74 replies to this topic

[edmontonguy]

In the Canadian Rockies: (haven't payed much attention to this topic so if it's been mentioned elsewhere just disregard my comment)

Marmot Basin: The mountain is spending a great deal of money to install snowmaking on the lower half of the mountain to give it a better chance at opening early.

Silver Star: the new Silver Woods HSQ is going in this summer, the summit chair is no longer running summer bike lifts but hopefully won't be removed as it is in such amazing shape.

Fortress: With any luck she may live to see another season otherwise it's likely fortress will become the first major resort to become lost in the Albera Rockies

[CAski]

There is an article in the Tahoe World about the Sherwood chair.

Alpine upgrades Sherwood lift

Don't ask me why it is under the Sports section.

Quote

Alpine upgrades Sherwood lift

Megan Michelson, mmichelson@tahoe-world.com
May 18, 2005


In the time it takes to ride Sherwood Chairlift on the back side of Alpine Meadows, you could drive from Tahoe City to Kings Beach on a crowded summer day. The slow, triple chairlift that climbs that back bowl of the ski resort has long been known for its leisurely pace - a chance to rest your legs for another lap over High Traverse. But starting next season, that's all going to change.

After years of planning, Alpine Meadows announced last week that they are installing a high-speed quad on Sherwood chair this summer. And that's not all that's changing at the mountain. They're dropping season pass prices and once again luring in young skiers and riders with a pocket-friendly young adult pass.

The mountain, which markets itself as a laid-back, affordable place resistant to development, is making significant changes for the first time in a long time.

"It's kind of a big deal," Alpine Meadows' spokesperson Rachael Woods said. "We're really looking to make some positive directional moves."

Currently, there's only one high speed six person chair and one express quad on the mountain - the rest are triple and double chairlifts. So a new high speed quad is, as Woods calls it, a big deal. The last chairlift changes at the mountain include the Hotwheels triple chair, which replaced the Weasel double chair in 1998, and the Summit Six, which upgraded from a quad in 1996.

Since then, the mountain has been known more for its reluctance to change than anything else.

A new Doppplemayr C-TEC high speed, detachable quad will take the place of the existing fixed grip triple chair at Sherwood. Lift construction and installation will begin once the mountain closes for the season on May 30. The new chair, called Sherwood Express, is expected to be open for operation by the 2005-06 ski season.

The new chairlift will have the same length and orientation as the existing lift, but a new speed, one that travels more than twice as fast as the current triple.

"It's a better way to move people around faster," Alpine Meadows' Marketing and Information Technology Manager Bob Starks said. "It tends to get a little congested back there, so this should give people a better experience."

Another change the mountain announced last week was a reduction in early season pass prices for the 2005-06 ski season.

Adult full season passes bought before Sept. 30 will cost $759, down $180 from this season. An adult midweek pass will be $399 and a midweek including Sundays pass will be $549. Passes can be purchased now at Alpine Meadows and online starting June 1.

The $99 spring pass offered toward the end of this season can be used to purchase a full season pass for next year.

Prices for the young adult pass, which is being offered for the third season, are also changing.

This year, a full season young adult pass cost $199 for skiers and riders between the ages of 19 and 22. Next year, the same pass will be offered for skiers between 19 and 23 years old for $399 for full season or $199 for midweek.

"It's nice to have that young vibe at the resort," Woods said. "It's great to see people who are so excited to be there - it's contagious."

Woods said next season's pass prices should please both the resort and its customers.

"It's maintaining that balance point and making sure that both Alpine and longtime passholders benefit," she said. "I think we've done the best we can to meet both needs."

So they are going to leave it at the same line... I would have preferred an orientation angled so it goes a bit higher up the hill, to the top of the bald knob currently to the left of the lift. However, I can see how just upgrading it in its current alignment is more consistant with Alpine's philosophy.

[SkiBachelor]

I read that same article earlier today. It's funny how no one can spell Doppelmayr correctly.

Moonlight Basin, MT is installing a surface lift this summer that will access terrain that was only accesible by hiking. I presume it will start from the top of the six-shooter up to the shoots.

[lastchair_44]

formerliftforeman, on Apr 30 2005, 07:02 PM, said:

Triangle trees ends at the summer  road that leaves the current bottom of Sultan. The area below has yet to be named. That summer road runs  from Wasatch( you see the end/ start on the last pitch of Reward)
A green run  now means more low level skiers in the way  on the runs off Sultan,,, this sucks. Long gone are the days of bombing down Perserverance are gone.:( for ever
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well actually my friend...we are going to fill in the existing "summer road" that goes to the bottom of the existing Sultan and even further to the bottom of Mayflower. So "Triangle Trees" will go all the way down as Floridaskier stated....great skiing in there! Did I say that out loud?

[KZ]

I understand why alpine isnt going to a higher point. When I was at Alpine on Sunday I was wondering the same thing, and I believe they will keep it the same to keep parts of the Sherwood bowls harder to access and High Traverse will keep its value and tradition. It keeps the snow better longer and if you really want it you have to work for it. It sure will help those long mid-season weekend lines back there.

[CAski]

Truly, the way Alpine works, with relatively few lifts compared to the size of its terrain, makes it the prettiest resort in the Tahoe basin, in my opinion.

