Northern Rockies/Alberta Big Sky Ramcharger 8 Opens 12/14

[skidrew]

Apologies for the early morning brain fart on RC8 taking you to Shedhorn and Dakota - yes poaching would be needed ..... carry on !

Though a BigSky 2030 plan for a Gondola to get you there and back wouldn't be a bad one . . .

 

[James]

I was very sceptical of this lift...until I rode and I loved it...other than the loading part...IMHO this is better than a gondola because you can have (up to) 8 on it, in comfort and warmth and you don't have to take you skis (or board) off. It is a win on many levels. I will deal with actually having to hold my poles in my hand verses sitting on them. I do think a 6 would be the ideal compromise and it will be a lot more efficient with loading. Big Sky needs to work on some sort of loading procedures for the lift line, there were too many chairs going up with multiple empty seats simply because of poor...errr no line management.

People have a hard enough time dealing with six. Without lifties it just doesn't work.

RFID will help.. BS tried fancy scanners years ago. Bleeding Edge? Once burned twice shy? We'll get REFID soon but not quite soon enough.
Both the Powderseeker 6 and the Ramcharger 8 were thought to be massive overkill by most locals but now the public loves them. Evidently "If you build it they will come" works for ski lifts and ballparks.

We switched from rfid gates to rfid/bar code handheld scanners. It's much faster. Mainly because when people have an issue with a gate they clog and backup the whole line.

 

[Wolfski]

People have a hard enough time dealing with six. Without lifties it just doesn't work.


I was thinking the same, I try to avoid sixers because most people get confused with those big numbers

 

[skidrew]

We switched from rfid gates to rfid/bar code handheld scanners. It's much faster. Mainly because when people have an issue with a gate they clog and backup the whole line.

Finding the lift ticket though also slows things down, and that applies to nearly everyone.

 

[milkman]

People have a hard enough time dealing with six. Without lifties it just doesn't work.


We switched from rfid gates to rfid/bar code handheld scanners. It's much faster. Mainly because when people have an issue with a gate they clog and backup the whole line.

Haven't been on here for a while so forgive me if I repeat myself.
Our best operator runs the line at Swifty like an MP directing traffic. Short, crisp directions telling who to move and where to move to. Not just "you two are next" but "you two take the middle seats, red jacket join from the left, green jacket join for the right" "GO-Go-Go" "Green jacket either get on the chair or get out of the way, PLEASE" Very few empty seats when he's on duty.
On Ramcharger there is still a lot of confusion. Groups of 4 or 5 will not willingly split up or move in to fill the empty 3-4 seats. They also block singles and doubles from access to those slots.
Having skied each chair hundreds of times, the biggest issue is guests not being ready to or able to move out when it's their turn. Not as much of a problem on Powderseeker because those folks can ski, plus the locals will push their way to the front when they see an empty slot.
Late last year Boyne announced that preliminary construction on the Gondola to replace the Explorer chair would start this summer to insure it will be completed on time for the 20-21 season. That should help in a number of ways, including moving a lot of ski school activity up the mountain to a new "Learning Center" similar to the one at Jackson Hole. I don't know the details other than it's to include at minimum, administration space, restrooms and a warming area.
A significant amount of the Swifty traffic is headed toward the Moonlight side. It may be that the first phase of the Gondola will go high to allow access to the Iron Horse chair. Sure hope so.

 

[skidrew]

Haven't been on here for a while so forgive me if I repeat myself.
Our best operator runs the line at Swifty like an MP directing traffic. Short, crisp directions telling who to move and where to move to. Not just "you two are next" but "you two take the middle seats, red jacket join from the left, green jacket join for the right" "GO-Go-Go" "Green jacket either get on the chair or get out of the way, PLEASE" Very few empty seats when he's on duty.
On Ramcharger there is still a lot of confusion. Groups of 4 or 5 will not willingly split up or move in to fill the empty 3-4 seats. They also block singles and doubles from access to those slots.
Having skied each chair hundreds of times, the biggest issue is guests not being ready to or able to move out when it's their turn. Not as much of a problem on Powderseeker because those folks can ski, plus the locals will push their way to the front when they see an empty slot.

Yeah, in the few days I was there earlier this winter, and Swifty had decent lines, they did a very good job of orchestrating the lines, much like with Six Shooter. RamCharger not so much . . .

 

[skidrew]

Haven't been on here for a while so forgive me if I repeat myself.
Late last year Boyne announced that preliminary construction on the Gondola to replace the Explorer chair would start this summer to insure it will be completed on time for the 20-21 season. That should help in a number of ways, including moving a lot of ski school activity up the mountain to a new "Learning Center" similar to the one at Jackson Hole. I don't know the details other than it's to include at minimum, administration space, restrooms and a warming area.
A significant amount of the Swifty traffic is headed toward the Moonlight side. It may be that the first phase of the Gondola will go high to allow access to the Iron Horse chair. Sure hope so.

