ORDA has posted the draft 2022 UMP for Belleayre here: https://orda.org/belleayre-draft-2022-umpa/
Public comment is open until August 24.
Highlights include a new Lift 7 that loads below the top of lift 1 (Lightning) so skiers can get off 1 and load 7 to get to the top. Included in that is another skier bridge over the parking lot from the old lift 7 loading area to the new loading area. The liftline will also be moved so it is going over the bottom part of the terrain park, which will require the trees to be cut between Yahoo and the park at least up to midstation. They are also destroying Utsayantha and the Goat Path to turn it into another Onondaga, a cut so intermediates can make it to mid from the top.
I was on a call about a month ago with some ORDA people and others, and a discussion came up about what type of lift the new 7 will be. Mike Pratt said it "doesn't deserve" to be a high speed lift since it is too short. (I had to chuckle at this comment coming from the CEO of the authority that installed the world's shortest gondola at the Lake Placid jumping complex). The plan at the time was to make it a fixed grip with NO mid station so all intermediates and park people have to go to the top, unload, and take the newly cut up Utsy/goat path intermediate trail. I argued to either make it a high speed (preferred) or if they're not going to do that at least keep the mid station and don't ruin Utsy/goat path. The type of lift is not in the UMP that I've found, but it will be in the comments I submit to ORDA. Why install a slow fixed grip in 2022 and make the existing ride even longer by extending the lift 665 feet?
Another highlight of the UMP is a new beginner area, located at the.....top of the gondola. This will add to congestion at the gondola and also put beginners that they're presumably trying to get hooked on skiing at the coldest and windiest part of the mountain. ORDA already moved the beginner area from the large area below the new patrol shack to the small, steep area under the gondola which was a bad decision. What they should do now is move the beginner area back to where it was instead of having beginners take the gondola up.
Curious to see what other Belleayre skiers think of the plan!
Public comment is open until August 24.
Highlights include a new Lift 7 that loads below the top of lift 1 (Lightning) so skiers can get off 1 and load 7 to get to the top. Included in that is another skier bridge over the parking lot from the old lift 7 loading area to the new loading area. The liftline will also be moved so it is going over the bottom part of the terrain park, which will require the trees to be cut between Yahoo and the park at least up to midstation. They are also destroying Utsayantha and the Goat Path to turn it into another Onondaga, a cut so intermediates can make it to mid from the top.
I was on a call about a month ago with some ORDA people and others, and a discussion came up about what type of lift the new 7 will be. Mike Pratt said it "doesn't deserve" to be a high speed lift since it is too short. (I had to chuckle at this comment coming from the CEO of the authority that installed the world's shortest gondola at the Lake Placid jumping complex). The plan at the time was to make it a fixed grip with NO mid station so all intermediates and park people have to go to the top, unload, and take the newly cut up Utsy/goat path intermediate trail. I argued to either make it a high speed (preferred) or if they're not going to do that at least keep the mid station and don't ruin Utsy/goat path. The type of lift is not in the UMP that I've found, but it will be in the comments I submit to ORDA. Why install a slow fixed grip in 2022 and make the existing ride even longer by extending the lift 665 feet?
Another highlight of the UMP is a new beginner area, located at the.....top of the gondola. This will add to congestion at the gondola and also put beginners that they're presumably trying to get hooked on skiing at the coldest and windiest part of the mountain. ORDA already moved the beginner area from the large area below the new patrol shack to the small, steep area under the gondola which was a bad decision. What they should do now is move the beginner area back to where it was instead of having beginners take the gondola up.
Curious to see what other Belleayre skiers think of the plan!
