Catamount Summit Quad Next Season!

[Greg]

Just called their snowphone and they mentioned a new summit quad is on tap for next season! This will be a very welcome addition to a great little hill. With a season pass of $199 it's a great value with some decent terrain.

I was going to head over there this morning, but there is still some question whether Catapult will be open today (just spoke with ski patrol) so I'll probably just head to Sundown instead...

 

[ALLSKIING]

Just called their snowphone and they mentioned a new summit quad is on tap for next season! This will be a very welcome addition to a great little hill. With a season pass of $199 it's a great value with some decent terrain.

I was going to head over there this morning, but there is still some question whether Catapult will be open today (just spoke with ski patrol) so I'll probably just head to Sundown instead...

Cool....Midweek you could really get a ton of runs in. I wiil have to consider this mountain more for next years day trips.

 

[lloyd braun]

I don't see how increasing up hill capacity on East Coast ski areas is a good thing. Why would you want more people skiing on your already grossly over crowded slopes? Why does the forest service allow for such increases? It is irresponsible of the forest service, and the mountain operators. I am sure it will be a faster lift then what they have currently, but why is this good? More people getting dropped off at the top of the hill at a faster rate.....hmmm sounds like a good way to increase the amount of skiers on the hill, and subseqently the amount of collisions/injuries on the area.

I would be fighting this expansion, why is that not happening?

You all ski on slopes that are basically like a shopping mall on the day after thanksgiving, why would you want to make it worse?

and to the poster, if you think this is a "very welcome addition" I think you may need to re-think expansion and understand that if you support it [expansion], you will be increasing your chances of being hurt out there, skiing at your "great little hill"

 

[ALLSKIING]

I don't see how increasing up hill capacity on East Coast ski areas is a good thing. Why would you want more people skiing on your already grossly over crowded slopes? Why does the forest service allow for such increases? It is irresponsible of the forest service, and the mountain operators. I am sure it will be a faster lift then what they have currently, but why is this good? More people getting dropped off at the top of the hill at a faster rate.....hmmm sounds like a good way to increase the amount of skiers on the hill, and subseqently the amount of collisions/injuries on the area.

I would be fighting this expansion, why is that not happening?

You all ski on slopes that are basically like a shopping mall on the day after thanksgiving, why would you want to make it worse?

and to the poster, if you think this is a "very welcome addition" I think you may need to re-think expansion and understand that if you support it [expansion], you will be increasing your chances of being hurt out there, skiing at your "great little hill"

No, I don't ski on slopes as busy as a shopping mall. I guess you missed the "midweek" part of my post Have you ever skied at Catamount? I have once and there were about ten people there all day. This place needs a new quad.

 

[Newpylong]

Good bit of trolling...

The lift's at Catamount are 40 year's old, and look it. Go take a ride on one, you will know why it would be a welcome addition.

 

[lloyd braun]

Thanks for the insight on the current condition of the lift. For that I would agree to replace the lift. My concern is that increasing the amount of up hill capacity is creating the probems we have seen this season in relationship to injuries caused by collisions.

Out here in the west the forest service caps the amount of up hill capacity. That is why when new lifts go in around these parts old lifts go into hibernation. The forest service does not allow any more uphill capacity so the mountain has to manage that by closing lifts. Does the eastern part of the country have to abide by these rules? I would think so. That being said, there was probably some approval process that took place. This is where my concern is planted.

Why would they not replace with a detachable triple, or double. It would still increase but not by more than 50%, which is what happens when you double the chair size, assuming there are the same amount of chairs on the lift. There will probably be more chairs, because of technology, and the lift will turn faster. That will mean a huge increase.

Snowmass replaced a quad with a 6-pack this winter, it is insane how many people are in the loading and unloading areas now. Totally over crowded. The increase has created a steady stream of people moving down from the lift. High traffic areas are the most dangerous and these increases cause more people to be able to get into those aforementioned areas.

I don't want to get hurt out there, don't want anyone else to either.

 

[ALLSKIING]

Why would they not replace with a detachable triple, or double. It would still increase but not by more than 50%, which is what happens when you double the chair size, assuming there are the same amount of chairs on the lift. There will probably be more chairs, because of technology, and the lift will turn faster. That will mean a huge increase.

