Berkshire East & Catamount: 3 New Lifts, Terrain Expansions

[Abominable]

Catamount opening tomorrow, 11/30.

 

[urungus]

According to today’s conditions report, the new lift install is “ahead of schedule” … hard to believe since the schedule I have heard has the new lift opening in two weeks (weekend of Dec 16-17) and they haven’t strung the haul rope yet.

Our Leitner-Poma team is ahead of schedule and will be working on the new lift line. Therefore, the crossing from mid-Competition to Big Chief and vice-versa will be closed.

 

[machski]

According to today’s conditions report, the new lift install is “ahead of schedule” … hard to believe since the schedule I have heard has the new lift opening in two weeks (weekend of Dec 16-17) and they haven’t strung the haul rope yet.

"You've heard ". So less than an official reported date on confirmed internal plans.

 

[urungus]

"You've heard ". So less than an official reported date on confirmed internal plans.

I heard from Jon Schaefer himself when I asked him.

 

[RH29]

According to today’s conditions report, the new lift install is “ahead of schedule” … hard to believe since the schedule I have heard has the new lift opening in two weeks (weekend of Dec 16-17) and they haven’t strung the haul rope yet.

Since it's a detach, putting the chairs on is a much quicker process. I'd assume haul rope goes on this week and chairs by the end of the week.

 

[urungus]

Haul rope is being worked on

 

[WoodCore]

From the Beast web cams it looks like the haul rope is spliced and the com lines are being pulled,

 

[urungus]

Working on the chairs this morning

 

[drjeff]

Presuming no issues, they should be able to get all the requisite hours of testing, and then the load test, and certification done to carrying folks up the hill during X-Mas week. Kudo's to them to getting this almost across the finishline!

 

[urungus]

Few more photos / observations from today. FWIW, one of the guys on the construction crew said they were aiming for completion of new chairlift this Wednesday, I am skeptical.



New: Free S’mores on weekend afternoons courtesy LL Bean:


Boots and bags no longer allowed in main lodge and must be put in storage room next to bathroom, this will be a great improvement:




New charging station and new $50 Mug Club:


Excessive tree trimming on looker’s left of Upper Liftline:


The cliffs above Upper Comp have been re-graded into a steep narrow chute that looks fun. Wonder if they will resurrect the ‘Avalanche’ trail name. Also the clump of trees on skiers left of the Upper Comp drop-in have been cleared out:

 

[drjeff]

Completion of construction, and done with all the testing hours/load testing/certification work are 2 different things, and usually a week or so difference...

 

[doublediamond]

I heard mid-Jan opening

 

[urungus]

Berkshire East says they will reopen Thursday. Are those load-testing barrels for the new chairlift at the bottom of the first image ?

 

[Newpylong]

They look to be, and look at that chair spacing, good gawd. 45 chairs? Lucky for those filling and emptying.

 

[doublediamond]

1800 pph capacity & 1000 fpm speed = 133.33 feet. That pic looks about right.

 

[RH29]

1800 pph capacity & 1000 fpm speed = 133.33 feet. That pic looks about right.

That's only 900pph capacity for their mountain biking op. Seems very low, I suspect they'll go end up getting more chairs in a couple years, because right now, it's the same capacity as a fixed grip triple.

 

[doublediamond]

No way they are operating their fixed grip triple at half speed for biking, it’d be slower.

 

[urungus]

Snowmaking has begun again

 

[urungus]

New trail map is out. “Minnie Dole” above Deer Run no longer appears on map, topmost portion is now rated a blue square and renamed after a different ski patroller, Berkshire East ski patrol director Ed Ralicki. Grizzly has been lengthened a bit to take over the middle portion of Minnie Dole. A bit sad about this, l liked the “Minnie Dole” trail because of how weird it was.

 

[urungus]

Also:
* “Gronk Glades” (LOL at the name) bike trail officially added to the ski trail map, too bad
* no new official trail segments above Riva Ridge to connect to new chairlift unload
* Helicopter Landing Zone added in the parking lot. If only I had a helicopter.