Lifts that are never open

[Jully]

Agree. They totally screwed up the location of the Shooting Star lift. It should have started much further down in the Ravine. Even if you miss the exit for SS on some of the trails on that side of the main mountain you're screwed & have to go all the way to the bottom of the Sun Bowl. The exit is a sharp left & is easily missed. If the chair started further down it would better serve not only the trails off the main mountain but also the trails that Kidderbrook used to service.

Even the location of the Ursa chair is screwed up with everyone having to take that narrow traverse coming from trails on that side of the mountain or the Amex chair. The old liftline would have been much better with only having the base starting a little further down.

Agreed on the SS lift. I understand that they wanted it to be a seamless transition from the Sun Bowl lift, but in doing so they made it a short lift that doesn't reach all the trails in the same way.

URSA is a little better, but yeah that traverse is very narrow. I'm not at Stratton often enough to see any crashes or injuries, but I'd bet that the traverse area sees quite a few crashes on busier weekends.

 

[the_awesome]

Tomcat Triple at the Cat

 

[Smellytele]

Tomcat Triple at the Cat

I used to ride that all the time when they had the upper chair. Hated riding the belly beans. I have seen it open when there is a lot of wind at the top or the wind chill is very low and the top of the MTN is closed

 

[ironhippy]

I know many are not familiar but I don't think I've ever seen the t-bar on the backside of Mt. Sainte Anne open. There's a small but separate trail pod back there.

It runs, there is no snow making (and maybe no grooming) so they are at the mercy of the conditions (and maybe crowds).

I've used it a few times, but the terrain wasn't all that great, so I didn't stay.

They run the Tbar beside the north side chair during peak times.

 

[thetrailboss]

That seems dumb. Do they not bother to inspect it anymore? I thought I heard it was removed from the trail map.

Q did not like it and did not pay to have it inspected and ready to go. I think that might have changed. It is very windproof. Best to have it on standby for those windy days.

 

[Jully]

I have seen it open when there is a lot of wind at the top or the wind chill is very low and the top of the MTN is closed

This. I've seen it open on a peak day once when the quad line was the longest I've ever seen it (just under 10 minutes).

They tend to have problems with the quad that are not wind related a few times a year and they also will open tomcat then too.

It's a big shame that they got rid of the Catapult chair. It also would make them a great contender for the first open in the east if they had the chair and wanted to play that game. Not sure if they even would though.

 

[Jully]

Q did not like it and did not pay to have it inspected and ready to go. I think that might have changed. It is very windproof. Best to have it on standby for those windy days.

Most mountains have a windproof backup. Very odd that Q did not care for that. Not too surprising though...

 

[steamboat1]

URSA is a little better, but yeah that traverse is very narrow. I'm not at Stratton often enough to see any crashes or injuries, but I'd bet that the traverse area sees quite a few crashes on busier weekends.

When they had the lower traverse open to Ursa it was much better since that was a straight shot to the chair. I actually broke my ankle & blew out my ACL a few years ago after passing by the upper traverse to take the lower traverse not knowing the lower traverse was closed. I took it anyway & hit a frozen water bar causing my injury. The trail looked good from above. I understand now why they closed the lower traverse because there was two way traffic at the bottom of the traverse with both ways often doing speed. They must of had a bad accident there at one time causing them to only make it a one way.

 

[the_awesome]

I used to ride that all the time when they had the upper chair. Hated riding the belly beans. I have seen it open when there is a lot of wind at the top or the wind chill is very low and the top of the MTN is closed

True, but sometimes even with wind hold on the T2B they will push you to Bobcat, especially mid-week. They did utilize it a few times early in the season last year on busy weekends when the trail count was low to offer access to the lower trail pods while they blew snow on Upper Polecat.

I never got to ride the jelly beans...but seeing the one at Moat it doesn't seem like I missed much. I know they built the HSQ to run as shallow as possible to avoid wind hold (which seems to mostly blow up the mountain). I have experienced more delays due to early am icing than anything.

 

[steamboat1]

Hated riding the belly beans.

I assume by belly beans you're talking about the old gondola cars. I think they take the chairs off the HSQ during the summer & use the old gondola cars for scenic rides. If I'm wrong about my assumption excuse my ignorance as to what you were referencing.

