Chondola

[billski]

Will someone please explain to me the appeal of the "chondola"???
Don't both the gondola and chair have the same capacity? If so, why mix them up?
are there two lines now?
I don't get it.

http://www.chondola.com/


Oh, and secondly, "it will introduce 12 hour skiing and riding". Really!

 

[wa-loaf]

I don't really "get" the idea of a chondolla either. But, yes Sunday River wants to start offering night skiing.

 

[bvibert]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't see the point.

 

[billski]

maybe it's just a marketing gimmick - gives them more opportunity for free press.

 

[deadheadskier]

I think the only point is to move non-skiers/riders up the mountain for other activities such as dining. A chair is a superior mode of transport as it can operate in heavier winds. A gondola is better for folks who want to go up the mountain to a restaurant or whatever, but don't have the latest Arc'tyrx $500 ski pants to keep them warm

 

[WJenness]

The appeal is that they could build one lift to satisfy the following things:

Getting the herd of people out of South Ridge in the morning
Allow for nighttime dining and activities at the peak lodge
Create a buzz for the resort
Allow for night skiing

And yes, there will be two lines at the bottom. The gondola cabins will load on the downhill side of the terminal and the chairs will load in the standard location. At the top, you'll ski off the chair or get out of the gondola as it begins the turn.

The chairs are six packs and the gondola cabins are 8 person cabins. During colder times (think Maine evenings in January) they can run more gondola cabins for the diners and skiers, and during the warmer / windier days, they can run more/all chairs.

-w

 

[billski]

The appeal is that they could build one lift to satisfy the following things:

Getting the herd of people out of South Ridge in the morning
Allow for nighttime dining and activities at the peak lodge
Create a buzz for the resort
Allow for night skiing

And yes, there will be two lines at the bottom. The gondola cabins will load on the downhill side of the terminal and the chairs will load in the standard location. At the top, you'll ski off the chair or get out of the gondola as it begins the turn.

The chairs are six packs and the gondola cabins are 8 person cabins. During colder times (think Maine evenings in January) they can run more gondola cabins for the diners and skiers, and during the warmer / windier days, they can run more/all chairs.

-w

oh, so they're detachable? Well, then bully to the lift manufacturer - they get to sell 2x the number of chairs/gondis and the resort gets to charge us more because of the higher capital cost, higher maintenance cost.

The gondi at Squaw serves a mountaintop facility at night, but the skiers still use it all day....

Seems to me a higher capacity gondi would cover points 1, 2 and 4. Point 3 is, as you say, buzz. Nobody shuts down a gondi on a warm day.

smells like an expensive gimmick to me.

 

[billski]

A gondola is better for folks who want to go up the mountain to a restaurant or whatever, but don't have the latest Arc'tyrx $500 ski pants to keep them warm

well, then DH, you're not invited :flame:

 

[WJenness]

oh, so they're detachable? Well, then bully to the lift manufacturer - they get to sell 2x the number of chairs/gondis and the resort gets to charge us more because of the higher capital cost, higher maintenance cost.

The gondi at Squaw serves a mountaintop facility at night, but the skiers still use it all day....

Seems to me a higher capacity gondi would cover points 1, 2 and 4. Point 3 is, as you say, buzz. Nobody shuts down a gondi on a warm day.

smells like an expensive gimmick to me.

If they just built a gondola, sure skiers could use it all day just fine.

Agreed, no one closes a gondola on a warm day, but I'd rather be on a chair than in a gondola cabin on a warm day, wouldn't you?

SR didn't need to buy twice the carriers, instead of buying (number pulled out of thin air) 80 chairs, they bought 64 chairs and 16 gondola cabins. Sure, they can add more later (of whichever flavor they wish), but it's more of a chair lift with a few gondola cabins... My guess is that this was cheaper than a full fledged gondola, but I have no way of knowing that.

-w

 

[wa-loaf]

I'll take it over one of those stupid cabriolet lifts. Who thought that an open air gondola you have to stand up in was a good idea? :roll:

 

[Beetlenut]

I'll take it over one of those stupid cabriolet lifts. Who thought that an open air gondola you have to stand up in was a good idea? :roll:

Or a completely closed in Gondola that you have to stand up in, like Stratton!! If I have to take off my skis to ride a lift, I don't want to have to hold-on to them in a telephone booth, with 10 other people, and stand up the entire lift ride! Brilliant idea Stratton!!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I like the idea..on warm days chairs are better and on cold days or if you want to have a safety meeting then the Gondola is better..

 

[JD]

That's easy. When you want to smoke weed with your crew, you ride in the car. If you don't want to be subjected to weed smoke....ride the chair.
Steeze gets it......

 

[SkiDork]

re: no one closes a gondola on a warm day

What exactly does this mean? Closing a gondola is optional? The ones I've ridden are mechanically closed.

 

[WJenness]

re: no one closes a gondola on a warm day

What exactly does this mean? Closing a gondola is optional? The ones I've ridden are mechanically closed.

I read it as 'closes' = not spinning the lift.

-w

 

[SkiDork]

I read it as 'closes' = not spinning the lift.

-w

Oh... Never mind...

 

[Geoff]

The chairs are six packs and the gondola cabins are 8 person cabins. During colder times (think Maine evenings in January) they can run more gondola cabins for the diners and skiers, and during the warmer / windier days, they can run more/all chairs.

-w

I'd think they would just have a fixed mix of chairs and gondola cars. If you are a wimp about the cold, you take your skis off and stand in the gondola line. If you're ensconsed in your personal Gore-Tex microclimate as Arc'TeryxMan, you ride the chair. In the spring, you can skip the line for the 6-pack and ride the 8-seater sauna.

The KMart gondolas come off the haul rope every night and are stored in a shed at the bottom of the lift (and at the midstation on the Skyeship). I always thought Killington did that because the cars are heated so they needed to charge the battery for the fan and put kerosene in the heater reservoir. POWDR stopped heating them last year but still put them in the sheds at night. You certainly don't need to do that on a high speed quad and I don't understand why they don't leave them on the haul rope overnight all the time unless they're expecting an ice storm or very high winds.

 

[kcyanks1]

I'd think they would just have a fixed mix of chairs and gondola cars. If you are a wimp about the cold, you take your skis off and stand in the gondola line. If you're ensconsed in your personal Gore-Tex microclimate as Arc'TeryxMan, you ride the chair. In the spring, you can skip the line for the 6-pack and ride the 8-seater sauna.

The KMart gondolas come off the haul rope every night and are stored in a shed at the bottom of the lift (and at the midstation on the Skyeship). I always thought Killington did that because the cars are heated so they needed to charge the battery for the fan and put kerosene in the heater reservoir. POWDR stopped heating them last year but still put them in the sheds at night. You certainly don't need to do that on a high speed quad and I don't understand why they don't leave them on the haul rope overnight all the time unless they're expecting an ice storm or very high winds.

Gore used to take its old gondola cabins off the cable every night. I think, but could be wrong, that they used to even take off the detachable triple chairs every night..this was years ago, so I could just be wrong. I'm not sure what they do with their new gondola or with the triple currently.

 

[Razor]

Chondola also allows for bikes, strollers, wheelchairs, etc. to go up, especially in the off season.

 

[Telemechanic]

Chairs cost about half as much as cabins. Chairs are also less expensive to maintain than cabins. Development of the chondola has allowed ski areas to save money by buying a lift that better targets their needs.