Detachable vs Fixed Grip Lifts

[MarzNC]

I forget but i was probably being obtuse about high speed lifts.

Apologies to @MiSkier for totally hijacking his thread. It would be so much work to separate this out, but I should probably do it.

Just pull out the posts after the last one related to Boyne and don't worry about the other posts mixed in the earlier pages.

 

[MarzNC]

Well, they're definitely reducing skier visits by getting off the EPIC pass, but just the opposite on lifts. They replaced the Pallavacini double chair with another new double, which I put in the same ballsy category as MRG replacing the single with a single. And the Pallavacini is right at the base. 99% of ski hill managers would have put a HSQ there. Maybe a six pack.

I think they are trying to be a niche mountain in a crowded market, and are going to compensate for less bodies on the hill with ever increasing pass prices.

As I remember Al was very clear about why the Pallavacini upgrade was another double.

However, Al just announced that the Lenawee triple will be replaced by a HSQ. That serves as direct access to terrain on both the frontside and backside of the upper mountain. Feels like it will make a difference in traffic flow in late season, especially after Colorado resorts start closing.

Arapahoe Basin to Build First Six Pack

Arapahoe Basin has reached a deal with its longtime lift supplier Leitner-Poma to replace the Lenawee Mountain triple next year. The mountain’s first six place chairlift will increase through…

liftblog.com

 

[MarzNC]

Targhee over JH, Powder mountain over Snowbasin and most any SLC hill, Certainly Abasin over any other Summit county hill.

Targhee has a HSQ as the primary base lift. It goes to a peak and serves a lot of terrain. Dreamcatcher's speed makes a big difference in clearing out a crowd on a powder Saturday. That's about the only time it really matters. I was there with my ski buddy (NYC transplant to NM long ago) on a Pres. Day weekend. 9+ inches of fresh fluffy powder after the lifts closed on Sat that was on top of a few feet of new snow in the week before. There was actually a lift line for Dreamcatcher until about 1:30pm.

From what I've read Indy Pass locations out west seem to be great examples of good terrain, empty slopes, and few HS lifts.

Bridger is an example of a mountain out west that invested in HS lifts quite a while ago. It's mostly caters to locals, unlike Big Sky an hour away. What's more unusual is that it's a non-profit. Has been for decades. Lift upgrades have been done slowly but deliberately in the last 20 years or so.

 

[Benny Profane]

Everyone who seriously skis should visit Bridger once. It's a fantastic example of community based socialism set in a pretty red place. I was very impressed with chairs and lodges and the people. Take one of the guides up for a free tour. They're there to do some time for a pass. They want to ski, too, not stand at the bottom.
Wear a beacon if you have one, even if it isn't deep. The serious chair requires a beacon, the only one I've heard of in my travels. They sell beacons in the ski shop.

 

[MarzNC]

Everyone who seriously skis should visit Bridger once. It's a fantastic example of community based socialism set in a pretty red place. I was very impressed with chairs and lodges and the people. Take one of the guides up for a free tour. They're there to do some time for a pass. They want to ski, too, not stand at the bottom.
Wear a beacon if you have one, even if it isn't deep. The serious chair requires a beacon, the only one I've heard of in my travels. They sell beacons in the ski shop.

I always plan a few days at Bridger as part of a trip to Big Sky. Can have better powder than Big Sky because it's drier.

They also have a few beacons for rent at the Bridger shop. But on a powder day those run out. I was waiting to get some powder skis when the guy in front in line got the last one. Only problem was that he was supposed to get one for his ski buddy too.

Bozeman is a university town. Like Chapel Hill in NC, it's not exactly like the surrounding counties in terms of local "culture."

Bridger has upgraded lifts very deliberately. As a non-profit, they do not go into debt just to speed up installing a new lift. The Board takes the long term view. That's been working well for over 60 years.

Bridger Bowl Invests $5 Million to Transform Beginner Experience

Bridger Bowl is creating a first-rate learning center this fall, with four new lifts under construction to serve exclusively green terrain. Following years of attendance records and upper mou…

liftblog.com

By the way, @Harvey : Bridger has conveyor loading on six lifts. No high speed lifts, but also have been getting rid up the long, slow doubles.

 

[Harvey]

By the way, @Harvey : Bridger has conveyor loading on six lifts. No high speed lifts, but also have been getting rid up the long, slow doubles.

So you're saying I should go there to up my conveyor loading game?

 

[Ripitz]

Would love to see this chart for the east:

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The golden ratio is how I decided on Big Sky when I first moved out West in ‘96. I also took into consideration proximity to large populations, lodging capacities. and affordability. A lot has changed since then. Snow quality and avalanche mitigation were also big factors.

 

[MarzNC]

So you're saying I should go there to up my conveyor loading game?

You can practice conveyor loading at Whiteface this winter. Or come visit Massanutten when I'm there in January. Cannot leave the base without using conveyor loading.

Go to Bridger if you want 2000 acres of a wide variety of terrain all served by fixed-grip lifts. There is no slopeside lodging. City limits is an easy 20-min drive. Quite a few tele skiers. I think you'd like the vibe.

 

[MiSkier]

I forget but i was probably being obtuse about high speed lifts.

Apologies to @MiSkier for totally hijacking his thread. It would be so much work to separate this out, but I should probably do it.

Harvey. Don’t worry about it. The only reason Boyne isn’t more of the discussion is I am the only one in Michigan or as far as I know I am. I do think a 8 pack is overkill for most of the season. They normally only run one of the triples during the week and only on weekends and holidays to they run both triples. They could have gone with a new fixed grip quad. but for marketing purposes and bragging rights in the Midwest they went for the 8 pack.

 

[Benny Profane]

As I remember Al was very clear about why the Pallavacini upgrade was another double.

However, Al just announced that the Lenawee triple will be replaced by a HSQ. That serves as direct access to terrain on both the frontside and backside of the upper mountain. Feels like it will make a difference in traffic flow in late season, especially after Colorado resorts start closing.

Arapahoe Basin to Build First Six Pack

Arapahoe Basin has reached a deal with its longtime lift supplier Leitner-Poma to replace the Lenawee Mountain triple next year. The mountain’s first six place chairlift will increase through…

liftblog.com

Never forget that they are replacing two chairs, not one, with this move. The old Norway chair they took down wasn't the most modern thing, but was a nice supplement to Lanawee on weekends and crowded days. Then there's the more stable in wind thing. The chair is hanging over a high alpine bowl and drops skiers off at 12,600 or so.