Burke Announces Multi million dollar capital improvement plan for this year

[Birdman829]

What is with areas putting high speed quads that don't bring you anywhere? I can't stand skiing on the main part of attitash now because the lift to the top is agonizingly slow and the high speed quad doesn't service any useable terrain. Whenever I'm there I spend the whole day on Bear Peak. I hope Burke plans on putting one in that goes to the summit or the same thing will happen at Burke.

 

[thetrailboss]

What is with areas putting high speed quads that don't bring you anywhere? I can't stand skiing on the main part of attitash now because the lift to the top is agonizingly slow and the high speed quad doesn't service any useable terrain. Whenever I'm there I spend the whole day on Bear Peak. I hope Burke plans on putting one in that goes to the summit or the same thing will happen at Burke.

Read the earlier posts in this thread with regards to Burke's situation...

In sum, the current aim is to sell real estate at the BASE of the mountain, where most of the units are. Put up an HSQ down there, more people will buy theoretically. So if you build it they will come. Second, as discussed as well, Burke has an old Midway lodge that could be renovated/torn down and started over again really soon. If that was out of service for a season, it is best to have an HSQ from the base to get people up quicker if that lodge is offline.

And yes, there was mention in the AZ Challenge by Burke officials that if this merger/buyout/regime change/heist/takeover/whatever goes through, next order of business is the summit quad. As it stands the double was slower and older.

As for the general resort set-up for other places, the strategy assumes that most skiers will be at the bottom of the mountain, with the most terrain to spread out as opposed to the summit where there is less terrain and more expert terrain. It is literally like a pyramid...the base literally representing the base of the mountain...with more terrain, traffic, etc and the summit being the opposite. At least this is what LBO and his crew noticed. Get folks up and spread them out over all of the mountain rather than have them go to the top and ski straight down.

 

[thetrailboss]

Another reason why the summit quad is not an HSQ is the steep terrain. Very steep liftline, especially over Mid Fox's Folly where it is very steep and narrow. The terrain also does not have adequate snowmaking to handle an influx of traffic.

 

[awf170]

The terrain also does not have adequate snowmaking to handle an influx of traffic.

Didnt you hear, HSQ's and fixed grip have the same capacity. So they only days the amount of traffic will go up is days when there are no lines, so that everyone does laps faster

 

[riverc0il]

Another reason why the summit quad is not an HSQ is the steep terrain. Very steep liftline, especially over Mid Fox's Folly where it is very steep and narrow. The terrain also does not have adequate snowmaking to handle an influx of traffic.

i dunno about that. that liftline isn't really that steep. i love fox's, but it really isn't what i would call steep. even compared to other liftlines. they could definitely drop a HSQ over fox's easy. i don't think burke will ever see enough traffic to need to worry about the effects of a HSQ on conditions.

though a HSQ may not increase downhill capacity at burke, it certainly will increase trail wear as i have never once seen the current quad run at capacity which means skiers will get more runs in because of a faster lift.

 

[thetrailboss]

The current quad has a capacity of about 1600 skiers per hour. An HSQ on the same path would be about 2000, so if I've done the math right, that is MORE capacity.

Burke Update:

Just spoke with one of my friends up there. Major renovations to the lower lodge--new restaurant and interior work. They are repainting the lodges to a Taupe color instead of the gray. Dances will be once again held at the upper lodge on Saturday nights.

New quad is coming along...still waiting for news regarding the future of the mountain.

Currently there are 75-80 HKD towers sitting in the parking lot awaiting installation on the mountain.

 

[deadheadskier]

Another reason why the summit quad is not an HSQ is the steep terrain. Very steep liftline, especially over Mid Fox's Folly where it is very steep and narrow. The terrain also does not have adequate snowmaking to handle an influx of traffic.

I'm not sure if I understand what you're getting at here. Are you saying the terrain from the top is too steep and narrow to handle an influx of riders or are you saying that the liftline is too steep to run a HSQ up?

