[Whistler]

Yes, that land to the left belongs to the GVRD. Another issue is that there is a huge rock/cliff type thing off to the left.

[WBSKI]

Yes, I agree on your opinion about the Blueberry/Inferno/Peak thing. Intresting! A lot of things I didnt know! Excellent new free satellite service, http://maps.google.com/ click on Satellite in the top right corner, go to the spot of your choice, you can see the Local Mountains in hi-res satellite photos.

This post has been edited by WBSKI: 10 April 2005 - 09:46 AM

[KZ]

Squaw didnt put on bigger cabins, in fact the new ones in 98 hold 10 less people at 100+1 with the originals being 110+1.

Grouse could always put in new larger cabins on the red skyride with some movable platforms as is often done in europe.

[Whistler]

I should get the point accross that The Red Tram isn't strapped for capacity, in fact there isn't usually that long of a wait (maybe 10 min) on weekends...it's just because the slower Blue Tram is in operation right now. (8 minutes at its fastest service speed while the Red Tram is just 4), and it takes just under half the people of the Red Tram.

[Whistler]

KZ, on Apr 6 2005, 06:42 PM, said:

Squaw didnt put on bigger cabins, in fact the new ones in 98 hold 10 less people at 100+1 with the originals being 110+1.

Grouse could always put in new larger cabins on the red skyride with some movable platforms as is often done in europe.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://skilifts.org/images/resort_images/c...y/tram/tram.htm

So the information there is for the old cabins?

[KZ]

My bad, brain fart earlier. The old cabins were 125+1 and the new are 110+1 so a 15 person per cabin loss. I think the cabins are actaully the same size and in fact the new ones may be larger but with the funitel opening in 98 the tram could have a slightly lower capicity and still run with no issues.