Detachable vs Fixed Grip Lifts

[raisingarizona]

It's got to be longer than 13 minutes.

If I were a season pass holder at Smuggs I'd get kind of "over it" at some point doing laps on that thing, especially for marginal conditions.

 

[raisingarizona]

I stand corrected. It is around 13 minutes I guess.

You could easily knock off 3 or 4 minutes moving the bottom terminal up the hill to cut out the runout. Replace the chair with a modern fixed grip and you could probably be doing hot laps with a 6.5-7 minute ride? Total guesstimation there.

 

[SayvilleSteve]

So if we assume 13 mins with no stops.... HS would do it in...how much?

According to Lift Blog, typical high speed lifts go 1000 feet per minute. Madonna is 6,719 ft. Even at 800 fpm that's well under 9 minutes. 4+ minutes when it's below zero is a long time.

Will Detachable Lifts Get Faster?

There’s a lively discussion going on over at Alpinforum about the future of detachable lifts, which haven’t gotten much faster despite huge advances in technology over the last thirty y…

liftblog.com

 

[Campgottagopee]

You just like resting those knees

Damn right!

 

[Campgottagopee]

Is Madonna the lift everyone complains about?

I'll take X's comment one more step. Not regarding the cold, rather you haven't had the shit scared out of you until you've banged off a tower going up the M1. Wind comes out of nowhere and will send you! It's wicked scary. I cried once.

 

[Harvey]

Yes and also for marketing. People also know that when the ski area is not at max capacity - they will get in more skiing. It is called skiing, not sitting.

The potential owner motivations I see:

More tickets sold because of greater capacity
Higher ticket prices because of greater perceived value
Better customer relations because almost everyone likes HS lifts
Better beginner experience √

Is there another choice I'm missing?

 

[Harvey]

You could easily knock off 3 or 4 minutes moving the bottom terminal up the hill to cut out the runout.

Makes 100% sense.

 

[Harvey]

when it's below zero

Earn em!

 

[Andy_ROC]

I still greatly prefer high speed quads though I've softened my position because of this thread.

My home mountain Bristol has two high speed quads that have 1100 vert and 3/4 mile long and both rides are about 4:30. They serve mostly blue and black with only 1 green way down. Great for blue/black hot laps. But the green is crowded and downright scary at times since it's only 1 way down.

On the southern side they have 2 beautiful wide long greens and one wide, very easy blue. But the only practical way to ride those (without hiking) is to take a fixed grip quad, known as the Siberian crawler. While only 522 vert and 0.6 miles it takes 8:22. By comparison it sees little traffic and I think it's because people a spoiled by the high speed quads.

While a high speed may be expensive overkill I'd love to see them install something like a poma platter lift at the top to connect the high speed quad to these easier greens.

 

[Milo Maltbie]

Theoretically I like detachables but my favorite rides are all fixed grips: Castlerock, the MRG single, the B lift at Windham, Hickory Hill (the Poma is not a fixed grip, but still...) the old Rendezvous Bowl T bar. I way more enjoy Gore because of all the fixed grips going to different areas. IT's not really feasible to run detachables to all those places.
But I'm a cranky old man. I haven't liked anything that's happened in the last 20 years.

mm