Detachable vs Fixed Grip Lifts

[MiSkier]

A resort owner once told me that having a “high speed” lift listed for your hill equated to a 20% increase in ticket sales.

When your run is only 30-60 seconds long or 2,000’ long, the less time on a lift the better. At Boyne the old lifts the 8 pack is replacing took around 10 mins to get you to the top. The new lift will around 3 mins

 

[Harvey]

Personally I'd rather wait on the lift than standing in line, even before covid.

Someone who knows tell me:

Does speeding up the lift and/or increasing uphill capacity increase trail crowding or lift lines? Or both?

 

[raisingarizona]

I also found it interesting that it changes the dynamic of chairlift conversations by having 2 or more groups. Slow cold chairs keep things real.

Sometimes real and sometimes real weird.

 

[Milo Maltbie]

Personally I'd rather wait on the lift than standing in line, even before covid.

I'd rather wait on a lift line and have a good experience on the hill than be instantly transported to a crowded Catskills groomer. Thre's no point in transferring the obnoxious crowds from the bottom to the top of the trails.

Does speeding up the lift and/or increasing uphill capacity increase trail crowding or lift lines? Or both?

Compare Hunter or Windham to MRG or Castlerock. Hunter was better with nothing but doubles.

mm

 

[raisingarizona]

A mountain manager once told me the the most common complaint on powder days was that they don't groom enough. Clearly different skiers have different opinions about what makes skiing enjoyable.

mm

Those aren’t skiers, those are tourists.

 

[raisingarizona]

I'd rather wait on a lift line and have a good experience on the hill than be instantly transported to a crowded Catskills groomer. Thre's no point in transferring the obnoxious crowds from the bottom to the top of the trails.


Compare Hunter or Windham to MRG or Castlerock. Hunter was better with nothing but doubles.

mm

Hunter on a weekend ain’t really skiing. It’s insanity.

 

[raisingarizona]

HS lifts can be a beautiful thing. It’s especially true if you live in a town with a local hill, it’s a regular thing for locals to free up a few hours during their work day to get in a few hot laps.

 

[Milo Maltbie]

Those aren’t skiers, those are tourists.

Don't dis those people. They are the ones paying the rent and making the bar fun when the lifts close. And we all started there.

mm

 

[MiSkier]

HS lifts can be a beautiful thing. It’s especially true if you live in a town with a local hill, it’s a regular thing for locals to free up a few hours during their work day to get in a few hot laps

HS lifts are a nice thing IMO in Michigan, but when I went back and skied Plattekill the fixed lifts there did not bug me at all. I think some of that is how long it takes to get down the run

 

[Benny Profane]

Marketing

Yup.