Favorite surface lift?

[Glenn]

I totally ripped off Billski's chairlift thread.

I dig suface lifts and wish there were more of them. I can remember my first day of skiing and it involved a rope tow. I was able to sloooooooooooowly grab on to the rope and make my way up the trail. My brother didn't listen, he clamped down hard....faceplant.

I think J and T bars are cool. Wire t-bars are neat because they just weren't as popular.

But I have to tip my hat to the Poma surface lift. I dunno what it is, but those things are neat. As far as my favorite one: The one that runs up the race course trail at Burke. That thing is steep and it moves fast. A very cool experience. Haven't been there for years....10+

 

[crank]

I have 2 favorites. The first is the poma that takes you up the the top few hundred vertical feet of Copper Mtn. in CO. Before they installed that lift you had to hike to access the goods.

Favorite number 2 is, I think, gone now. That is the T bar that took you to the top of Saddleback. I know they put in a chair but I don;t know if they decommissioned the T.

 

[Johnskiismore]

I have a few, and I too wish there were more of them around!

The Poma lift that used to be on the north side of Mount Saint Anne. That thing flew!

The T-bar that used to reach the summit of Cannon

Last but not least, and this is a strange one, the T-bar that used to be at Prospect Hill in Waltham, MA That was another one the cruised

 

[billski]

whoops. I posted this at the chairlift. moving it here:

Any poma at Okemo. What? they're not there any more????
Last time I skied there (80-81, before they boulevard-ed the place) it was practically all pomas. They were the fastest suckers on the universe. No lines. No wind holds. You would be entirely shot after 4 hours of skiing you got so many run in. "Made you strong like bull" Good times.... __________________

 

[billski]

tip: don't hire a rope tow operator who does not know how to use it himself/herself .
They did that to my daughter who was learning to snowboard. They had her on backwards, she was in tears.

 

[drjeff]

The upper mountain poma at the re-opening this year Hickory Ski area in NY. That sucker absolutely launched even 200+lb me and it served some really cool natural snow, mad river-esque terrain!

 

[billski]

T bars were much easier to ride on than J bars. A little balance helps...

Then again, after 50 years, I tried to straddle a T bar last spring and nearly ended up amputated. Not so flexible any more!

 

[SIKSKIER]

The Bateau t-bar at the Loaf is pretty cool but I really miss the twin t-bars at
Cannon.The left (electric) t was faster and steeper.You could actually have a great run making turns uphill.When one or both were closed they then became traill 11.Good stuff before they f-ed up and put in Profile trail.

 

[4aprice]

I always loved the Pomas at Aspen Highlands. One skied down a ramp through a wand which released the Poma and then was sling shot up the mountain.

In the east the Poma at the top of Pico. I believe that was the steepest surface lift I ever rode.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[Zand]

I've ridden 1 detatchable poma in my life... Bunny Buster at Killington. Let's just say after the first time, I lapped it about another 5 or 6 lol. Makes me VERY excited to now be a 10 minute drive from one of the best remaining Poma's around... Burke. Can't wait to try that thing and basically become a regular on it.

 

[sLoPeS]

the Roca Jack!

 

[severine]

The only surface lift I've used is the magic carpet at Sundown for kicks with my daughter. I learned to ski late--never had an opportunity to use another kind of surface lift.

 

[danpop]

You beat me Slopes! That thing is crazy fast & fun. Especially bouncing off of the soft moguls underneath, flying at mach speeds!

 

[billski]

T I learned to ski late--never had an opportunity to use another kind of surface lift.

Black, NH has a nice, easy one for beginners.

 

[wa-loaf]

The Sugarloaf t-bar. Good for when the wind kicks up and it's pretty steep so there's usually a lot of carnage.

I rode this t-bar in Davos about 18 years ago. I think it went on for 4 miles. Crazy ...

 

[Talisman]

East:
I really like the Bateau T-bar at the Loaf.

West:

The T bar at Breckenridge is a fun ride to some good terrain. I just don't like the line on a powder day.

T-bar on the glacier at Blackcomb

 

[snowmonster]

Poma at Burke -- I like how it bends, not snowboarder friendly though

 

[Geoff]

The North Face lift at Crested Butte. It's the only access to their signature steep terrain.

El Roca Jack was already covered.

I really don't have one in the east. If I have to ride a surface lift at Sugarloaf, it's blowing sideways at 50 mph and everything is wind scoured.

For nostalga, the T-bars at Pine Top in Rhode Island were a hoot when I was a kid in the 1960's. They had so little snow that they had parallel blue plastic tracks for the liftline. They'd shovel in a little snow to cut down on the friction a little but you were mostly running on plastic.

 

[riverc0il]

Burke Poma for sure. Will miss the tbar at Saddleback.

 

[Hawkshot99]

My favorite that I have ridden was the Poma at K. I remember riding a T-bar as a kid with my sister. She lost her balance and as she was falling all of the weight was suddenly on my side, and I fell off as well.