Detachable vs Fixed Grip Lifts

[Brownski]

Wasn’t the Pico summit chair the first detach on the east coast?

I don't know but maybe. I believe they're both from the eighties
edit: I looked it up. They were installed in ‘87 and ‘88

 

[Campgottagopee]

Those Pico lifts are pretty old for detachables. What would be your upgrade plan for Pico if you were in charge, Sno?

Can betchurass all open by Xmas

 

[raisingarizona]

I don't know but maybe. I believe they're both from the eighties
edit: I looked it up. They were installed in ‘87 and ‘88

Stowes 4runner was the first in New England, installed in 86.

 

[snoloco]

The Yan detachables at Pico were built in 1987 and 1988. Not the first detachable chairlift in the Northeast. That was the original Adirondack Express at Gore, built in 1984. The first high speed quad in the Northeast was the original Fourrunner at Stowe, built in 1986. 1987 was a big year for detachables in the Northeast. Hunter opened their high speed quad, built by Poma, and 5 Yan high speed quads were installed, with two at Killington and one each at Pico, Mount Snow, and Sunday River. 1988 marked the debut of the second Yan detachable at Pico, plus the Stratton Gondola, Loon Gondola, and Summit Express at Waterville Valley.

 

[ne_skier]

Pico does have some very rare fixed grips however - Outpost and Bonanza are the last two remaining original Carlevaro-Savio chairlifts

 

[snoloco]

Pico does have some very rare fixed grips however - Outpost and Bonanza are the last two remaining original Carlevaro-Savio chairlifts.

I believe they are the only ones that still have the original chairs. There are a few others out there that have had the chairs replaced or received other modifications. When you think of it, Pico's lifts really come in pairs. They have two Carlevaro and Savio doubles, two Hall triples, and two Yan high speed quads.

 

[tirolski]

Finally got to ride the Kancamagus 8 at Loon, often referred to as Kanc 8, and styled on the logo as Kan8amagus. It's a Doppelmayr D-Line model installed last summer. It's the third lift to serve the West Basin terrain at Loon, as it replaced a high speed quad, which replaced a double-double.

The lift statistics are as follows:

Length: 3992 feet
Vertical: 1065 feet
Capacity: 3500 riders per hour
Speed: 1080 fpm

Flat light made it difficult to take good pictures, but I did the best I could. This was taken near the top of the lift first thing in the morning.
View attachment 11922

The bottom terminal is inside a large building. This building also houses the chairs, which are parked inside every night. This lift is bottom drive, but you'd hardly notice. It has a Doppelmayr Direct Drive (DDD). The motor is attached directly to the bullwheel and there is no gearbox. Not only is this more efficient and more reliable, but it is also extremely quiet. There are return terminals that are louder than this drive terminal. There are loading gates and a conveyor. This is important because it helps to line up all 8 people so they all sit down at the same time.
View attachment 11923

The top is a standard Doppelmayr D-Line station.
View attachment 11925

The lower section of the lift, taken late in the day.
View attachment 11924

This lift has individual seats with contoured backs. And yes, they are heated. It seems to work better on some chairs than others, but is definitely noticeable, particularly on cold days like the day I took these pictures. The bubble of course does a great job keeping the wind out, and since 8 pack chairs are very heavy, the lift will almost never go on wind hold. The safety bar locks in place once it is down, and each foot rest has a bar between your legs, so it is impossible to fall out. The safety bar and bubble automatically raise at the top.
View attachment 11926

Last but not least, this lift has excellent capacity. Even with no organization (European style line for European style lift), the line pictured was under 12 minutes. Also, just look at the size of the bottom terminal. It's as big as the lodge, if not bigger.
View attachment 11927

Seems they read your writeup Sno and then added somethings.

Skiing: Loon Mountain offers a peek at innovations coming to Maine resorts

The New Hampshire ski area is owned by Boyne Resorts, which also owns Sunday River, Sugarloaf and, now, Shawnee Peak, in Maine.

www.pressherald.com

 

[Harvey]

That was the original Adirondack Express at Gore, built in 1984.

It lasted a long time.

 

[tirolski]

Anybody understand Korean?

 

[snoloco]

I don't, but this the first time I've seen a detachable roll back. Note that it did not pick up nearly as much speed as a fixed grip would. The lift this happened on is a Poma high speed quad from the early 90's. At that time, Poma did not design their lifts to allow for reverse operation like Doppelmayr did. However, the grips should still work in reverse. My guess is that the chair pileup was caused by a spacing clutch which wouldn't advance a chair in reverse, so it got stuck and all the other chairs piled up.