105 replies to this topic

[DonaldMReif]

I think some might say the choice of a six pack for the Kensho SuperChair may not make sense given the alignment and its location, but it actually makes perfect sense that a six pack was chosen for the alignment once you realize that six pack chairs are a bit heavier and probably can operate in higher winds than quads can.

[NHskier13]

Peter, on 15 May 2014 - 07:08 PM, said:

I'll nominate the six pack at Ragged Mountain, NH. The area averages only 80,000 skier visits per year and they have 3 other lifts.

I don't exactly know... I ski Ragged a lot. I agree, a six-pack isn't necessary, but keep in mind that their six pack is a low-capacity. (It has 1800 pph compared to "normal" 3600)
One guess I have for it''s installation would be Ragged trying to be a big shot installing the first HSSP in the state of NH.

[Kicking Horse]

The reason why they got the Six Pack is cuz they got a great deal on it. Plus future growth of the ski area.

[snoloco]

One of my absolute least favorite lifts, the Vernon Triple at Mountain Creek is also in a questionable location now. When built in 1981, it was part of an expansion of the Vernon Valley section of VVGG. They added that lift as well as the Garden State, Triple Bound (don't know what it was called back then), Opossum, and some other trail that was closed down in favor of more condos. When Intrawest bought it, they added The Cabriolet to replace the Yellow and Blue Chairs and it follows the line of the Blue Chair. This left the Triple Bound, and Opossum trails as mere ways to get down to the triple which was now the backup since The Cabriolet is detachable. Opossum was taken off the map as the only way to ski it was to take the painfully long and slow triple rather than the much faster Cabriolet. It was also closed midweek when the triple was closed.

I say that it made sense to put The Cabriolet where it is now and not where the triple is. The triple required you to take a run on Triple Bound to even reach it which is a pointless, flat, cat track. The Cabriolet starts right next to the lodge, so you walk out of the lodge and right to the loading area.

[NHskier13]

Kicking Horse, on 26 November 2014 - 03:22 PM, said:

The reason why they got the Six Pack is cuz they got a great deal on it. Plus future growth of the ski area.

True, actually. According to the Concord Monitor, Ragged got the six pack for 1.8 million.
Also, the only way skiers are going to be able to reach the future "Pinnacle" area is by the six-pack to Easy Winder. (I would assume Easy Winder would need snowmaking though.)

[llamborghinii]

The A-lift has got to be the most pointless lift at Breck. Doesn't start in a desirable spot, nor end in one. You don't really gain any vertical, the terrain isn't interesting, and it's 14 minutes long. Can you get to it from lower Sawmill? If so, the only use it really has would be to avoid the long lines at the bottom and use it to transfer to the Falcon Chair.

C lift is actually shorter (Timewise), you gain vert and like others have said you can avoid the flat traverse if you don't want to take Frosty's Freeway to E-Chair.

This post has been edited by llamborghinii: 16 December 2014 - 01:22 AM

[DonaldMReif]

llamborghinii, on 16 December 2014 - 01:22 AM, said:

The A-lift has got to be the most pointless lift at Breck. Doesn't start in a desirable spot, nor end in one. You don't really gain any vertical, the terrain isn't interesting, and it's 14 minutes long. Can you get to it from lower Sawmill? If so, the only use it really has would be to avoid the long lines at the bottom and use it to transfer to the Falcon Chair.

C lift is actually shorter (Timewise), you gain vert and like others have said you can avoid the flat traverse if you don't want to take Frosty's Freeway to E-Chair.

Lift A starts downhill from the bottom of the Mercury SuperChair and at the top of the hill on Red Rover that merges with Sundown at the Peak 8 SuperConnect. It mostly is meant to be used by beginners, and even then, it's only used during weekends and peak periods to handle crowds. Lift C does have vertical, but it only really reaches the four runs on Peak 9 north of Sundown and, like Lift A, only sees use during weekends and peak periods. Although, at least one master plan proposal suggests removing Lift A, and replacing it with a high speed quad that has a midway unload turn station where the current Lift A's midstation is, then travel up to end at a point where people currently can cross over between Briar Rose and Cashier. Said master plan proposal didn't include a Peak 6 expansion that happened like actually unfolded, but it did include a six pack Colorado SuperChair (which has happened) and also called for upgrading Lift C to a high speed quad.

[nathanvg]

llamborghinii, on 16 December 2014 - 01:22 AM, said:

The A-lift has got to be the most pointless lift at Breck. Doesn't start in a desirable spot, nor end in one. You don't really gain any vertical, the terrain isn't interesting, and it's 14 minutes long. Can you get to it from lower Sawmill? If so, the only use it really has would be to avoid the long lines at the bottom and use it to transfer to the Falcon Chair.

C lift is actually shorter (Timewise), you gain vert and like others have said you can avoid the flat traverse if you don't want to take Frosty's Freeway to E-Chair.

