The "Sugarbush Thread"

[Lotso]

CR will be well worth the hike with this wind direction...

 

[urungus]

Urungus, if the lift dies and you are evac'd down to the ground, 2 miles out in the slidebrook wilderness. You are a beginner. Do you think it is a great idea to have them walk in ski boots all the way out? I don't know what ASC did but I do know that Win and John Hammond think that is a bad idea. There has to be minimal snow cover to be able to ski out.

I doubt a beginner could ski out of there even with sufficient snow, so that’s not really a valid reason.

 

[Hawk]

Why can’t they use ATVs like they used to ?

I doubt a beginner could ski out of there even with sufficient snow, so that’s not really a valid reason.

They could use ATV's to get to the people of course. But that is not what we are talking about. To ski out you need snow. The mountain does not transport everyone out. And a beginner could easily ski the roads out. In fact I have seen people that went into slidebrook snow plowing thier way through.

I'm not a fan of this of course but this is now what we get because people have to glorify going in there on the internet.
Look at me Look at me!! I'm sking slidebrook. The whole fucking thing is basically ruined.

I'm not really sure why I am defending this stupid lift. I never ride it anyway and I do really care.

 

[Hawk]

I think the proof will be in the pudding this weekend. Given the recent snows and the forecast, there will be more than enough snow in there to be deemed 'enough to run the lift'. We'll see if it spins, but I am not holding my breath.

Lotso, have you seen slidebrook move this year? I mean has it been started or tested? I have never seen it move. I remember in the back of my mind that they borrowed parts to make Bravo or Gatehouse work. Not really sure. either way I would not take bets that it will go.

 

[Lotso]

Lotso, have you seen slidebrook move this year? I mean has it been started or tested? I have never seen it move. I remember in the back of my mind that they borrowed parts to make Bravo or Gatehouse work. Not really sure. either way I would not take bets that it will go.

Have not seen it move and IIRC they took parts from it (Win mentioned that?). I agree...the chances are slim. Too bad, b/c the weekend looks nice to ride it, and LP lot will be completely full, at least on Saturday.

 

[thetrailboss]

I actually don't think that was the case. If I remember correctly what happened was, they were running the lift under the same protocols as ASC (just like a regular lift that is above resort grounds where emergency response personal are on scene) when there was one or more than one instances where the lift stopped and people were stuck in really cold sub zero temperatures. This prompted a rethink of when it was "safe" to run the lift given that it traverses wilderness and if god forbid an evacuation is necessary it would take some time for rescuers to get there under the best of circumstances. The only way for rescuers to get to the chairs is via snowmobiles traveling on the lift line. Hence the "new" requirement for sufficient snow pack for the snowmobiles and not running the lift when temps are under 5f.

Urungus, if the lift dies and you are evac'd down to the ground, 2 miles out in the slidebrook wilderness. You are a beginner. Do you think it is a great idea to have them walk in ski boots all the way out? I don't know what ASC did but I do know that Win and John Hammond think that is a bad idea. There has to be minimal snow cover to be able to ski out.

Why can’t they use ATVs like they used to ?

Maybe I am mis-remembering things, but it seems that in one of the many conversations it was revealed that the USFS/GMNF had implemented the snow rule to the special use permit to reduce damage to the roads/trails or something like that. And this conversation was years ago.

 

[Hawk]

That very well may be the case but it has not come up in recent conversations. I bet that special use permit is out there somewhere in the archives.

 

[Carl_Greig]

I recall being stuck on Slidebrook in the ASC days with the lift starting and stopping, running forward and reverse. I had been on the lift for an hour by the time I arrived at Mt. Ellen where an ambassador gave me a voucher for a hot chocolate in the base lodge. If they had evacuated that day I'm sure it would have taken more than an hour. If it was any colder I would have had hypothermia.
ASC took risks by running that lift as often as they did. They got lucky. I for one am thrilled that Mtn Ops has adopted safety protocols for SBQ. If you ask me, 5°F is still dangerous for a lift that long with chairs loaded in both directions. 20°F seems more reasonable. Slidebrook should have never been installed at all, at the very least it should have had cabins not chairs.

 

[SkiingInABlueDream]

The stories about use permits changing and the lift having been run in more questionable conditions (and getting lucky that major problems didn't occur) seem very plausible to me. What also seems plausible is current management is milking the safety excuse because the actual reason would be less palatable to the public.

I try to avoid riding slidebrook and prefer to just spend the full day on one side. It is a nice ride once in a while but I'd never get on it if the temp is less than like 20 (F)...

