252 replies to this topic

[Smacpats]

 NHskier13, on 18 May 2016 - 08:07 AM, said:

Couldn't there be a way to screw them on better or something?

Not if they blew away and are halfway down the access road... (And I wouldn't be too surprised about that happening at stratton, even their base areas are insane sometimes, and all their alphas are bottom drive)

[Smacpats]

 snoloco, on 29 December 2015 - 09:07 PM, said:

Thunderhead would be relocated to become Sunshine 2...

Coming back to this post that is 5 pages behind the present, I think Snowbowl express at Stratton should be focused on more by Intrawest before anything else. It would Utilize a trail pod to be skiable, and reduce pressure of liftlines on these lifts:





Anyways, trying to get back on topic, Snowbowl at stratton is something that NEEDS to happen. It services arguably the best bump-run on the mountain, best steep cruiser on the mountain, steepest run on the mountain, one of the best steep tree runs, and it services by far the most popular trail on the mountain which also is the best beginner run on the mountain and most open trail on the mountain. It doesn't collect lines in it's current configuration, but that is because there is a friendly traverse from the 10 minutes of hell that is the current lift to high speed lifts at the base area. The last three pictures are of those lifts. The first picture is the main-upper mountain lift, and when people ride the six-pack in the last 3 pictures to get a full run in they have to take that lift. Long story short, the new lift would relieve pressure from everywhere on the entire mountain.

EDIT:
Not to mention it's been 15 years since we've gotten a new lift...

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 22 May 2016 - 11:16 AM

[Smacpats]

This will come as a shock to most of you, but I think stratton's gondola needs at LEAST a capacity upgrade. It's nearing the end of it's life (88' detachable) and ALWAYS has lines because of it's 3,000 P/H capacity. They could reuse cabins (And put more new ones on) and towers but put new detach terminals and grips on.
Compare the spacing:

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 23 May 2016 - 06:35 AM

[NHskier13]

I used to say the same for Loon's gondola, however, I actually really appreciate Loon's lower-than-average capacity lifts because otherwise the trails would be way over crowded, and it would all be skied off really fast. Their gondola, though, is the only way from the main base to the top and has only 1,000 pph, and usually gets lines that stretch all the way around the building that takes forever to wait in it seems. General rule ; stay out of the base unless you need to be there. Thank god for mid mountain lodges.

[Smacpats]

Even though I really like it (Especially the bottom terminal design), Tamarack at stratton is nearing the end of it's operational life (this year is its 40th birthday) and will slowly start to erode.
http://www.newenglan...lift.php?id=500
The SMS poma is in the same boat, but will be cheaper to replace:
http://www.newenglan...lift.php?id=434
And I already have told you, but Snowbowl has many reasons for a replacement. Among those is it's own pod, a miserable base area runout, a drop below the treeline needed, and relieving pressure off three of stratton's five workhorse lifts (The workhorses i'm talking about are the Gondola, the Ursa express and the American express). Just look at how big of a pod it serves and what I mean on the trail map (it's the lift furthest to the right, and the map is outdated, but all the lifts i'm talking about are pictured) :

http://www.newenglan...lift.php?id=609
skilifts.org/old/images/resort_images/vt-stratton/snowbowl/snowbowl.html
Replace Snowbowl with a HSQ reusing towers (About 2-3 mil), replace Tamarack with relocated snowbowl FGQ (800,000 max), reusing towers, scrap Tamarack (Possibly use the same bottom terminal structure, and possibly put the chairs on Villager to upgrade it to a triple, but the rest has to go) and buy and install new SMS poma (400,000 max). Problems solved, stratton's average lift age goes from 30 years old to 20 years old. Probably only costs 4-5 million, whereas at a mountain like vail it would take 10, 20, or possibly even 30 million to get the average lift age up 10 years.

