Love for Smuggs

raisingarizona said:
Not necessarily. You could have a hsq chair but space the chairs out so it’s around the same capacity. I guess this might make the time in the line a bit longer but it’s easier to stay warm standing at the bottom than a longer time sitting on a wind blown chair ride.
Click to expand...

Those would be widely spaced chairs, to replicate the uphill capacity at Smuggs. Do people spend $5-8M on a HSQ and then widely space the chairs?

I'm sure if someone bought Smuggs and did it, everyone would love it. I'm just looking for lemonade in places that make sense to me personally.
 
Harvey said:
Those would be widely spaced chairs, to replicate the uphill capacity at Smuggs. Do people spend $5-8M on a HSQ and then widely space the chairs?

I'm sure if someone bought Smuggs and did it, everyone would love it. I'm just looking for lemonade in places that make sense to me personally.
Click to expand...
Snowbowl is doing just that, or at least that’s their claim for now.

Interestingly they do the opposite with the new fixed grip quad on hart prairie (long beginner slope). That line is stuffed with chairs and they run it excruciatingly slow. The idea there is that it keeps traffic down on an often dangerously packed run of first timers keeping the majority of people on the lift. There’s never a line but the ride is sooo long. I don’t think the never Evers care though and they probably enjoy the break.

Coleman seems a bit like a Texas showman that likes throwing his money around. I’m not complaining.
 
Last edited:
Harvey said:
Those would be widely spaced chairs, to replicate the uphill capacity at Smuggs. Do people spend $5-8M on a HSQ and then widely space the chairs?
Click to expand...
A concern when the Supreme triple at Alta was replaced with a HSQ was that too many people would be on the trails at once. Alta Lifts runs that lift in such a way that the capacity is about the same as before even though it a shorter ride for a longer distance.

For intermediates, loading a detachable is much less threatening than a fixed grip that's moving relatively fast. While it still happens, HSQs don't stop nearly as often as a speedy fixed grip lift when a lift serves terrain good for intermediates as well as advanced/expert skiers.
 
Smuggs has awesome terrain but the main lifts are ridiculous.

If you ski on weekends, spending 15+ minutes waiting in line for a 20 minute ride up sucks. By now they should have at least replaced the shorter Madonna 2 or the Sterling lift (or both) with a FGQ in order to lighten the lines a little. The main Madonna chair is 6720 feet long, so a FGQ would still have the long ride, but at least there would be much less of a wait at the base. If you want to keep the long double because you are trying to preserve the snow and make people "earn" the terrain ala MRG - ok. But the other 2 should have been replaced.

What is amazing that Gore is ranked 18 this season - just ahead of #19 Okemo.
 
Last edited:
I thought there was a plan for a high speed lift on Sterling a few years ago. Seemed like it already had Act 250 approval?
 
I'm saddened to learn of the passing of an old friend, and mentor of mine. "Arch" was an animal on skis, a great guy who loved to party with friends. His laugh was infectious. He took me to Tucks for the first time and watched me shit my pants --- lol. I could go on and on. Ski in peace brother
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
© Copyright 2008 - 2024 NYSkiBlog
Join | Subscribe | Advertise | Privacy
NYSkiBlog is for the rest of us: regular people with a sense of adventure, who love to ski.
We zig when they zag. To connect with us, follow us:
NYSkiBlog Facebook.
NYSkiBlog Twitter.
NYSkiBlog Instagram.
NYSkiBlog RSS.
Back
Top