Will be interesting to see how they work this. There are three logical offload points for a possible gondola:
1) Near the top of Explorer
2) Near Powderseeker, which has some challenges in terms of a "landing area" that wouldn't require uphilling from the offload or digging into the existing bottom of Upper Morningstar, etc., unless it ends around where the Black Kettle soup shop is.
3) Near the Tram (to save two rides)

As for the learning center, would it be at stop 1 or stop 2 (of what I'm hypothesizing)? I could see it being attractive to move people up the hill where they have good access to Mr. K and lower morningstar so they can lap those runs, and also eliminate the major block at the bottom of those runs from the current ski school that creates conflicts or a lot of use on the very bottom at Mr. ED, especially with the gondola base and needing better access to that.

 

[milkman]

Will be interesting to see how they work this. There are three logical offload points for a possible gondola:
1) Near the top of Explorer
2) Near Powderseeker, which has some challenges in terms of a "landing area" that wouldn't require uphilling from the offload or digging into the existing bottom of Upper Morningstar, etc., unless it ends around where the Black Kettle soup shop is.
3) Near the Tram (to save two rides)

As for the learning center, would it be at stop 1 or stop 2 (of what I'm hypothesizing)? I could see it being attractive to move people up the hill where they have good access to Mr. K and lower morningstar so they can lap those runs, and also eliminate the major block at the bottom of those runs from the current ski school that creates conflicts or a lot of use on the very bottom at Mr. ED, especially with the gondola base and needing better access to that.

The first stage of the two stage gondola is planned to terminate in a flat area above the top of the current Explorer chair. I think this is between Mr K and lower Morningstar and above the point where FastLane dumps into Lower Morningstar.
The termination of the second stage will be higher on the mountain at a point still to be determined/announced.
My guess is the gondola will terminate into or near a building that will include restrooms and foodservice which might simplify offloading.
I’ve never traveled on a two stage gondola. Would it allow beginners to download to the midstation?

 

[skidrew]

I’ve never traveled on a two stage gondola. Would it allow beginners to download to the midstation?

My experience isn't broad, but I've seen two-way loading/unloading, so beginners could come down from the restrooms to the midstation (if that's what you're asking). Unlikely to have too many people loading at the midstation anyway.

If this is the plan, I would think they might also have at least restrooms at the midstation - the pipes have to go up the hill somehow, and might as well run them there.

 

[milkman]

My experience isn't broad, but I've seen two-way loading/unloading, so beginners could come down from the restrooms to the midstation (if that's what you're asking). Unlikely to have too many people loading at the midstation anyway.

If this is the plan, I would think they might also have at least restrooms at the midstation - the pipes have to go up the hill somehow, and might as well run them there.

I expect that Restrooms, administrative space, warming, food/ snacks and a few supplies like lotion, hand warmers, face masks and glove liners might be available there. We will know more if gondola construction starts this summer.

 

[James]

Ran into someone who went to BS a couple weeks ago. Asked about the 8 person chair. He loved it. And he's used to a six bubble. Said it was huge.

 

[Tricia]

Ran into someone who went to BS a couple weeks ago. Asked about the 8 person chair. He loved it. And he's used to a six bubble. Said it was huge.

Its like the best part of using a gondola but you don't have to take your skis off.

 

[BS Slarver]

Inside intel has me believing RFD comes to both swiftly and RC8 next year so the base area lifts should flow even smoother.

Speaking of flowing.... the pond skimming today was in full swing with 100+ contestants and the largest crowd I’ve ever seen at one. The winner, on a sit ski nailed it with a flawless pass.
Best closing weekend I’ve been to in a long time

 

[milkman]

RFID

Sit Ski pond skim

 

[skidrew]

RFID

Sit Ski pond skim

Video here. Pretty impressive:

 

[Jim McDonald]

Kudos to that dude!

 

[BS Slarver]

Sit skier was the hit of the show, no doubt !

There were some other very creative contestants as well
Some other notables were the dude who cleared the big pond switch and the guy who mixed it up by hitting the big pond then over the median and finished by clearing the small pond.
Good Times ! Great Season !

 

[milkman]

OK skidrew, time to start the 2019-20 postings .

 

[BS Slarver]

Yeah - let’s go already

 

[skidrew]

Yeah - let’s go already

Here ya go!

https://www.pugski.com/threads/big-sky-2019-2020.15457/