Belleayre Conditions

[Brownski]

They probably still do. I only worked there one winter- which happened to be the year they installed the K1. A full barn takes up less room than you would think. I helped put the cabins away a few times. It was actually kind of fun. Sno is right. They should have included a full barn from the start. Why they wouldn’t is beyond me

 

[snoloco]

Yes. And at least for the first season it was open, all the cabins came off the line every night

Killington has 3 gondolas and a bubble chair, and the cabins and bubbles come off every night. The only time they might not do it is late in the spring when the temperature isn't going to drop below freezing.

If you leave the cabins on during a snow or ice event, the doors will seize up and it can break the mechanisms. You'll also accumulate a lot of snow and ice on the roofs of the cabins, which can thaw and refreeze, damaging the connection with the hanger arm. It can also make a nasty rattling noise.

 

[Ripitz]

If you leave the cabins on during a snow or ice event, the doors will seize up and it can break the mechanisms. You'll also accumulate a lot of snow and ice on the roofs of the cabins, which can thaw and refreeze, damaging the connection with the hanger arm. It can also make a nasty rattling noise.

Aside from the benefits during winter operations I would imagine the barns provide relief from photodegradation the rest of the year. Maybe they could build one on top of the learning pit now that they are building a carpet and lesson area at the summit.

 

[rebel1916]

FIFY.
Ice and wind will do it too.
I’d rather ride a chairlift, unless to get warm.
Putting the skis on and off a lot gets old quick.

Yep. Lapping gondolas is for rubes. Of course, so is a lift with a 1% rise over run for 650 feet. And closing some of the very little challenging (ish) terrain at a mountain that is already intermediate friendly to make more blues.

I have a real soft spot for Belle. They get very good natural for the region, their snowmaking has become phenomenal over the last few years, and there are a ton of fun trees. But I like it less every year. The new base lodge is awful, the website is glitchy and shitty, they are much less likely to let bumps form on trails, patrol is much less laissez faire than they used to be, the frequent skier card has gotten much worse, ticket prices have gotten much higher, and of course still no Highmount expansion.

 

[tirolski]

Aside from the benefits during winter operations I would imagine the barns provide relief from photodegradation the rest of the year. Maybe they could build one on top of the learning pit now that they are building a carpet and lesson area at the summit.

From the Belle UMP.

"8. Construction of a Gondola Cabin Maintenance Building
Existing Conditions
There is currently no building for gondola grip and cabin maintenance of the Catskill Thunder Gondola, making it difficult to conduct any necessary service or repairs.
Proposed Management Action
The proposed action is to construct a building adjacent to the upper terminal of the Catskill Thunder Gondola (Figure 9). The structure will be attached to the dead rail at the top of the gondola. This building will hold 3-4 gondola cabins for maintenance and storage during operations. A portion of the building will be dedicated for ski patrol use. The building’s foundation will be approximately 48 feet by 30 feet, for a total of 1,440 square feet. The building height will be approximately 25 feet and will not exceed that of the terminal roof."

Emphasis added.

Why not build it bigger so all can be stored out of the elements when needed?

 

[Ripitz]

A barn to house all of the cabins would be massive. The summit ridge, all of which lies above 3,300ft, has been bastardized enough over the years. Big Sky has a storage barn at the top of Andesite for Ramcharger because the base area is prime real estate with a swanky hotel next to it. Belleayre doesn’t have that problem.

 

[tirolski]

A barn to house all of the cabins would be massive. The summit ridge, all of which lies above 3,300ft, has been bastardized enough over the years. Big Sky has a storage barn at the top of Andesite for Ramcharger because the base area is prime real estate with a swanky hotel next to it. Belleayre doesn’t have that problem.

There’s a road with a castle, restaurant, and gift shop atop Whiteface, so there’s that.

https://whiteface.com/todo/whiteface-veterans-memorial-highway/

 

[Brownski]

yeah, it would be big but not as big and disruptive as you’d think. Most people walk right by the ones that are out there without noticing them but they should have included it at the bottom when they built it. They could figure out a way to do it now.

 

[SayvilleSteve]

Well they need room for the beginner area at the top of the mountain.

 

[Bandit]

Capital Pressroom interview:

https://soundcloud.com/user-18109193%2F07-10-23-cpseg23-web