 

[Jully]

I assume by belly beans you're talking about the old gondola cars. I think they take the chairs off the HSQ during the summer & use the old gondola cars for scenic rides. If I'm wrong about my assumption excuse my ignorance as to what you were referencing.

The belly beans are the old multicolored gondi cars. It was a 2 seater if I am not mistaken. First gondola in the US and not the most comfortable, fastest, or cleanest ride by the time it was removed in the late '90s. When they purchased the quad, they bought new, modern gondola cars for summer use.

 

[Jully]

When they had the lower traverse open to Ursa it was much better since that was a straight shot to the chair. I actually broke my ankle & blew out my ACL a few years ago after passing by the upper traverse to take the lower traverse not knowing the lower traverse was closed. I took it anyway & hit a frozen water bar causing my injury. The trail looked good from above. I understand now why they closed the lower traverse because there was two way traffic at the bottom of the traverse with both ways often doing speed. They must of had a bad accident there at one time causing them to only make it a one way.

That's the problem with traverses a lot of the time! You enter with a good amount of speed trying to get through and suddenly things are not as it seemed from above with either people or other obstacles in the way.

You'd think, with a dangerous spot like that they would mark it better with lots of bright orange objects saying one way trail or something. Maybe it is better marked nowadays.

 

[the_awesome]

I assume by belly beans you're talking about the old gondola cars. I think they take the chairs off the HSQ during the summer & use the old gondola cars for scenic rides. If I'm wrong about my assumption excuse my ignorance as to what you were referencing.

Yes, they use gondolas in the summer/fall for scenic rides. The new T2B HSQ replaced the old one (jelly beans) around 97, you can see the old cabins around, most notably at Moat Mountain Brewery.

 

[deadheadskier]

This. I've seen it open on a peak day once when the quad line was the longest I've ever seen it (just under 10 minutes).

They tend to have problems with the quad that are not wind related a few times a year and they also will open tomcat then too.

It's a big shame that they got rid of the Catapult chair. It also would make them a great contender for the first open in the east if they had the chair and wanted to play that game. Not sure if they even would though.

I'm not sure they could have kept the Catapult chair because there wouldn't be the space after installing the high speed quad unless they widened the trail. I suppose they could have moved it over to Lift Lion, but it probably would not be worth the expense as just an early and late season alternative. There's also not a lot of space for a bottom terminal and lift line waiting area where Lift Lion, Upper Catapult and Cat Track intersect. It is my understanding that because the lift existed prior, the application process with the USFS would be much easier if they were to want to put a new upper mountain lift in someday. I'd rather see Bobcat chair replaced before that happened.

Personally, if it's too windy to run the HSQ up top, I'm fine with sticking to Tomcat or Bobcat for the day. Actually the more likely scenario is I just head over to Attitash instead.

 

[steamboat1]

Yes, they use gondolas in the summer/fall for scenic rides. The new T2B HSQ replaced the old one (jelly beans) around 97, you can see the old cabins around, most notably at Moat Mountain Brewery.

I never rode the old gondola at Wildcat but did ride the old gondolas at both Sugarbush & Sugarloaf which appear to have been similar. I even forgot Wildcat had one.

 

[steamboat1]

Getting back to lifts that never run I recall both Mt. Sutton in Quebec & the Balsams in NH had old single post double chairs that I never seen them use the times I was there.

 

[Smellytele]

Yes, they use gondolas in the summer/fall for scenic rides. The new T2B HSQ replaced the old one (jelly beans) around 97, you can see the old cabins around, most notably at Moat Mountain Brewery.

Yes meant Jelly beans missed typed

 

[Smellytele]

I never rode the old gondola at Wildcat but did ride the old gondolas at both Sugarbush & Sugarloaf which appear to have been similar. I even forgot Wildcat had one.

I think Wildcat closed theirs last. I did ride Sugarloaf's both when it was from the bottom then from the midpoint.

 

[makimono]

the 2 person Wildcat Gondola was such a great spot to burn one down, especially if you got one of the rare purple cars, lately things just don't seem the same...

Vickery Triple @ Wachusett is rarely ever spinning

 

[machski]

The OZ quad is open weekends/holidays 10-2. Last season had miserable conditions on Oz terrain so it ran sparingly. It also runs even midweek when the remainder of the west side lifts are down on windholds.
East Basin Double at Loon runs quite a bit midseason and holiday/weekends but they do shed that lift first (kind of redundant but makes lapping the basin trails easier).