 

[HowieT2]

I can guarantee you that during the 1990's, SlideBrook ran with little to no snow under the lift (7 days a week). Not sure why it became a safety issue. It is irrelevant this season in light of all the other broken lifts and that there are chairs lying around the base of it.

Speaking of which, does anyone have any status on the other lifts not running?? Sunshine Quad? NorthRidge? Castlerock??

yeah, and in the 90's kids were riding without seatbelts in the back of station wagons puffing on cigarette shaped gum. Just because something was accepted back in the day doesnt mean it was the right thing to do.

 

[HowieT2]

The stories about use permits changing and the lift having been run in more questionable conditions (and getting lucky that major problems didn't occur) seem very plausible to me. What also seems plausible is current management is milking the safety excuse because the actual reason would be less palatable to the public.

I try to avoid riding slidebrook and prefer to just spend the full day on one side. It is a nice ride once in a while but I'd never get on it if the temp is less than like 20...

That may very well be so.

 

[Carl_Greig]

┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ ┬┴┬

 

[thetrailboss]

I recall being stuck on Slidebrook in the ASC days with the lift starting and stopping, running forward and reverse. I had been on the lift for an hour by the time I arrived at Mt. Ellen where an ambassador gave me a voucher for a hot chocolate in the base lodge. If they had evacuated that day I'm sure it would have taken more than an hour. If it was any colder I would have had hypothermia.
ASC took risks by running that lift as often as they did. They got lucky. I for one am thrilled that Mtn Ops has adopted safety protocols for SBQ. If you ask me, 5°F is still dangerous for a lift that long with chairs loaded in both directions. 20°F seems more reasonable. Slidebrook should have never been installed at all, at the very least it should have had cabins not chairs.

"Come on now. At least give me SOME credit. That was the Best Cup of Hot Chocolate in the World (R)!"

 

[Newpylong]

The stories about use permits changing and the lift having been run in more questionable conditions (and getting lucky that major problems didn't occur) seem very plausible to me. What also seems plausible is current management is milking the safety excuse because the actual reason would be less palatable to the public.

I try to avoid riding slidebrook and prefer to just spend the full day on one side. It is a nice ride once in a while but I'd never get on it if the temp is less than like 20 (F)...

This is 100% the case. The safety protocols are real, but not that's just not the main reason. Parts scavenging and not enough staff to keep it in a good state of repair and then operational once ready to go. Summit Ventures and now Alterra were/are guilty of it.

 

[doublediamond]

“To ski out you need sufficient snow”

That’s an absolute bullshit argument. And I’m sorry but I have to call that out as it is.

No beginner or intermediate skier will have the capability of skiing the lift line - let alone with unpacked base - if they are evacuated. End. Of. Story.

Does the mountain ban beginners and intermedaites from riding Slide Brook? Are intermediate skiers looking to ski Jester banned from riding Heaven’s Gate in fear of evacuation? NO!

The whole “we need sufficient snow” is an excuse made by Win or his management team to not have to operate a lift that serves zero terrain. And the solution they give is for us to hop on an unreliable bus that you have to wait a half hour for because once again the mountain is too cheap to have more drivers.

 

[Carl_Greig]

"Come on now. At least give me SOME credit. That was the Best Cup of Hot Chocolate in the World (R)!"

So good.

 

[Smellytele]

“To ski out you need sufficient snow”

That’s an absolute bullshit argument. And I’m sorry but I have to call that out as it is.

No beginner or intermediate skier will have the capability of skiing the lift line - let alone with unpacked base - if they are evacuated. End. Of. Story.

Does the mountain ban beginners and intermedaites from riding Slide Brook? Are intermediate skiers looking to ski Jester banned from riding Heaven’s Gate in fear of evacuation? NO!

The whole “we need sufficient snow” is an excuse made by Win or his management team to not have to operate a lift that serves zero terrain. And the solution they give is for us to hop on an unreliable bus that you have to wait a half hour for because once again the mountain is too cheap to have more drivers.

I would just take one boot off and drive over. Did it a few times for different reasons. Wife and kids would keep everything on.

 

[Cheetah440]

yeah, and in the 90's kids were riding without seatbelts in the back of station wagons puffing on cigarette shaped gum. Just because something was accepted back in the day doesnt mean it was the right thing to do.

The 90’s weren’t the 70’s LOLZ

 

[Cheetah440]

The albatross ain’t running this weekend. Zero chance. Has it even passes inspection?

12/27 “Our lift maintenance crew can only do so much at one time, and as we work through these other lifts we have decided Slide Brook will be the last to be inspected to make sure as much terrain is lift serviced as possible.”

 

[SteezyRob]

not buying ikon again. mad river is fine for me.