mount snow to install a bubble 6 pack next year!

[Glenn]

The chairs on this lift are beefy! I think they tip the scales at 1100lbs each. For a compairo, the quad chairs a few of us bought weigh 250lbs. Slight increase.

 

[vcunning]

Here's a couple of BubbleChair shots from last weekend

 

[bigbob]

they almost look like they could string up two quads on those things. Breckenridge and Seven Springs, Pa are the only places I have been on 6 packs, and I did not notice the towers and sheeve tops being noticably larger than a regular lift.

Stratton, Vt has a bunch along with the chairs on the Chondola at Sunday River, Me.

 

[mlkrgr]

Stratton, Vt has a bunch along with the chairs on the Chondola at Sunday River, Me.

Also, Ragged has a 6 pack. It definitely makes a big difference over skiing from their triple, which allows you to reach a few trails on the other side. Should be an interesting place in the weekends as it'll probably get quite crowded on the trails even though the lines will let up on Mt Snow. Good thing about Stratton is the lines move pretty darn fast; same thing with the chondola at Sunday River.

 

[k123]

New video

 

[Newpylong]

Also, Ragged has a 6 pack. It definitely makes a big difference over skiing from their triple, which allows you to reach a few trails on the other side. Should be an interesting place in the weekends as it'll probably get quite crowded on the trails even though the lines will let up on Mt Snow. Good thing about Stratton is the lines move pretty darn fast; same thing with the chondola at Sunday River.

I don't foresee the crowds being that bad. As it stands the majority of people were standing in the lines at the base and the trails were already empty (outside of Long John). There will be more people on the trail but there are plenty of places for people to go at the top during mid season so I don't see the skiing experience is going to suck that bad. As it stands its really only possible to lap the fixed grips on the weekends so I think this will definitely help things out.

 

[Glenn]

My wife and I went to the mountain this weekend and did a little hiking around. We basically went up Sweet 16 from the base area and took Somerset Road all the way over to One More Time, and back down to the Grand Summit.

They're making awesome progress on the lift and the barn. The barn had about half of its roof decking on and they were working on the inside Saturday. The lift towers are in and it's pretty cool to look up the lift line and see them standing there. They had two spools of cable there as well. It's really cool to see things in progress.

 

[Newpylong]

That lift is simply going to be a monster... everything about it is huge...

 

[C-Rex]

All I see when I look at that lift is the ridiculous crowd that will be standing around in the way at the top. If anyone needs me I'll be hiding in the woods on the north face.

 

[k ski patroler]

Sound cool, maybe I'll consider going up in the next few years.

 

[marcski]

Frankly, it's just a lift. For me, it won't make much of a difference. I tend not to ski to the bottom of the front face on weekends. I still won't.

And IMHO, the bubble is total marketing hype. Will get vandalized and probably removed within a few seasons.

 

[k ski patroler]

Frankly, it's just a lift. For me, it won't make much of a difference. I tend not to ski to the bottom of the front face on weekends. I still won't.

And IMHO, the bubble is total marketing hype. Will get vandalized and probably removed within a few seasons.

Just a lift? It could change the entire mountain's character and change the areas where most of the skiers visit. This could be good or bad.

 

[marcski]

Just a lift? It could change the entire mountain's character and change the areas where most of the skiers visit. This could be good or bad.

Not sure about you, but I ski mountains and trail pods or areas based on terrain...not lifts.

There was already a lift there...its just going to increase the uphill capacity in that area....Presumably less people waiting on the lift line and more people on the trails, right? May not so good IMHO. Mt. Snow is already becoming overly crowded on weekends IMHO...McSnow.

 

[Newpylong]

All I see when I look at that lift is the ridiculous crowd that will be standing around in the way at the top. If anyone needs me I'll be hiding in the woods on the north face.

The lift is going to unload facing the Grand Summit Quad and Exhibition, so the crowd shouldn't be in your way. Plus, there is always the Grand Summit lift itself, which most likely I will use given how the lines will probably be on the six pack.

 

[drjeff]

Not sure about you, but I ski mountains and trail pods or areas based on terrain...not lifts.

