The "Sugarbush Thread"

[Boxtop Willie]

I thought the Nothy Lynx lift is the one that once ran up the side of Spring Fling.

 

[shadyjay]

The Spring Fling Triple was sold to Knoebels Amusement Park in PA around 2001. North Lynx is, for sure, the old Sugar Bravo. I spotted it right away when I first became a lifty... the lift panel in the shack has space for 20 towers, whereas NL is only 10-12 and the motor room at the bottom terminal, "Sugar Bravo" is behind the "North Lynx" lettering, along with "Lift C".

 

[Newpylong]

IIRC the Spring Fling triple was yellow (the chairs) right up to its last hour and was a Borvig. I don't recall it running once even on the busiest of weekends when I was there '95-'99. May not even have been inspected, dunno.

As Jay said, NL is absolutely the old Sugar Bravo shortened.

 

[thetrailboss]

What was the original Bravo chair line? If it was the same as the current Bravo then they must have shortened the old lift a lot when they moved it to Lynx?

IIRC it was the same line essentially. North Lynx is a shortened version.

 

[SkiingInABlueDream]

IIRC it was the same line essentially. North Lynx is a shortened version.

Ugh, that must have been a long slow ride. Perhaps even by 30 years ago standards

 

[thetrailboss]

Ugh, that must have been a long slow ride. Perhaps even by 30 years ago standards

Yep. They split the gondola into Heavens Gate and Sugar Bravo Triple Chairs in 1984 IIRC.

 

[ss20]

Ugh, that must have been a long slow ride. Perhaps even by 30 years ago standards

Probably better than the gondola. IIRC the line was just under 10,000 feet in length! And given the time period it probably moved at about 600-800 fpm, especially given it's not just an old gondola, it was a VERY early gondola from the late 50s!

 

[1dog]

And a 3 passenger if memory serves? Or was that Wildcat I remember? Have one hanging in my yard but still can't recall of 3 or 4 pass.

 

[Smellytele]

And a 3 passenger if memory serves? Or was that Wildcat I remember? Have one hanging in my yard but still can't recall of 3 or 4 pass.

Wildcat was only a 2 person and barely that.

 

[Hawk]

Yup it was a 3 person Italian made Carlevaro & Savio. My first years skiing at Sugarbush was in high school and I got a chance to ride it. That was the early 80's. I had no idea that the top burnt down in 72 and they rebuilt it. See links below.

Sugarbush Gondola
Gondola Top Burns Down in 72'

 

[Newpylong]

The history of the number of Eastern Mountains that had similar top to bottom first gen gondies is pretty amazing if you ask me. They're all gone/shortened now.

 

[crank]

I'm an old crank but IMO the top of Sugarbush skied a lot better back in the gondola days.

 

[oldfartrider]

Ya I had a special short board for riding the wildcat gondola. 147 I think it was.

 

[SkiingInABlueDream]

Probably better than the gondola. IIRC the line was just under 10,000 feet in length! And given the time period it probably moved at about 600-800 fpm, especially given it's not just an old gondola, it was a VERY early gondola from the late 50s!

Sure, but the gondola ran base to summit so it's sort of
It wasn't before my time but unfortunately I never got to ride it.

 

[jaybird]

I'm an old crank but IMO the top of Sugarbush skied a lot better back in the gondola days.

We were all young and fit .. once

 

[shadyjay]

IIRC the Spring Fling triple was yellow (the chairs) right up to its last hour and was a Borvig. I don't recall it running once even on the busiest of weekends when I was there '95-'99. May not even have been inspected, dunno.

As Jay said, NL is absolutely the old Sugar Bravo shortened.

Back in the early 90s, pre-ASC, Bravo was a 15+ minute ride. Gate House was a double with a 10 1/2 minute ride time. When the new lifts went in, it was a game changer, for sure.

Spring Fling was blue in its last years... I do remember Bravo being yellow. It was later painted grey and a few years ago you still could've seen the yellow paint flaking through. I remember riding it a few times. We would come up during the Christmas/NYE holiday week so it was running then. Holiday week 92/93 (or 93/94) Bravo had no snow so it wasn't open. North had more snowmaking than South did back then.

 

[thetrailboss]

I rode Spring Fling once in 2001. That was it.

 

[Newpylong]

That was it's last year at SB I think, good catch!

 

[Hawk]

Yes the last year was 2000 - 2001. They sent to PA.

 

[nhskier1969]

I don't think Sugarbush should continue touting their 7 million snowmaking upgrades. I know Sugarbush normally starts out slow, but this is awful.
How can Ikons crown jewel ski resort in the east have the same vertical and terrain acreage open as Wachusetts? Wachusetts is a good ski area but its not Sugarbush. I imagine the temperatures in Princeton aren't nearly as cold as Warren Vermont. Plus Wachusetts doesn't have the elevation like Sugarbush.
So how can both mountains have the same amount acreage open if Sugarbush just dumped 7 million for upgrades?