 

[awf170]

The current quad has a capacity of about 1600 skiers per hour. An HSQ on the same path would be about 2000, so if I've done the math right, that is MORE capacity.

OIC, forget how slow that quad was, but still that is not that much more capacity. But the speed being more than double as fast will probably get things tracked out way faster because there is rarely a line. So I guess it should stay the way it is

 

[thetrailboss]

Another reason why the summit quad is not an HSQ is the steep terrain. Very steep liftline, especially over Mid Fox's Folly where it is very steep and narrow. The terrain also does not have adequate snowmaking to handle an influx of traffic.

I'm not sure if I understand what you're getting at here. Are you saying the terrain from the top is too steep and narrow to handle an influx of riders or are you saying that the liftline is too steep to run a HSQ up?

Both actually :wink: I was saying the latter. The new lift will have to have significantly more hp to get the chairs up. If you look at the current quad, you can see that she climbs literally chair-over-chair up to the skyline there. It is a consistent pitch at the very least, may not be as steep as say...the headwall at Jay...but still pretty steep.

And yes, awf170, there are high capacity fixed grip quads, such as at Burke, Jay, and Sugarloaf. They can pack a lot of people, but they are slower.

 

[riverc0il]

charlie, myself, and bob r in the current quad pic TB referenced :beer: though i still think you are exagerating the steepness of the lift line trail. it's fairly mellow compared to many other lift lines in new england.

 

[thetrailboss]

charlie, myself, and bob r in the current quad pic TB referenced :beer: though i still think you are exagerating the steepness of the lift line trail. it's fairly mellow compared to many other lift lines in new england.

OK, I will concede that, but it is consistently steep for the first 2/3 in comparison to other lines which have flat plateaus or other sections.

My main point is that it will take a powerful engine to send chairs up that incline and back down. Lift technology amazes me...it really does...

The lower HSQ will only have 400 hp. The summit one will need more...much more...and will probably have to be configured differently for the weight and incline. Sugarbush's Slide Brook is a true beast of an HSQ.

 

[thetrailboss]

The Mountain has just posted an update on their website. New pic shows the new chairs lined up and the base station pretty much completed. The site says that the Leitner-Poma Lift will have an 1,800 pph rating, which is triple the double's 600 pph rating.

 

[thetrailboss]

Just an article updating the situation. Nothing new to report from what I've been told, but now confirmation that Ginn is 'most likely' the company that will take operating control of the mountain. We have heard no official confirmation as to what is going on up there.

The main thrust of the article confirms things that I had heard from a source two weeks ago...

 

[riverc0il]

http://www.snowjournal.com/page.php?cid=gallery5362

pics from last week. a lot more color this week than when these pics were shot. pic of the unload station in the mid-burke lot.

 

[thetrailboss]

Huh...just went to the Burke Mountain Website and it is locked :blink: Cuing me for a password...maybe movement with the new partner? Maybe the 'lockdown' to a private ski area has begun :lol:

 

[halfpintvt]

Burke Mountain Password????

I called Burke Mountain this morning and they said that they did not put a password on their website. Their web master is trying to fix the problem. Maybe they've been hacked.

 

[thetrailboss]

Re: Burke Mountain Password????

I called Burke Mountain this morning and they said that they did not put a password on their website. Their web master is trying to fix the problem. Maybe they've been hacked.

Maybe it was a joke or something...

Great to have you here, halfpintvt!

 

[nekgirl]

it's fixed, with new flashing photos on the front page!

 

[thetrailboss]

it's fixed, with new flashing photos on the front page!

Love the pics and site, NEK Girl. Thanks for keeping us Burke locals in the know on AZ! :beer:

 

[Masskier]

I was up at Burke last week. They are doing a major and complete renovation of the Base lodge. The cafeteria is completely gone and just about everything else. They built a large deck on the j-bar side. It is going to be quite nice when they are done.