Actually someone else said it first. Then Win chimed in saying "yea, they're both Dopp lifts so that isn't uncommon". I still think that was a simple mistake and he was either reading or responding quickly and thinking of another lift. There's really no disputing the fact that they are not both Dopp lifts. Slide Brook is Dopp and GMX is LP. That's really not debatable.
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The "Sugarbush Thread"
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Actually someone else said it first. Then Win chimed in saying "yea, they're both Dopp lifts so that isn't uncommon". I still think that was a simple mistake and he was either reading or responding quickly and thinking of another lift. There's really no disputing the fact that they are not both Dopp lifts. Slide Brook is Dopp and GMX is LP. That's really not debatable.
My bad. Not sure what I was thinking. GMX is a Poma as is Northridge but the new drive in Northridge was installed by Dopplemayr. I rode the chair with John Hammond this morning and he said both North Lynx and Northridge passed inspection and they were just waiting for paper work to open them.
A freshly groomed Upper Organgrinder for a first groom was excellent early on.
Newpylong
Well-known member
VT is so weird. The inspectors in NH give us a piece of paper on the spot approving the operation of the lift and any punch list items that need to be taken care and by when.
vtski802
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From GS this afternoon: Northridge on the schedule for tomorrow to open, GMX is still diagnosing an unresolved tower fault issue (probably the CPS)
A lot of detailed lift updates and information in the latest blog post:
State of the Mountain 12/27/24 - SugarBlog
Happy holidays and welcome back to another edition of State of the Mountain. Perhaps unintentionally, we've been posting these weekly since the start of the month, and my plan is to continue to do that until we run out of things to talk about. Plenty to talk about this go-around though, and I'm...
blog.sugarbush.com
This is terrific and much appreciated....would have been great a couple of weeks ago when they looked like they couldn't punch their way out of a paper bag.A lot of detailed lift updates and information in the latest blog post:
State of the Mountain 12/27/24 - SugarBlog
Happy holidays and welcome back to another edition of State of the Mountain. Perhaps unintentionally, we've been posting these weekly since the start of the month, and my plan is to continue to do that until we run out of things to talk about. Plenty to talk about this go-around though, and I'm...blog.sugarbush.com
vtski802
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Finally!A lot of detailed lift updates and information in the latest blog post:
State of the Mountain 12/27/24 - SugarBlog
Happy holidays and welcome back to another edition of State of the Mountain. Perhaps unintentionally, we've been posting these weekly since the start of the month, and my plan is to continue to do that until we run out of things to talk about. Plenty to talk about this go-around though, and I'm...blog.sugarbush.com
Carl_Greig
New member
Finally some communication! Very much appreciated! Some of these on HG should have been proactively put out in nov, oct, or maybe earlier. Might have gotten ahead of towers falling. Which I never heard. Basic rule, over communicate to avoid rumors.
This was an interesting tell though.
[QUOTE="Due to a smaller maintenance staff as we continue to hire"
[/QUOTE]
This was an interesting tell though.
[QUOTE="Due to a smaller maintenance staff as we continue to hire"
[/QUOTE]
MadPadraic
Active member
Both Win and the blog reference difficulty in hiring lift mechanics. I'm curious, how does one become a lift mechanic? Are they typically trained via an apprentice system at a ski area, or do they get certifications from the lift companies, etc etc? Is the pool of lift mechanics of a certain fixed size, or can you create your own pool via paying higher salaries and training them onsite?
MadPadraic
Active member
The subject of HG's dismount ramp was mentioned a few pages back. Here's my take from a snowboarders perspective: it is more steep than ideal and too narrow for when the lift is at capacity. While I don't understand why they made it that way, it isn't brutally bad. The plateau that it dumps you at has a slight uphill so it's quite manageable assuming the unload area isn't a clusterf*ck/no skier is turning into you.
From my experience it is all of the above. One of the largest challenges is finding experienced electricians. Older lifts are more mechanical and new high speeds are sophisticated electrical machinery. If you look at the drive system it resembles a computer operating system. Finding experienced electricians willing to work under the harsh conditions required of a lift mechanic is the challenge. It is a really tough job that requires long hours is sometimes awful weather. Short-term we are in a zero sum game where all are recruiting from a limited experienced pool. Long-term we need more young people attending Trade Schools and wanting to be electrical and mechanical engineers. Right now there is also a big dependency on the Lift companies but they only have so many people too.
doublediamond
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“Difficulty hiring” translates in corporate speak to “no one wants to work for the wages we‘re willing to pay.” It’s simple economics: pay more, you attract more workers. There’s absolutely NO reason a major resort is so short staffed on lift mechanics that they can’t get preseason maintenance done in time for timely annual inspections.
In other news, I note the blog completely drops snow requirements for SBX. Instead they say they want to prioritize getting lifts that serve skiing ready for the season. This again stems from point #1 above. And as a reference, LBO opened SBX far earlier than Win’s ownership or current ownership.
In other news, I note the blog completely drops snow requirements for SBX. Instead they say they want to prioritize getting lifts that serve skiing ready for the season. This again stems from point #1 above. And as a reference, LBO opened SBX far earlier than Win’s ownership or current ownership.
Yeah I got some of the same vibes from this blog post. Communication is appreciated for sure - and I think warranted to paying customers - but actually it left me thinking the situation was more of a mess than I did prior. I am also willing to accept that slide brook won’t run like it did in the LBO days (a veteran ski patroller alluded to me last winter that it often ran in those days when it shouldn’t have been), but three weeks of runtime in very late winter due to underinvestment in the required experts is a bummer.
I am fairly disappointed in the delay on Sunny Q and really hope that can be resolved soon. Not because I have any affinity for the terrain it serves but because I have a rather young (and nervous) kid just starting Mt Ellen Blazers next weekend and I was banking on her group staying down there for short easy laps as the kids get their bearings and based on the coldish weather anticipated.
Cheetah440
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Glassdoor says $25/$30/ hr industry wide. No idea how accurate that is.
Plowboy
Member
GMX and SB not spinning, NL is spinning.
vtski802
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GMX and SB on windhold. No Northridge yet (wtf), and no way to get to summit. Big line at valley house.
letitsnow1
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Difficulty hiring is a problem for alot of businesses in VT right now. Way more open positions than available workers
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