252 replies to this topic

[Smacpats]

eagle628, on 11 April 2016 - 06:56 AM, said:

After the winter we just had I would be shocked if anyone in the east invests in new lifts.

Well it was "Hopefully this summer" 6 months ago, now its more like "It would be a miracle if it was this summer"

[Smacpats]

Even though vail is replacing most/all of their CLD-260 HSQs with six-packs, I really don't see Born Free as a six-pack or game-creek because of the lines they usually got (at least the last time I was there, 6 years ago) and the terrain they served. I wonder if Vail will keep them as they are, replace the detach equipment on them (and keep chairs and towers), or if they will reinstall them with all new equipment and scrap (or sell [somebody like Telluride might be able to use some parts]) the old equipment for parts.

As for Northwoods and Orient, I could see some extra capacity in China bowl and Northwoods being helpful. I remember 30 minute lines in China Bowl, taking the traverse down to teacup and smirking as I skied straight onto the lift.

[Smacpats]

Sunrise at stratton needs a BIG DROP BELOW THE TREELINE* like the Summit Express at Pico. To get the full picture, you have to understand that this trail underneath is long abandoned and off the map at this point. Only select locals who scout it and see pow under the lift, and nowhere else will jump in. And its more like hike in.

http://mw2.google.co...um/39274039.jpg
http://s32.postimg.o..._9_21_44_PM.png
http://s32.postimg.o..._9_22_38_PM.png

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 04 May 2016 - 02:30 PM

[Smacpats]

As for Plunge at Telluride, I just had a revelation (Get the Telluride pun? ). How is it for wind? Would a TeePeeTown LX/Orange Bubble express type lift work fine there? I love those things (I haven't actually ridden LX or Orange Bubble yet, but I rode a heated one at Adelboden/Lenk CH that was installed in 07, that actually had plain clear bubbles: http://www.skiresort.../b06f08026c.jpg) If it was installed as one, it would be the best terrain, best lift, and best snow. It would be pretty awesome.

https://www.galvaniz...300-770x450.jpg

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 03 May 2016 - 07:05 PM

[eagle628]

Smacpats, on 03 May 2016 - 05:32 PM, said:

Sunrise at stratton needs a BIG TRUNCATION like the Summit Express at Pico. To get the full picture, you have to understand that this trail underneath is long abandoned and off the map at this point. Only select locals who scout it and see pow under the lift, and nowhere else will jump in. And its more like hike in.

http://mw2.google.co...um/39274039.jpg
http://s32.postimg.o..._9_21_44_PM.png
http://s32.postimg.o..._9_22_38_PM.png

The same Sunrise that is the primary (and on most days only) way out of the entire Sun Bowl lodge and mountain face? Huh?

[SkiDaBird]

Smacpats, on 03 May 2016 - 07:00 PM, said:

As for Plunge at Telluride, I just had a revelation (Get the Telluride pun? ). How is it for wind? Would a TeePeeTown LX/Orange Bubble express type lift work fine there? I love those things (I haven't actually ridden LX or Orange Bubble yet, but I rode a heated one at Adelboden/Lenk CH that was installed in 07, that actually had plain clear bubbles: http://www.skiresort.../b06f08026c.jpg) If it was installed as one, it would be the best terrain, best lift, and best snow. It would be pretty awesome.

https://www.galvaniz...300-770x450.jpg

It's really protected from wind.

[Smacpats]

eagle628, on 04 May 2016 - 06:25 AM, said:

The same Sunrise that is the primary (and on most days only) way out of the entire Sun Bowl lodge and mountain face? Huh?

Sorry if I didn't make myself very clear, I meant to drop the lift below the treeline, I wonder why I said "Truncate."

And BTW, if sunrise went on wind-hold (and it has been pretty close some days, although I have never seen it go on wind-hold) they probably would just make the lifties walk 100 feet and turn on the lift.

And for plunge, I thought that was true, although its been a couple of years since I was at telluride and I didn't want to suggest something that might have been stupid and absurd.

[Sacdelic_Skier]

Walk 100 feet and turn on the lift? What? Am I missing something here? DO you mean that other quad in the base of sunbowl?

[Smacpats]

Sacdelic_Skier, on 04 May 2016 - 03:31 PM, said:

Walk 100 feet and turn on the lift? What? Am I missing something here? DO you mean that other quad in the base of sunbowl?

Yes. I mean that if sunrise went down, they would just bring the lifities over to that quad at the base.

[Smacpats]

I think stratton should move the current shooting star (A 2001 Garaventa Ctec six-pack in great shape) over to the snowbowl. After they did that they could install a HSQ on the shooting star line and kidderbrook line. This would make snowbowl a six-pack and make both the shooting star and k-brook pods skiable in two new HSQs, apposed to a new HSS in snowbowl that would keep K-Brook as unskiable. Here is the K-Brook and Shooting star area (Keep in mind that Churchill and Lower K-Brook are both miserable flat runouts. Here's what it would look like (Yellow is new HSQ, black is HSQ replacing Six-pack, Orange is that six-pack relocated):

[Sacdelic_Skier]

Meh. It would be cheaper just to buy a sunbowl detach quad. I think there needs no replacement for shooting star

[Smacpats]

Sacdelic_Skier, on 05 May 2016 - 02:51 PM, said:

Meh. It would be cheaper just to buy a sunbowl detach quad. I think there needs no replacement for shooting star

You have to consider how many people ski Meadow and take the traverse and pop out at the gondola. Lots of those people would probably see that snowbowl was faster and more efficient and take that. The K-Brook area is awful if you try to lap it. The best run on the mountain is Probably kidderbrook ravine (https://www.youtube....h?v=HQB-g_iUr1E) which is unlappable as it pops out at the bottom of free fall. To ski this run you have to ski it, take 2 runouts, and take two lifts that total up to 7 minutes and start up again. And these runouts are NOT fun (like 5 minutes a piece). To add on, ever since the removal of Kidderbrook the amount of people skiing upper k-brook has increased by a large number. One day last year, it was more of a circus than upper standard! Thats saying a lot! It would help keep some pressure off of sunrise. It would sort've be a lift from nowhere to somewhere, but this nowhere has everyone skiing past it, so it would probably be worthwhile. As for shooting star, a HSQ would do fine there, as the six-pack usually goes up with a person on every fifth day on an average saturday, and on MLK with a 5 minute line.

