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TonyPlush

Getting off the lift
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As far as I know, this hasn't been posted yet:

https://liftblog.com/2018/03/05/copper-mountain-to-build-a-chondola-bubble-six-pack/

Cliff notes: Copper Mountain is getting $20 million of new lifts next season - one chondola and one bubble six pack.

American Eagle (high speed quad) is getting replaced with a 6 pack chair/8 passenger gondola. American Flyer (high speed quad) is getting replaced with a 6 person bubble chair.

Out of village capacity is expected to increase 35%.
 

Chris Walker

Ullr Is Lord
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I just don't get chondolas. Not that I'm against them, it just seems...weird. Glad to see the increased capacity out of Center Village, as sometimes it's difficult to avoid going there to get from one place to another, and lines can get annoying. It will make WROD season 35% more terrifying, though.
 

tball

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I just don't get chondolas. Not that I'm against them, it just seems...weird. Glad to see the increased capacity out of Center Village, as sometimes it's difficult to avoid going there to get from one place to another, and lines can get annoying. It will make WROD season 35% more terrifying, though.
The chondola is going to be awesome for a bunch of reasons:
  • Weddings. No more wedding dresses hanging from the charis on Eagle :)
  • Events and dining. Eventually, they will rebuild Solitude station. Just replicate Black Mountain Lodge, please.
  • Early season race training. Racers are up/downloading the Eagle and training off the Excellerator long before you can ski to the bottom, typically the last week of Oct.
  • Uploading and downloading for spring skiing through May. :D
OK, skiing the E lift through May is my pipe dream. I've been dreaming of this for years and need to get it off my chest. With the chondola it could be so close to happening!

Once the Pali lift closes at A-basin I think Copper could offer a better product for advanced/expert skiers. I love Ramrod bumps but would rather ski Mine Dump bumps any day. Halleluiah Bowl will be a blast. The trees seem to survive a bit higher at Copper. The high elevation E lift pod runs have the perfect northerly exposure in the trees to preserve snow.

I say move the beach from the mud at A-basin up to the snow at the BML twin at Copper after Pali closes. Up/download on the chondola over the meltage to better snow and terrain!
'
Epic Pass has 5-6 more weeks of skiing than the Ikon Pass in the spring. This is how Ikon Pass should compete!!!

Whew! Any holes in my dream for late spring skiing at Copper?
 
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tball

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:beercheer: would be nice.

but there is the USFS and how many employees would stick around.

Yeah, and the economics. A-basin seems to make that work, though.

Hopefully, the USFS wouldn't have a problem. I've seen race training up there in early June when I've biked up. They upload and download in a bumpy van, so the chondola would be a huge upgrade!

@UGASkiDawg do you think there could be demand for more May/June race training at Copper?

It would be great for the village to stay alive through May with spring skiing. November used to be a ghost town too before the race training really took off.
 

tball

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A little Pugski investivagive jourlanism. I found the USFS project page for the Eagle and Flyer lift upgrades at Copper:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=53466

The interested party letter was just published yesterday:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/nfs/11558/www/nepa/108728_FSPLT3_4272877.pdf

Some quick things I've noted:
  • Top of Eagle is moved 150 feet downhill to better interface with rebuilding Solitude Station.
  • Trees will be removed to make the lift corridor 60 feet wide under the Eagle from 30 feet.
  • Bottom of the Flyer will move 30 feet east closer to burning stones plaza and eliminating a bit of the hike.
  • The Flyer will also require removing trees for a 60-foot corridor making an even wider bump run considering the additional 30 foot move to the east. Sounds like a bump run to me. :) Little Burn II?
  • These upgrades have not been approved, though Copper must be confident considering the press release. Comments are being accepted until March 23rd. I'm all for it!
In case you missed our discussion in the CO Weather thread, Mrs. Linclon, the Tucker Lift Proposal was submitted before this on Jan 17th, and was approved Feb 28th!

Edit: Looking at the map the tree removal for the Eagle widening won't give us another bump run, just wider cruisers.
 
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Chris Walker

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The chondola is going to be awesome for a bunch of reasons:
  • Weddings. No more wedding dresses hanging from the charis on Eagle :)
  • Events and dining. Eventually, they will rebuild Solitude station. Just replicate Black Mountain Lodge, please.
  • Early season race training. Racers are up/downloading the Eagle and training off the Excellerator long before you can ski to the bottom, typically the last week of Oct.
  • Uploading and downloading for spring skiing through May. :D
OK, skiing the E lift through May is my pipe dream. I've been dreaming of this for years and need to get it off my chest. With the chondola it could be so close to happening!