A is very pointless now but in Breck's defense, the lift made perfect sense when it was installed. The lifts layout has changed a lot in the last 40 years but back then A was the most direct way to access B. A was also the only lift on that part of the mountain (Mercury, Quicksilver & Super Connect didn't exist yet and Beaver Run was a much shorter lift known as D) Take a look at the old map linked below for more details.

https://skimap.org/d.../1286751272.jpg

[silence]

I vaguely remember seeing something in the Summit Daily about A-Chair being moved to Frontier on the opposite side of QuickSilver. This was before Frontier was actually cut about 10 years ago when I lived there. Although, I could have just dreamt that because I can't find it anywhere...

[snoloco]

Stowe installed the new Fourrunner Quad in 2011 built by Doppelmayr. It replaced an older Doppelmayr HSQ from 1986. It has a capacity of 2,400 pph while the old one was only 1,600 pph. I skied Stowe March 28-29 this year. The Fourrunner Quad had the longest line of any lift on the mountain. They should have gotten a 6-pack when replacing old Fourrunner rather than another quad. That line must be even crazier during peak times. It was about 7-10 minutes at the longest while the gondola was about 5 minutes and the Spruce Peak lifts were ski on.

[Yooper Skier]

snoloco, on 30 April 2015 - 01:27 PM, said:

Stowe installed the new Fourrunner Quad in 2011 built by Doppelmayr. It replaced an older Doppelmayr HSQ from 1986. It has a capacity of 2,400 pph while the old one was only 1,600 pph. I skied Stowe March 28-29 this year. The Fourrunner Quad had the longest line of any lift on the mountain. They should have gotten a 6-pack when replacing old Fourrunner rather than another quad. That line must be even crazier during peak times. It was about 7-10 minutes at the longest while the gondola was about 5 minutes and the Spruce Peak lifts were ski on.

Higher capacity lift = overcrowded trails. The Mansfield side of Stowe is a skiers mountain and more polluted trails would take away from the experience. Might also have to do with being on State Forest land. My $0.02

[2milehi]

And having a full maze and a 1/2 hour wait in the lift line adds to the experience?

[snoloco]

There is massive trail acreage on Mount Mansfield. Surely it could handle 3,000-3,600pph.

[ss20]

The Gondola is the real problem at Stowe. Only went to Stowe once on a three day weekend this year. If there's ever a Christmas break with just snowmaking trails open that gondola area would be the most dangerous trail pod in VT.

Don't touch Mansfield lift capacity. Just move the Quad down next to the base lodge, and I'll be happy.

[SkiDaBird]

2milehi, on 01 May 2015 - 04:57 AM, said:

And having a full maze and a 1/2 hour wait in the lift line adds to the experience?

Honestly, I'd rather wait 20 extra minutes for the better snow, on most days.

[skier691]

20 min line....never had to wait in one that long, that's crazy!

[passengerpigeon]

This is a bit of an obscure example, but the relatively new Rochassons high-speed 6 pack in the French resort of Châtel is overengineered in my opinion. The capacity is certainly justified as the lift replaced a double chairlift and made redundant a fixed grip quad on a slightly different alignment, but what I don't understand is why the resort paid extra for tall couch-style backrests (which make no difference on a 3 minute ride) and automatic safety bars with anti-child-slide devices (which are redundant when you consider that the lift serves advanced and expert terrain only and is therefore not likely to be ridden by incompetent kids).

[snoloco]

Casino Express Gondola at Tremblant makes the questionable installation list. Built in 2009, it was supposed to link the Pedestrian Village at the south base to the new casino at the Soleil base. It's a Doppelmayr lift with this unusual type of CWA cabins that have seats that face out instead of in. The Casino is an apres ski activity, but the gondola only runs in the daytime. If you're staying in the Pedestrian Village, you need to take a shuttle bus to reach the Casino at night and they only run every half hour. The only purpose the lift seems to serve is to bring skiers between the Soleil and South bases, and there's not much of a reason for anyone to go directly between the base areas. The lift runs 9:30 to 4:15 on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays in the winter. Not sure what hours it runs in the summer.

It should run every day from 10am to midnight so that it actually serves the casino like it is supposed to. They'd get many more users that way than as a transfer lift between two points that skiers rarely need to move between.

[julestheshiba]

Alpine Bowl at Alpine Meadows

It would be a great lift to lap if it ended on the groomed part of the alpine bowl run. Unfortunately it ends on a rough part and makes it not easy to lap because you have to push yourself up the hill to the groomed part.

Squaw One at Squaw Valley

I really like this lift, but the bottom terminal is in an undesirable location that you have to push yourself across the snow to get to and it ends in the middle of nowhere. This lift is good to have because it is mine and a lot of other peoples secret lift to avoid the funitel lines.

[alexboesen]

Squaw One at Squaw Valley

I really like this lift, but the bottom terminal is in an undesirable location that you have to push yourself across the snow to get to and it ends in the middle of nowhere. This lift is good to have because it is mine and a lot of other peoples secret lift to avoid the funitel lines.


The biggest issue with this lift is the location of the top terminal. In any sort of storm or night wind event it cannot be run unless/until the headwall face has been cleared for avalanche control. Thus between that constraint and the fact that the funitel serves the same terrain it does not run as much as it could. I do agree that it is a great lift for circulation when it runs.