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 05 May 2016 - 06:30 PM

[NHskier13]

current 6 looks noticeably shorter than the snow bowl line though.

might be how the map is scaled

This post has been edited by NHskier13: 06 May 2016 - 10:56 AM

[Smacpats]

NHskier13, on 06 May 2016 - 10:55 AM, said:

current 6 looks noticeably shorter than the snow bowl line though.

might be how the map is scaled

Snowbowl is about 1,200 feet longer than shooting star. They could probably use some of the quad's old tower tubes with new heads on the bottom half of the line though (Because on the first 1,500 feet of the line, wind is not a problem at all).
Lower liftline where they would reuse tower tubes:

Upper liftline which would have towers from the current 6 (probably dropped lower than the quad):


Pretty sure those were on the same day too.

Here are the lengths of the lifts in the picture being focused on:
Kidderbrook - 6,285 Inclined length, 1,400 vertical feet
Shooting star - 3,305 inclined length, 798 vertical feet (When trying to measure vertical, I tend to round up).
Snowbowl - 4,639 inclined length, 1,110 vertical feet

Intrawest owes us something as locals. They removed the old K-Brook FG quad without replacing it (They should've replaced it...) so they could spend (us locals like to think of it as waste) $50 million to build a 3S from a peak to another peak and sell that entire mountain 3 weeks later.

We aren't very happy, as you could imagine.

The only thing intrawest has done liftwise (On a mountain that needs some reworking of the lift system) is replace the cabins on the gondola. This actually in a way has made me like the gondola less, because the NYCers see the new cabins and hop in line. On a 50 degree day in march, the gondola had a 10 minute line and Amex and Ursa were empty. It basically makes waiting in the gondola line to a whole new level.

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 06 May 2016 - 04:17 PM

[Smacpats]

Throwing a few out from Zermatt that need replacements:
Klein Matterhorn:
100 person tram, collects 2 hour long lines. 3S is needed here. Navigating a chair or monocable gondola up this would literally be impossible

Gant-Blauherd, 1972 Giovanola gondola:


Gant-Hohtälli, 1998 6,000 foot long tram. The terrain it goes over can easily be conquered by a gondola or chair, and the thing gets lines. It has lappable terrain, and is a big access lift. Heated bubble six would do well here.

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 07 May 2016 - 11:16 AM

[Smacpats]

At stratton, IMO replace snowbowl with HSQ, move current snowbowl to North American trail, and install a used HSQ on kidderbrook and the stratton lift system is complete until they expand again. It's not rocket science.

Although finding places to put the terminals on the North American quad would be rocket science... :)

[NHskier13]

That matterhorn tram looks beautiful, though... but I see what you mean.

Also about stratton, I have never been so I wouldn't know but it looks from the trail map that it's a lot of random lifts scattered about in some spots. How long exactly is that gondola?

[Smacpats]

NHskier13, on 07 May 2016 - 01:32 PM, said:

That matterhorn tram looks beautiful, though... but I see what you mean.

Also about stratton, I have never been so I wouldn't know but it looks from the trail map that it's a lot of random lifts scattered about in some spots. How long exactly is that gondola?

The problem with Klein Matterhorn is the only ways to the Italian side of the ski area is the tram and a 9,000 foot t-bar (the tram typically has a 2 hour line, because nobody wants to take the bar.

The trail map is misleading. When you ski the mountain, it makes a LOT more sense. The gondola is approx 7,000 feet long with a vertical rise of 1,700 feet. The area claims 2,000 vertical, and that is because the base of Sunrise Express is 300 feet lower than the main base.

And BTW, if you ever go, DON'T GO ON A WEEKEND, and STAY ON SHOOTING STAR AND SUNRISE EXPRESS. The sunbowl gets Tiny lines compared to the other side of the mountain. If you are fortunate to go on a weekday, ski the whole place, it will be a ghost town (Unless it's friday or monday, in that case expect 5 minute lines max). If you are unlucky and go on a weekend and everything has lines, take up the South American quad and ski down to the ursa chair. Assuming it has a line stretching halfway up it's liftline (Which is usually does on weekends) take the 91 traverse down to Sunrise express. If it has a line, singles whichever of them has a smaller line (you can get back to ursa using solstice chair), and get to the shooting star. Shooting star will never have lines, and it services a decent trail pod (A black, an awesome double black bump run, an epic tree run (Diamonds in the Rough) and a blue).

Stratton also can be pretty cruddy at times. Sometimes you wonder why people don't bring skates. If you go, wait for a powder weekday and then go.

If I were you, i'd go somewhere else in New England. The only big reason I ski stratton is because I live nearby.

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 07 May 2016 - 05:09 PM

[NHskier13]

I usually go out of my state for vacation weeks with some random exceptions. Seems like stratton is a popular mountain based on the lift caps, also with that many six packs and quads I'd imagine it would get pushed off quick

[Smacpats]

NHskier13, on 07 May 2016 - 05:22 PM, said:

I usually go out of my state for vacation weeks with some random exceptions. Seems like stratton is a popular mountain based on the lift caps, also with that many six packs and quads I'd imagine it would get pushed off quick

Here's a "medium line" at stratton: