Detachable vs Fixed Grip Lifts

[Woodski12]

detachable double to replace the Madonna lift

Forgot to add in... "which would be awesome"

 

[snoloco]

The detachable lift haters are forgetting how detachable lifts can completely revitalize and revolutionize a portion of a ski area, or even an entire ski area. There are two prime examples of this at Killington, those being Ramshead and Snowdon.

Ramshead: This area was first developed in 1962, served by a 6500 foot long double chair. It features a few top to bottom trails that were generally mellow in pitch. Since it was built, it remained essentially unchanged into the 90's. Meanwhile, other areas of the mountain opened up with much more modern lifts, snowmaking, and amenities than what Ramshead had. In fact, only one trail, Header, the lift line, even had snowmaking. Fast forward to 1996, and Les Otten changed all that. The double was replaced with a high speed quad, the trails widened, lodge renovated, and a new beginner area opened. This significantly reduced crowding at the Snowshed and K1 base areas, and provided a "next step" for skiers who learned on Snowshed and ready to up their game. Ramshead, once a quiet, underutilized part of the mountain was instantly transformed into one of the most popular, which it remains today. And remember how Header was the only trail with snowmaking? Well now the entire mountain has it, and it's one of the first sections to get completely built out each year.

Snowdon: With high speed lifts opening all across the resort, Snowdon was one of the last areas that only had fixed grip lifts. The triple and quad were slow, windy, and cold, especially when they stopped frequently, lengthening the already long ride. As other parts of the mountain grew around it, Snowdon became a pass-through area between Killington Peak and the upgraded Ramshead. This resulted in some dangerous trail intersections and safety concerns aside, a disjointed ski experience. In 2018, a new bubble 6 replaced the Snowdon Quad, the worst of the trail intersections were removed with tunnels, and now Snowdon is now an area people will seek out and lap. It has some nice top to bottom intermediate trails which the resort was short of before. It's also the main area for early season skiing once they've expanded beyond North Ridge.

These two areas would not have been upgraded and revitalized without detachble lifts. You can't do such a groundbreaking improvement of a trail pod or base area without a detachable lift anchoring it.

 

[x10003q]

Makes it easier to board so the lift is not stopped as often, less likely there will be injuries and lawsuits and people getting carried up the hill while hanging, less pain when the liftie is looking the other way as you are loading. Lots of marketing too. I just heard some great comments from the Smugglers' Notch owner who said that they have no real interest in upgrades but have actually considered a detachable double to replace the Madonna lift. For those who don't know, Smuggs has the oldest lifts around, no detachables... fewer crowds on the way down as a result.

There are no crowds on the way down because, during prime time, it takes 20 minutes standing in the corral and 20 minutes slowly riding up the mountain. Sitting 30 feet in the air in single digit temps and wind for 20 minutes is not fun. I did that during my youth and it sucked.

 

[raisingarizona]

1 run + 1 lift + 14 inches = NOPE.

 

[Harvey]

Loon just debuted an 8 pack. What is the practical limit for skiers sitting in a line, in a lift?

 

[tirolski]

What is the practical limit for skiers sitting in a line, in a lift?

Yer not supposed to sit in a lift line, standing room only, just sayin.

 

[abe]

It might be 8 or not much more, I have heard the 8'ers in practice have not a whole lot more capacity than 6'ers due to the difficulty in loading 8 skiers in a line every time.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

What is the practical limit for skiers sitting in a line, in a lift?

The limit may be more around the question of how much weight the haul rope can bear. Or maybe a question of the time to evacuate 130 chairs of 8 people each at the top of a windy peak with late December daylight.

 

[Milo Maltbie]

I've ridden the Big Sky 8 pack and even when there's a pretty long line it loads less than 8 on a lot of chairs. When you ride with 7 other people, sometimes it feels a little like a subway car, where you feel like you need to be careful about how you talk. I don't think we're gonna see many lifts bigger than 6.

mm

 

[Harvey]

I've never seen a detachable double. That would be pretty cool. Maybe a waste of money, but cool to see and ride.