I would say that this would have been a fair compromise. Although I still welcome the quad over the old lift.

 

[Greg]

A detach triple? :blink:

I find it interesting how one could have such strong opinions on what's best for a ski area they've never been to... :roll:

 

[catskills]

I will give you a few hints about the new Catamount QUAD chair lift going in this summer.

1. QUAD will be a fixed grip quad (FGQ)
2. It is a used FGQ from another ski area here in the North East. Guess which one.

 

[drewfidelic]

Why does the forest service allow for such increases?

The forest service has no involvement. Most ski areas in the east are on private land (with some on state land), rather than the public national forest land where most western ski areas are located.

Why would they not replace with a detachable triple, or double.

Price. A used fixed quad is much cheaper to buy and operate than a detachable chair. Especially since a detach double or triple would most likely have to be a new lift-- how many of those are available on the used market?
________
FUCKTUE

 

[thetrailboss]

[*]It is a used FGQ from another ski area here in the North East. Guess which one.
[/list]

I don't know...was it a local place or somewhere else? I don't know of any places losing FCG's.

 

[riverc0il]

the only fixed grip quad i know of that recently moved was the temple quad sans chairs to nashoba. i don't know what they did with that chair though. i don't think they put it up? but the chairs were relic center pole double pairs, freaky looking! obviously the chairs were to be replaced. what happened to that quad?

 

[PowderDeprived]

I know this is about fixed grip quads, but a high speed detachible chair isn't all that bad for capicity, a few reasons.

1. When a resort is not crowded, durring the midweek etc... when you have the mountain to yourself, it is nice to get quick rides to the top so you don't half to spend most of the day riding chairlifts.

2. Lifties must like them, becase they don't have to grab it to slow it down.

3. High speed chairs can just be run slower, on crowded days to limit uphill capicity.
a PR excuse to do this is wind speed, or maintmence costs.

 

[Greg]

QUAD will be a fixed grip quad (FGQ)

I figured it would be a FGR. That's probably an appropritate lift for the area. I can appreciate the point about keeping the uphill capacity to skiable terrain in an appropriate ratio, but I feel Catamount really needed a better lift to the summit. There are two doubles as it (one goes almost to the top) so an FGR will not really increase uphill capacity all that much if it's the only lift run. I usually don't ski anywhere on crowded days (Saturdays, holidays) mid-season so a better lift for my Sundays or weekday visit is definitely welcome.

Another example of a lift that truly enhanced a mountain experience is when Jiminy replaced the summit double with a detachable six-passenger. Talk about increasing uphill capacity! What it does for me, a Sunday or weekday Jiminy visitor is allows me to get in a ton of vertical and make a day at a smaller hill feel like one at a big mountain.

 

[threecy]

A detach double or triple? That would have to be custom made! A used fixed grip quad is a much better and cheaper option - a high speed triple would run $3-4m if Leit/Poma or Dopp/CTEC/Garv would even consider making it. There are certainly no detach doubles or triples on the market - I only know of one detach triple in the east altogether.

The intent, I would assume, of putting a fixed grip quad there is to allow one lift to be operated instead of running both doubles when moderately busy. There are many other reasons, but its pretty much common sense.

 

[Npage148]

Are you thinking about the High speed triple at Gore?

 

[threecy]

Are you thinking about the High speed triple at Gore?

Yes

 

[lloyd braun]

I only know of one detach triple in the east altogether.QUOTE]


we have a detached triple here. Lift 8 on Ajax...... works nice!

 

[thetrailboss]

Are you thinking about the High speed triple at Gore?

I did not know they made such a thing! :blink:

 

[thetrailboss]

the only fixed grip quad i know of that recently moved was the temple quad sans chairs to nashoba. i don't know what they did with that chair though. i don't think they put it up? but the chairs were relic center pole double pairs, freaky looking! obviously the chairs were to be replaced. what happened to that quad?

According to the folks at Chairlift.org, the pylons, drive, and terminal went to Nashoba. Where they are going to put it/what they are going to do with it is beyond me. They ditched the chairs. A couple went to the Chairlift.org boys. I know that the old double went out west to an amusement park I think. So as far as I know, the quad is mothballed somewhere at Nashoba.