26 replies to this topic

[Backbowlsbilly]

I don't think we can say what the lifts manufacturer is going to be yet, and you can take the Outpost Gondola back too from North Peak and the Outback.

On a slightly related side note, I was at Copper today and got a chance to ski the Tucker Mountain snowcat terrain, more specifically the Taco chute, which is some unbelievable terrain. There was Copper's "The 12's" logo on all of the trail signs, which made me think about the proposed Tucker Mountain Lift and new cat ski terrain. I know that there is some people from Copper on this site, do you guys have a timetable for that lift or is it pretty far out? I'm sure it would be difficult to build since you have to get all of the parts out there and be closed a lot due to wind, but that will be one of the best lifts in the state for steeps when built.

[DonaldMReif]

The Outpost Gondola could certainly have some additional cabins added to increase its capacity. I'm kind of a fan of the small trail sections proposed with the Argentine Express to make it possible to have a two-lift ride (Argentine Express and Santiago Express) to get to North Peak and the Outback since they will, if they ever get cut, certainly relieve some of the traffic on Mozart (is snowmaking on Diamondback part of the proposals?).

[liftmech]

Backbowlsbilly, on 10 January 2015 - 06:39 PM, said:

On a slightly related side note, I was at Copper today and got a chance to ski the Tucker Mountain snowcat terrain, more specifically the Taco chute, which is some unbelievable terrain. There was Copper's "The 12's" logo on all of the trail signs, which made me think about the proposed Tucker Mountain Lift and new cat ski terrain. I know that there is some people from Copper on this site, do you guys have a timetable for that lift or is it pretty far out? I'm sure it would be difficult to build since you have to get all of the parts out there and be closed a lot due to wind, but that will be one of the best lifts in the state for steeps when built.

No timetable as of yet. I keep hearing 'the next couple of years' but nothing official. I have changed my tune on that lift; I agree with you that it will be a pretty cool addition to our hill. It will quite probably have wind issues, but hopefully we can get an alignment that minimises that.

[liftmech]

Finally skied Keystone a couple of days ago. Not enough to really comment on the plans, except this: if the plan is to add more runs in the Wild Irishman/Paymaster area, why not resurrect the Ida Belle lift? Lapping that pod off Montezuma was a royal pain, what with the crowds on the Schoolmarm ridgeline. I was almost run over several times by park rats headed to A51 using the beginners as features.It was also a bit confusing to get back to the bottom of Zuma, but I chalk that up to my unfamiliarity with the area.

[DonaldMReif]

The proposed lift line the master plan has for the Argentine Express is for it to start where the current Argentine starts, have a mid-load turn station a short distance up from the bottom, and run to the top of Paymaster. Ida Belle, when it ran, appears to have started near the junction of Last Chance and Silver Spoon and ended at the top of the Schoolmarm ridge a little ways down from the main access point onto Paymaster. If the Argentine Express upgrade goes through, as does the proposal to cut additional trails between Wild Irishman and Paymaster, I think Ida Belle would end up becoming a very redundant and underused lift if built. Just my opinion.

This post has been edited by DonaldMReif: 11 January 2015 - 09:04 AM

[DonaldMReif]

liftmech, on 11 January 2015 - 07:31 AM, said:

Finally skied Keystone a couple of days ago. Not enough to really comment on the plans, except this: if the plan is to add more runs in the Wild Irishman/Paymaster area, why not resurrect the Ida Belle lift? Lapping that pod off Montezuma was a royal pain, what with the crowds on the Schoolmarm ridgeline. I was almost run over several times by park rats headed to A51 using the beginners as features.It was also a bit confusing to get back to the bottom of Zuma, but I chalk that up to my unfamiliarity with the area.

Some of Montezuma's runs, like Frenchman and Flying Dutchman, don't require the Schoolmarm ridge. The reason Ida Belle will almost never be resurrected is because the proposed Argentine replacement would cover that area. Besides, remember Winter Park: before they built the Eskimo Express lift, there were four lifts servicing the area around Sunspot: Zephyr, the Apollo double, the Eskimo double (later triple), and Outrigger triple. They may have been redundant, but two of these lifts were probably capable of equaling the uphill hourly capacity of a 3,600 pph high speed six pack like the Colorado SuperChair. When the Eskimo Express was built, Apollo was also removed, just like the Eskimo triple was. That's why Ida Belle won't be built.

But cutting trails in the area between Wild Irishman and Paymaster is a great idea because it would allow Keystone to actually use up that in-bounds area. The terrain looks good and could easily be regraded if necessary.

[2milehi]

Keystone's master plan (circa 1989)
 Keystone.jpg (201.8K)
Number of downloads: 64

This post has been edited by 2milehi: 08 March 2015 - 09:36 AM