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 23 May 2016 - 11:40 AM

[Sacdelic_Skier]

uhhhh you are wayyyy of in costs on chairlifts. A snowbowl hsq would be around 5.5 million

[Smacpats]

 Sacdelic_Skier, on 23 May 2016 - 12:08 PM, said:

uhhhh you are wayyyy of in costs on chairlifts. A snowbowl hsq would be around 5.5 million

It would be terminals, chairs, line gear, towerheads and a haul rope. They could REUSE THE SAME TOWERS. The Summit express at Solitude was 100% brand new and looked a bit hard to engineer and was estimated at 5 mil. Monadnock Easy-Rider Express at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area costed 3 mil, and is a 2013 UNI-G quad like what Snowbowl might be. Casper at JHMR did NOT reuse tower tubes and was 5 mil. Same with Mid-Burke at Burke. 5.5 mil would require needing to remove trees or something.

[Sacdelic_Skier]

dude you are forgetting the fact that modanock was like 1000 feet. Sure, reusing 5 tower tubes is still a small cost down but not enough to make a difference. Im pretty sure on grip alone costs 5k. Casper is also pretty short. Any new lift at Stratton is a garunteed lp. They just did the conversion and like all the lifts but the sixpacks are poma. Length is a big cost

[Smacpats]

 Sacdelic_Skier, on 23 May 2016 - 01:17 PM, said:

dude you are forgetting the fact that modanock was like 1000 feet. Sure, reusing 5 tower tubes is still a small cost down but not enough to make a difference. Im pretty sure on grip alone costs 5k. Casper is also pretty short. Any new lift at Stratton is a garunteed lp. They just did the conversion and like all the lifts but the sixpacks are poma. Length is a big cost

Intrawest may be switching. Peter's blog says that Steamboat is getting a new dopp HSQ for Elkhead this year. It's not quite signed with LP. Modanock has 2,000 feet of length. Something to consider on the other hand is that if every chair is $2,000 (I know Skytrac chairs are this much, they had them listed on their website before they were bought by LP) and every grip is 5,000 and chair spacing is double, 100 chairs x 7,000 = $700,000. Modanock has probably 50 on it, so it would cost (the same type as Modanock and terminal cost) $3,350,000.

Lots of numbers.

And it wouldn't really be 5 tower tubes, more like 19.

EDIT:
Alright, I'm leaving off tower-heads, don't know much possibly those could cost. Probably 100k max for 6 towers (The other half is covered by the original 3 million I'm going off of from Modanock, and the towers could be spaced further apart).

This is all assuming stratton goes cheap. I would be just as surprised if they got new everything and ended with a 10 million dollar bill from LP/Dopplemayr.

By going off Earl's at vail (About the same length, about 100 feet longer) 100 chairs on a HSQ of this length gets you to 2,400 P/h (It has 47, but only has 1,200 P/h, so just double it).

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 23 May 2016 - 04:35 PM

[Smacpats]

Replace Sunrise at stratton with heated Bubble chair. It really would turn into "Sunrise" express on hot days!

Actually being serious though, a heated bubble Six on sunrise and move Sunrise to current snowbowl line would work quite well. I'm thinking ahead to those miserable rainy days when the gondola has a line.

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 25 May 2016 - 06:43 PM

[machskier]

 NHskier13, on 23 May 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:

I used to say the same for Loon's gondola, however, I actually really appreciate Loon's lower-than-average capacity lifts because otherwise the trails would be way over crowded, and it would all be skied off really fast. Their gondola, though, is the only way from the main base to the top and has only 1,000 pph, and usually gets lines that stretch all the way around the building that takes forever to wait in it seems. General rule ; stay out of the base unless you need to be there. Thank god for mid mountain lodges.

The original install of the gondolla and North Peak express were with less than to carrier complement. Since then, both have been increased to full capacity. The gondolla has much more the 1000PPH, probably closer to 2000PPH now a d quite sure all HSQ are 2000-2400. Pretty standard to me.

[fireonthemountain]

im looking for that article that carl skyling wrote on wheather to replace or repair aging lifts...caqn anybody point me in the right direction, I know I saw it on this page

[liftmech]

Is this the one from SAM?