Mt Snow Thread

[Ski2LiveLive2Ski]

Will be interesting to see how many chairs are on the lift replacing Sundance/Tumbleweed. I don't recall the exact number but I believe Sundance already had more chairs than any other lift I have ridden in recent years. This could well be a new record, at least for the NE.

 

[drjeff]

Will be interesting to see how many chairs are on the lift replacing Sundance/Tumbleweed. I don't recall the exact number but I believe Sundance already had more chairs than any other lift I have ridden in recent years. This could well be a new record, at least for the NE.

The old Sundance triple had 250ish chairs if I remember correctly.

Since the new lift will be a highspeed lift, which comes with greater spacing between the chairs, there won't be that many on it.

If you go based on the Grand Summit which has about 170/180 chairs on it, and the Bluebird which has 102 chairs on it, depending on what they choose to set the target capacity at for the new Sundance lift, that range of 100 to 150+ is probably how many will be on the lift.

And just eyeballing the chairs that (atleast as of last Friday) were still in the lower parking lot down by Snow Lake that are for the Sundance lift (the chairs for the Sunbrook lift look to be staged in the Carinthia parking lot), I would guess that there will be closer to 100 chairs than 150 chairs on the new Sundance lift

 

[Ski2LiveLive2Ski]

Thanks - hadn't realized this was a high speed lift. That changes things. My recollection was that Sundance was a bit under 230 - whatever it was, it was just a few chairs more than the double at Stowe - and it was the longest of the places we have recently skied in the NE (the Epic and Indy places in VT/NY/MA/PA and the Epic ones in NH). So the double at Stowe will now be the most chairs.

 

[Newpylong]

I can't imagine it being more than a 100 carriers if the Bluebird has 102 on it, and is what, 200 feet longer x each side?

 

[chrisw]

If LiftBlog's data for Sundance is accurate -- 3000 pph capacity for 6-pack = 7.2s chair interval, so 120' chair spacing at 1000fpm. 13,830' total line length, divided by 120' chair spacing = 115 chairs.

So, in summary, @Newpylong you are correct.

 

[drjeff]

Loading of the chairs onto the Sundance 6 has begun

 

[Newpylong]

Did they yank Seasons too or does it live another year?

 

[drjeff]

Did they yank Seasons too or does it live another year?

Seasons is still there, and word on the street is they will be running much more often this year and the Sundance Lodge will be open 7 days a week as well.

Also, not sure exactly what type of guns they installed on Hop, but they're going to be atleast semi automated

 

[Newpylong]

I'm sure it's Klik. HKD left everyone else by the wayside. Keep in mind "semi automated" is really Klik Manual. The hoses are permanently connected and drain automatically. Single levers instead of hydrants. Someone still has to turn them on by hand.

 

[SLyardsale]

Chairs on the rail for Sundance

 

[drjeff]

Pretty sure both lifts, baring unforseen events, will be completed and certified by December 16th (Sundance should be ready for Thanksgiving and Sunbrook by the 16th of December).. The 16th of December is when their head of Mountain Ops (close to emeritus status now), Dave Moulton, is retiring after a LONG career in the industry, and he has openly said that finishing BOTH of these lifts is what he wants as the culmination on his career, before he spends more time as a "regular" skier, husband, father, grandfather, sailor, and firefighter/first responder, and will let me buy him a drink or 2 since he won't have his name tag on anymore!

Got to see that base terminal in person a week ago before all the parking rails and only 3 chairs were there, and while I think I still like the wood planking on the newer Leitner/poma terminals better, the Dopp terminals are easy on the eyes to a mtn ops geek/efficianado for sure as well.

Can't wait to ride that lift hopefully in less than 2 weeks if mother nature, the Mount Snow mtn ops crews, the Dopp crew, and the VT tramway board inspectors get to do their thing!

 

[Newpylong]

View attachment 55022

Chairs on the rail for Sundance

Beautiful thing, and good to see someone finally just put in a rail again and not a second lodge for the chairs lol. Though I suppose space and lack of bubbles came into that decision.

 

[ctdubl07]

Beautiful thing, and good to see someone finally just put in a rail again and not a second lodge for the chairs lol. Though I suppose space and lack of bubbles came into that decision.

As a lift structure novice (don’t flame me) I’m curious, is the rack finished or does it get some type of yet to be installed covering to protect them?

 

[drjeff]

As a lift structure novice (don’t flame me) I’m curious, is the rack finished or does it get some type of yet to be installed covering to protect them?

As I understand it, there will be some type of cover, but just over the top section of the rails/superstructure to keep the grip area of the chair covered and protected from precipitation (especially if there may be an icing situation overnight) so that they won't have to de-ice the grips when opening up the chair. I do not believe that the entire chair will be covered when the final housing is installed on the rail assembly

 

[machski]

Beautiful thing, and good to see someone finally just put in a rail again and not a second lodge for the chairs lol. Though I suppose space and lack of bubbles came into that decision.

True, but for the bubble chairs, you want them warrantied you have to fully house them. Or no warranty is my understanding. Same with Cabins on gondi's

 

[IceEidolon]

It seems like most places that can take their chairs offline want to fully protect them, and the places that are okay with parking chairs exposed to the elements are fine leaving them on the rope. Which kind of makes sense - a compromise is more expensive than the cheap option and less effective than the expensive option.

 

[drjeff]

True, but for the bubble chairs, you want them warrantied you have to fully house them. Or no warranty is my understanding. Same with Cabins on gondi's

Granted the Bluebird at Mount Snow is now going into it's 11th (maybe 12th?) season of operation, but from what I see 1st hand now, the bubbles spend WAY more nights out on the haul rope year round now than they used to back in it's 1st few years of operation.

If they anticipate an icing event, or are planning on making snow on the upper portion of Lodge where the HKD tower guns are close to the lift, then they park them in the barn for the night, otherwise, even in the off season they tend to be out on the haul rope these days

 

[machski]

Granted the Bluebird at Mount Snow is now going into it's 11th (maybe 12th?) season of operation, but from what I see 1st hand now, the bubbles spend WAY more nights out on the haul rope year round now than they used to back in it's 1st few years of operation.

If they anticipate an icing event, or are planning on making snow on the upper portion of Lodge where the HKD tower guns are close to the lift, then they park them in the barn for the night, otherwise, even in the off season they tend to be out on the haul rope these days

Yeah, I'm betting the bubble warranty doesn't extend beyond first 10 years, if even that long. Not sure on the L-P set-up, I'm guessing pulling the chairs off and back on isn't fully automated like it is on Dopp's D-Line systems. Which makes that deal a bit more labor intensive if manual or semi-manual.

 

[drjeff]

If LiftBlog's data for Sundance is accurate -- 3000 pph capacity for 6-pack = 7.2s chair interval, so 120' chair spacing at 1000fpm. 13,830' total line length, divided by 120' chair spacing = 115 chairs.

So, in summary, @Newpylong you are correct.

Just read a post from part of the crew that loaded all of the Sundance chairs onto the parking rails.

The number of chairs on the Sundance 6 is.... 121.

They should start actually moving up and down the mountain on the haul rope for testing and inspection very soon!

 

[Newpylong]

Guess I was wrong. So more capacity than Bluebird right?