Once the Pali lift closes at A-basin I think Copper could offer a better product for advanced/expert skiers. I love Ramrod bumps but would rather ski Mine Dump bumps any day. Halleluiah Bowl will be a blast. The trees seem to survive a bit higher at Copper. The high elevation E lift pod runs have the perfect northerly exposure in the trees to preserve snow.

I say move the beach from the mud at A-basin up to the snow at the BML twin at Copper after Pali closes. Up/download on the chondola over the meltage to better snow and terrain!
'
Epic Pass has 5-6 more weeks of skiing than the Ikon Pass in the spring. This is how Ikon Pass should compete!!!

Whew! Any holes in my dream for late spring skiing at Copper?

All excellent points and the late spring idea would be amazing. But I mean, what are the arguments against just going full gondola?:huh:
 

tball

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All excellent points and the late spring idea would be amazing. But I mean, what are the arguments against just going full gondola?:huh:
The problem with gondola only is you have to take your skis off. That's a pain in the butt if you ski up to the lift. Thus the chondola!

For the first lift of the day or after lunch, the gondola will be awesome. I'll often head immediately to the top of Storm King and I'm a popsicle by the time I get up there. Riding the gondola for the first lift should really help.

Also, the Eagle is the lift Copper runs in the summer and the foot traffic will also really appreciate the gondola over riding a chair.
 

UGASkiDawg

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@tball there certainly would be demand from team summit but they don't pay so not sure that helps but they could sell some space for late season camps. I guess we'll have to see.
 

tball

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Comments to the Forest Service regarding the Center Village lift upgrades are due in one week, Friday, March 23.

I'm all for the lift upgrades, but I'm concerned about the additional skiers funneling down the bottom of the mountain. It will be even more dangerous than it already is, particularly at the end of the day.

Any ideas on what the Forrest Service might be able to require of Copper to reduce the congestion and make the bottom safer, while still allowing the lift upgrades?
 

Mike King

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Comments to the Forest Service regarding the Center Village lift upgrades are due in one week, Friday, March 23.

I'm all for the lift upgrades, but I'm concerned about the additional skiers funneling down the bottom of the mountain. It will be even more dangerous than it already is, particularly at the end of the day.

Any ideas on what the Forrest Service might be able to require of Copper to reduce the congestion and make the bottom safer, while still allowing the lift upgrades?
I've not skied Copper for a couple of years now. Is the afternoon rush now as bad as Keystone, Vail or Snowmass?

Mike
 

mdf

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Comments to the Forest Service regarding the Center Village lift upgrades are due in one week, Friday, March 23.

I'm all for the lift upgrades, but I'm concerned about the additional skiers funneling down the bottom of the mountain. It will be even more dangerous than it already is, particularly at the end of the day.

Any ideas on what the Forrest Service might be able to require of Copper to reduce the congestion and make the bottom safer, while still allowing the lift upgrades?
You are a well-informed interested party -- I think you should send a formal comment to the Forest Service.
 

tball

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I've not skied Copper for a couple of years now. Is the afternoon rush now as bad as Keystone, Vail or Snowmass?

Mike
I don't think the end of day rush has changed much. Pretty scary, but probably still better than most areas. It could get much worse with the increased uphill capacity of the new lifts:

The American Eagle Lift, a high-speed quad, will be replaced with a Leitner Poma high-speed lift that includes a combination of both 6-person chairs and 8-person gondola cabins. The new lift will increase uphill capacity by over 40 percent, allowing more skiers and snowboarders access to an abundance of Copper’s intermediate terrain.
http://www.coppercolorado.com/culture/news/resort-updates/new-american-eagle-chairlift

A Leitner Poma high-speed 6-person chair with bubble enclosures is set to replace the high-speed quad known as the American Flyer lift, offering a more comfortable ride and a 33 percent increase in uphill capacity. The new lift will primarily serve the easy and intermediate side of the resort’s unique naturally-divided terrain and also will provide expedited access to Copper’s advanced high alpine bowls.
http://www.coppercolorado.com/culture/news/resort-updates/new-american-flyer
Questions for all:

Do Aspen, Vail and Keystone allow downloading on their gondolas at all times? At some point, I could see taking our kiddos up to ski laps on the Excellerator then downloading to avoid the dangerous trip to the bottom.

Is there any precedent for running a lift slower at the end of the day?

Are requirements like these something the Forest Service would consider imposing?
 

coskigirl

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I've not skied Copper for a couple of years now. Is the afternoon rush now as bad as Keystone, Vail or Snowmass?

Mike

Conversely, I haven't skied Keystone or Vail in years (and never Snowmass) but I don't think it's that bad at Copper. I often choose Frank's Fave as my last little pitch into Center Village which is usually pretty empty.
 

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