There was already a lift there...its just going to increase the uphill capacity in that area....Presumably less people waiting on the lift line and more people on the trails, right? May not so good IMHO. Mt. Snow is already becoming overly crowded on weekends IMHO...McSnow.

If you really think that Mount Snow is already overcrowded on the weekends, then there's a bunch of us here on AZ that will gladly show you around on weekend. When you take a look at what the theoretical maximum capacity per hour of the Bluebird Express (2600 per hour) vs. that of the old summit local (1800 per hour), you're only talking about an theoretical extra 800 people per hour at the summit, and from there you can spread them out over almost any trail at Mount Snow.

As someone who typically skis Mount Snow 40+ days a season, and most every weekend theyre open each season, I'm not at all worried about the Bluebird Express having a negative effect on my downhill experience there as plain and simple there's just an ample amount of acreage *MOST* weekends

 

[Newpylong]

Not sure about you, but I ski mountains and trail pods or areas based on terrain...not lifts.

There was already a lift there...its just going to increase the uphill capacity in that area....Presumably less people waiting on the lift line and more people on the trails, right? May not so good IMHO. Mt. Snow is already becoming overly crowded on weekends IMHO...McSnow.

You haven't been skiing there long have you? Up until the mid 1990's they used to average more than 500,000 skiers a year and let me tell you, given the old lifts back then the place was a parking lot. Last year they managed to get back around 445,000 visits... in my opinion the more the better. There are always places to hide and more visits = more capital expenditure and long term viability which in this economy is a good thing. If you think it's McSnow you're free to go somewhere else right? Plenty of places right up the road... they are only doing what they feel their customers wanted most - and that's lift improvements.

 

[marcski]

I know Mt. Snow very, very well. I was a long time season pass holder. I have skied there for years over the course of decades.

Like I said, IMHO, I do think Mt. Snow is too crowded on weekends. I do ski elsewhere now, by choice. I usually still ski there on a few weekends when I visit friends that live and work in the valley. I also love the spring beer fest, but it is late season, crowds are gone!. If I skiing for myself (as opposed to when I am with my girls), I tend to mostly ski the woods and the north face. I usually tend to stay away from the front face when the place gets busy, but will ski a few runs off sundance chair on uncles-ridge and the woods off uncles. Ego alley woods are fun too for some low angle glades.

 

[Glenn]

I'm sure it's true with any mountain on the weekend; you just have to know where to go.

I find most of the times, the mountain isn't that bad as far as crowds go. It's busier on the holiday weekends, but that's no surprise. Then again, we're blacked out on the big vacation days, so we don't experience the huge volumes.

 

[C-Rex]

You haven't been skiing there long have you? Up until the mid 1990's they used to average more than 500,000 skiers a year and let me tell you, given the old lifts back then the place was a parking lot. Last year they managed to get back around 445,000 visits... in my opinion the more the better. There are always places to hide and more visits = more capital expenditure and long term viability which in this economy is a good thing. If you think it's McSnow you're free to go somewhere else right? Plenty of places right up the road... they are only doing what they feel their customers wanted most - and that's lift improvements.

True, there are many other options and I will exercise that choice, as I'm sure many people will. I just see the sad evolution of a company becoming more and more corporate. It's all about the bottom line. I understand it's a business and businesses have to make money, especially in a bad econmomy. But these things tend to get taken too far. They are trying to mass produce the skiing experience and run the mountain with greater benefits of the economies of scale. The problem is that the product quality usually suffers when this happens.

I'd rather get 8 runs a day at Smuggs, freezing my butt off on the slow, double chairs, than get 20 runs in but spend the majority of them just trying to avoid hitting/getting hit by someone.

Again, I understand not everyone feels like I do. And in a way, I'm glad Mt. Snow will be drawing the masses to them on the weekends. It just means more trail for me when I go somewhere else.

 

[oakapple]

IMHO, the bubble is total marketing hype. Will get vandalized and probably removed within a few seasons.

The bubble isn't just a marketing construct. Similar lifts have been installed at many other ski areas, and they are still in service. They don't get vandalized, any more than any other ski equipment (i.e., not so much). Skiing is expensive, and people do it for pleasure. It doesn't attract very many of the bozos who want to ruin the experience for themselves or for others.