[liftmech]

SkiBachelor, on May 19 2005, 06:41 PM, said:

I read that same article earlier today. It's funny how no one can spell Doppelmayr correctly.

Moonlight Basin, MT is installing a surface lift this summer that will access terrain that was only accesible by hiking. I presume it will start from the top of the six-shooter up to the shoots.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry, Cameron, but I had to

Copper Mountain- Out- Stinger (our tube tow). In- another carpet. Also going in- still another carpet from the bottom of C-1 down to the bus stop to extend the learning area and give better access to the Green Acres area from the parking lot.

[barnstormer]

Quechee in Vermont is removing 1971 Poma double to install a Dopp-CTEC fixed-grip quad. I hear the old Poma is going to Colorado somewhere. Anyone know where?

[NoPainNoJane]

I've read that Moonlight actually won't be installing the surface lift. Engineering determined that there isn't enough space to safely unload from a surface lift, so they are going to install a double chair, capacity in the area of 60 pph.

This post has been edited by NoPainNoJane: 20 May 2005 - 09:09 AM

[Powdr]

CAski, on May 19 2005, 09:50 PM, said:

Truly, the way Alpine works, with relatively few lifts compared to the size of its terrain, makes it the prettiest resort in the Tahoe basin, in my opinion.

Huh? I always thought Alpine put waaay too many lifts in the main area for the size of the place. Between Summit, Roundhouse, Weasel (now gone), Alpine Bowl & Hot Wheels, that area is a zoo! The horribly designed lodge doesn't help esthetics either. That being said, I greatly favor it over Squallywood any day. Sugar Bowl, though is by far IMO the best north Tahoe resort.

Powdr

[ZackyJeff]

Hunter Mountain is still holding the construction for a HSQ for the West Side. A Much-Needed thing. Park City should think of replacing the Pioneer or Motherlode Lifts-especially Motherlode. It takes about 10 min. to ride it.

[CAski]

Powdr, on May 20 2005, 09:14 AM, said:

Huh? I always thought Alpine put waaay too many lifts in the main area for the size of the place. Between Summit, Roundhouse, Weasel (now gone), Alpine Bowl & Hot Wheels, that area is a zoo! The horribly designed lodge doesn't help esthetics either. That being said, I greatly favor it over Squallywood any day. Sugar Bowl, though is by far IMO the best north Tahoe resort.

Powdr
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That could be true... if it weren't for Squaw, Alpine might seem oversupplied with lifts. However, I must admit, I do not spend much time in the areas that do have the huge quantities of lifts.

I definitely agree that Kangaroo, Alpine Bowl, Yellow, Tiegel, and Meadow tend to crowd the place a bit more than necessary.

[vons]

I hiked half way up ski santa fe to day here are some pictures of the Millennium chair's lift line. The Millennium Chair specs are 1400vert by a little over 5000 long the surveyor said there are 28 towers seems like too many to me but I haven't seen the plot he has pic 1 base of lift up pic 2 mid down. The pictures are deceptive, this lift is very steep. The lift climbs up in series of steps i.e flat then very steep then flat etc. The lift will be a Alpha bottom drive tension. The top return station components where hauled up by cat just after the line cut was completed and they plan on having the concrete in place and ready for steel by the end of next week.

[yetigonecrazy]

crested butte tore out the t-bar at the bottom, a new FGQ will be going up this summer. plans say itll probably stretch from the base area (the new exclusive condos of West Wall Lodge) to about the Twister lift area....hush hush word on the street is they want to reuse the t-bar somewhere in the extremes, possinly eliminating the hike out of Teocalli Bowl....

[floridaskier]

Skiutah - Do you think you'd be able to get some pics of the construction on Sultan this summer? Also, is it going to have a turn like Silver Strike does? Seems to be coming along alot faster than Silver Strike was last year, I was there in July and they had only moved some dirt around for both new lifts. I hope it's open for opening day

[mcjones55]

A K-Max Aerial Truck was up at DV this week removing the old sultan towers and 6 tower snow guns off of KYD. That is an amazing machine. Looking online at http://www.markusherzig.com/kmax/ it looks like the K-max was N313KA operated by Rainier Helicopters. It's hard to miss with that rainbow paint. The K-max is rated for 3 tons at sea level, how much does a tower weigh? I guess sultans are lighter than a new tower as it doesn't have a lifting frame or catwalk.

[floridaskier]

Are they not reusing the Sultan towers, or are they bringing them down to the parking lot to add new crossarms and lifting frames? They need a few new towers for the extension

They need a helicopter to remove snow guns?

[mcjones55]

They are moving the lift line to skiers right a bit so it will now cross finis. the top terminal will be in the same location they are just swinging the line over. As for reusing the towers, they are original to DV 1981 and were cemented in place not bolted to a foundation, i would think it would be easier to start fresh. With the snowguns on Know You Don't, it's really steep, they are big fan guns, and they are no longer needed on KYD, they were installed per SLOC for 2002 to run the slalom, and KYD is so steep the only races that we can host per FIS are the olympics and world cups. DV just isn't in the alpine racing game anymore. I'm guessing that they will either sell the guns or relocate them. For now they are in the bottom parking lot.

[liftmech]

Some food for thought about the towers:
If the tubes are in good shape there is no reason not to reuse them. It would be easy to weld on the base plate to bolt the tower back down, and widening the crossarm isn't that difficult either.