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Outpost at Pico

SkiingInABlueDream

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Question for anyone who remembers Pico from the 1980's. I skied there (and Kton) a lot as a kid in early & mid 80's. I don't ever remember seeing the Outpost chair turning. And these were weekends. The area just always looked inactive. The first time I rode the chair was mid 90's.
Wondering if anyone can confirm what I remember. Does the chair see more run time in recent decades than say pre-1990?
 

Highway Star

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It runs almost every weekend mid season and some holidays, some mid week powder days, check the ski report the night before. Never any snowmaking and no grooming that I'm aware of, so that's a factor in it running. The trails are accessible from the lower quad with a short walk if the double isn't running. But nobody skis there, the terrain and snow are terrible, so don't even bother.
 

Newpylong

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They have made snow on Bronco in recent years after a hiatus. It was updated with tower guns in the late 90s by Otten for race training but they didn't use it for long until recently. The HKDs are gone. They groom it too.
 

WoodCore

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I always remembered it running in the 80's. Before the Golden Express and Summit Express chairs were installed it was a great place to avoid the long lines on the summit chair. Combined with the Birch Glade chair and the Summit Poma (when it was running) it was also a great lift tri-fecta to access the summit. In fact if all the lifts were running you could go use the Knomes Knoll>Outpost>Birch Glade>Poma lifts to completely bypass the two doubles and go base to the summit. It took some time but the lifts typically did not have liftlines and you were skiing in between each lift ride. Loved the lift configuration at Pico in the early 80's.
 

MadMadWorld

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I've only been a few times but each time I was there it was open. I really enjoyed it. I've always been fond of mid mountain lifts and pods...more time for skiing less time for sitting.

I fondly remember the mid mountain lift at Wildcat. I remember as a kid doing laps on Top Cat and Lift Lion all day when they had it running.
 

Highway Star

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They have made snow on Bronco in recent years after a hiatus. It was updated with tower guns in the late 90s by Otten for race training but they didn't use it for long until recently. The HKDs are gone. They groom it too.

Pics or it didn't happen.
 

thetrailboss

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Can't say for the 1980's. I would assume so when it was under previous ownership. I can say it ran regularly under ASC in 2000-2001 and 2006-2007 when I last skied there. As said, weekends and holidays mainly.
 

SkiingInABlueDream

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I always remembered it running in the 80's. Before the Golden Express and Summit Express chairs were installed it was a great place to avoid the long lines on the summit chair. Combined with the Birch Glade chair and the Summit Poma (when it was running) it was also a great lift tri-fecta to access the summit. In fact if all the lifts were running you could go use the Knomes Knoll>Outpost>Birch Glade>Poma lifts to completely bypass the two doubles and go base to the summit. It took some time but the lifts typically did not have liftlines and you were skiing in between each lift ride. Loved the lift configuration at Pico in the early 80's.

Interesting. Perhaps I'm remembering wrong. It did always seem really wierd that an entire section of the mountain (didn't use the word "pod" at the time) would have its own lift yet never run.

I remember those long waits for the summit double, and the Birch double also. I don't particularly miss either of those lifts, except perhaps the nostalgia of the summit double.
Summit poma's another story. It literally felt like I was sitting almost fully on the platter at the steepest section near the top. That lift was fun to ride.
 

thetrailboss

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Interesting. Perhaps I'm remembering wrong. It did always seem really wierd that an entire section of the mountain (didn't use the word "pod" at the time) would have its own lift yet never run.

I remember those long waits for the summit double, and the Birch double also. I don't particularly miss either of those lifts, except perhaps the nostalgia of the summit double.
Summit poma's another story. It literally felt like I was sitting almost fully on the platter at the steepest section near the top. That lift was fun to ride.

I know that ASC's thought was that folks would ride the Golden Express and hike up to the top of Outpost. It makes sense on paper, but folks don't generally want to pay to hike up terrain so that the ski area can save money by not running the lift. As I recall, it is a relatively short and flat climb from the top of Golden Express, but again, folks don't want to do that. Some neat terrain over at Outpost for sure. Bronco was widened for racing IIRC.
 

SkiingInABlueDream

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I feel like I should know the answer to this but I don't off the top of my head. Can you see the Outpost chair (the lift itself) from the summit trail pod? Im specifically thinking of Pike down to where the summit double started and those trails on looker's left. If the answer's no it might explain why I never saw the Outpost chair turning back in the day. :)
 

SkiingInABlueDream

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I know that ASC's thought was that folks would ride the Golden Express and hike up to the top of Outpost. It makes sense on paper, but folks don't generally want to pay to hike up terrain so that the ski area can save money by not running the lift.

