Chondola

[bvibert]

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

So does a gondola...

 

[bvibert]

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.

That's great that it can save the resort money, but I still don't see the big draw for the consumer. Seems like a weak marketing gimmick to me.

 

[Telemechanic]

That's great that it can save the resort money, but I still don't see the big draw for the consumer. Seems like a weak marketing gimmick to me.

It gives everyone who rides a choice of carrier type. Personally I think chairs are better suited for skiing and Gondolas are better suited for foot passengers. Sunday River expects to have both types of passengers going to North Peak and are betting others feel the same way. Its also good for marketing.

 

[MichaelJ]

This decision is not solely about ski season. It opens up access to the North Peak restaurant all summer and in all kinds of weather. It's not just about cold vs. warm skiers. People going to dinner will want to be in a gondola if it's raining. People going to weddings (I'm assuming they'll have them up there) may not want to be dangling off a chairlift in their formalwear. They may not even want anybody in an open chair after dark.

 

[AndyEich]

I'd think they would just have a fixed mix of chairs and gondola cars...

Management at SR publicly cited the ability to change the mix of chairs & gondolas as a benefit of the chondola, so I think that is in their plans. Space has already been surveyed and cleared at the top of North Peak for a chair/gondola storage building that will not be built this year. I think I heard it will be built next year, but whenever it happens I think we'll see them switch from having a fixed chair/gondola ratio to one that changes.
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PRILOSEC INJURY LAWYER

 

[Geoff]

Management at SR publicly cited the ability to change the mix of chairs & gondolas as a benefit of the chondola, so I think that is in their plans. Space has already been surveyed and cleared at the top of North Peak for a chair/gondola storage building that will not be built this year. I think I heard it will be built next year, but whenever it happens I think we'll see them switch from having a fixed chair/gondola ratio to one that changes.

OK. So it's a fixed ratio of chairs and gondola cars. If I owned the budget, I think I'd have higher priorities than building a shed and buying spare gondola cars and chairs. You can upload and download pedestrians and mountain bikes on a high speed chair just fine.

 

[AndyEich]

...You can upload and download pedestrians and mountain bikes on a high speed chair just fine.

You and I can ride a chair just fine, but how about a line of nonskiers going to a mountaintop concert, or drunk folks coming down from the North Peak bar at closing? Someone mentioned weddings--every wedding has at least a couple *really* old grandmas & grandpas who I'd be scared to put on a chairlift.

I rode up North Peak a few weeks ago and they were slowing it down every time someone got on--and even then there were occasional stoppages when folks didn't pick their feet up fast enough when getting on or didn't hustle away when getting off (both mistakes looked painful). It was not annoying since only every ~20th chair had somebody on it, but if the chair were anywhere near full the creeping pace would be unworkable.
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Velvettouch

 

[billski]

You and I can ride a chair just fine, but how about a line of nonskiers going to a mountaintop concert, or drunk folks coming down from the North Peak bar at closing? /quote]

Well, they are going to have a pretty LOOONG wait!:dunce:

From OTS (http://www.onthesnow.com/news/a/2249/sunday-river-installs-chondola)

"The Chondola will be 5,994 feet long, rise 1,149 vertical feet, carry 2,213 skiers per hour, have 64 six-person chairs and 16 eight-person cabins, and take 6.96 minutes for the trip."

So on a rainy night with a linefull of drunks, 16 cabins at 8 people/cabin, well, you do the math (~450/hr). Seems you could get some pretty long lines for a 6 minute ride.

 

[Geoff]

You and I can ride a chair just fine, but how about a line of nonskiers going to a mountaintop concert, or drunk folks coming down from the North Peak bar at closing? Someone mentioned weddings--every wedding has at least a couple *really* old grandmas & grandpas who I'd be scared to put on a chairlift.

I rode up North Peak a few weeks ago and they were slowing it down every time someone got on--and even then there were occasional stoppages when folks didn't pick their feet up fast enough when getting on or didn't hustle away when getting off (both mistakes looked painful). It was not annoying since only every ~20th chair had somebody on it, but if the chair were anywhere near full the creeping pace would be unworkable.

...but there will be gondola cars for Grandma and the liquid lounge people.

Let me provide a counter-example. I've been to Blackcomb a number of times where you had to download on that bottom Dopplemeyer quad with the bubble over it. They have competent staff loading and unloading. It's a high speed quad so it comes to a complete stop at the bottom. That's with people carrying skis across their lap on most of the chairs and it doesn't start & stop very often.

Is there something special about the people at Sunday River that they can't get on and off a high speed 6-pack?

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

...but there will be gondola cars for Grandma and the liquid lounge people.

Let me provide a counter-example. I've been to Blackcomb a number of times where you had to download on that bottom Dopplemeyer quad with the bubble over it. They have competent staff loading and unloading. It's a high speed quad so it comes to a complete stop at the bottom. That's with people carrying skis across their lap on most of the chairs and it doesn't start & stop very often.

Is there something special about the people at Sunday River that they can't get on and off a high speed 6-pack?

you're once again talking about downloading skiers and riders...think BEYOND the lift serving only to move skiers and riders...they're looking to eventually develop north peak into an on mtn entertainment center for nighttime activities, summer activities, etc. I can't think of a single resort that has a mtn top restaurant open at night that loads people up and down on chairs.
As for the drunks standing in line waiting for one of the 16 gondys...its not going to happen this soon...its being built for the long term development plans for the mtn...by the time north peak has all the nighttime amenities they've have built the building up top for load/unload/storage, they'll buy more gondy cars, etc...the chondola (dumb as it sounds) is phase one of a multi phase plan. I'm just glad they're putting it at north peak instead of Barker...that thing is going to be a lemming magnet that'll thin the lines at Barker.