If that was ASC's only mistake... :)

Some neat terrain over at Outpost for sure.

Yep. I usually spend a good chunk of day there when it's open.
 

skiNEwhere

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So let me get this straight......The outpost double rarely runs, but it is a relatively short, easy hike to the top of the lift via the "That a way" trail. No one ever wants to or thinks of doing this though, so the trails don't get skied.

So let's say hypothetically, there was a 1 foot dump overnight, you'd essentially have your own, practically lift served, private powder stash?

Am I reading this correctly?
 

thetrailboss

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So let me get this straight......The outpost double rarely runs, but it is a relatively short, easy hike to the top of the lift via the "That a way" trail. No one ever wants to or thinks of doing this though, so the trails don't get skied.

So let's say hypothetically, there was a 1 foot dump overnight, you'd essentially have your own, practically lift served, private powder stash?

Am I reading this correctly?

Yes. Some locals like it when the lift does not run.
 

MadMadWorld

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So let me get this straight......The outpost double rarely runs, but it is a relatively short, easy hike to the top of the lift via the "That a way" trail. No one ever wants to or thinks of doing this though, so the trails don't get skied.

So let's say hypothetically, there was a 1 foot dump overnight, you'd essentially have your own, practically lift served, private powder stash?

Am I reading this correctly?

It's the EC....most of us are very lazy skiers. Same people complain about Brackett at Sugarloaf being too much work.
 

steamboat1

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They should have never taken out the Birch Glade chair or the summit poma. The Birch Glade chair accessed what is arguably the best intermediate terrain on the mountain. The old summit double actually had a mid-station (tower 10) to access this terrain before the Birch Glade chair was put in. The Birch Glade chair was put in to take some of the crowds away from the summit double. At the time it seemed more people got off at the tower 10 mid-station than continued to the top. Not really much intermediate terrain from the top of Pico except for 49'er which could still be a challenge for lower intermediates. With the Birch Glade chair (or the mid-station) intermediates could still acces the upper mountains lower intermediate terrain without having to ski from the summit. The way it's layed out now they can't.

Many know that the present summit chair is often closed because of wind. When the poma was still there the summit could still be accessed using the poma. Without the terrain off the summit there's really not a heck of alot of good terrain to be accessed. Many people (including myself) shy away from Pico because they're afraid the summit chair won't be running & they'll be religated to skiing the lower slopes all day. There isn't much challenge down low. I think Pico lost a lot of business when they took out those two lifts & was a contributing factor to their bankruptcy. If Pico wasn't bought by ASC (mainly for putting in a new sewer line for The Killington Grand Hotel) it might still be laying dorment today.
 

Newpylong

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Pics or it didn't happen.

For someone who claims to be a K regular you sure have a short memory.

I bet you can go and search Killingtonzone for when Jeff Temple said they lit up Bronco recently. I didn't get to Pico at all last year but they made snow on Bronco in 2013 when I was there.

Here is a picture from a cursory google search showing a groomed Bronco 3 seasons ago: http://forum.nyskiblog.com/file/n2548752/DSC04028.jpg It happens.
 

thetrailboss

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They should have never taken out the Birch Glade chair or the summit poma. The Birch Glade chair accessed what is arguably the best intermediate terrain on the mountain. The old summit double actually had a mid-station (tower 10) to access this terrain before the Birch Glade chair was put in. The Birch Glade chair was put in to take some of the crowds away from the summit double. At the time it seemed more people got off at the tower 10 mid-station than continued to the top. Not really much intermediate terrain from the top of Pico except for 49'er which could still be a challenge for lower intermediates. With the Birch Glade chair (or the mid-station) intermediates could still acces the upper mountains lower intermediate terrain without having to ski from the summit. The way it's layed out now they can't.

Many know that the present summit chair is often closed because of wind. When the poma was still there the summit could still be accessed using the poma. Without the terrain off the summit there's really not a heck of alot of good terrain to be accessed. Many people (including myself) shy away from Pico because they're afraid the summit chair won't be running & they'll be religated to skiing the lower slopes all day. There isn't much challenge down low. I think Pico lost a lot of business when they took out those two lifts & was a contributing factor to their bankruptcy. If Pico wasn't bought by ASC (mainly for putting in a new sewer line for The Killington Grand Hotel) it might still be laying dorment today.

That's very true. The double and Poma should have remained for the reasons cited.
 
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