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Steve Martin

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I am actually surprised there are so many short detachable lifts. With such a short vertical the speed is largely negated. I also thought that maintenance on detachable lifts was counted in cycles? Am I wrong with that? That would be some huge cycle numbers on a lot of these lifts.
 

Nathanvg

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This winter I have been on 2 of the shortest detachable quads I am aware of. At Bittersweet Ski Area the Sweet Express quad a poma lift of at the most 350 vertical feet. The shortest was at Mt Holly where lift 3 (poma detachable quad) also claims 350’ vertical feet. On google earth however Lift 3 is significantly shorter using google earths measuring tool.
I'm pretty sure liftblog.com and skilift.org both get their data from trade publications which are highly accurate. They list
  • Mt Holy's "Mach 1" as 243 vert, 1465 length (likely the shortest non-bunny hill detachable lift)
  • Bittersweet's "Sweet Express" as 318 vert, 1816 length
  • Snowbasin's "little cat" as 174, 1576 (likely the lowest vert lift including bunny hill)
  • Sugar bowl's "village gondola" as 87 vert, 3205 (not a skiing lift)
  • winter park's "village cabriolet 83 vert, 1436 (likely the shortest lift including non-skiing lifts at ski ares)
  • Beaver Creek's "riverfront express" 63 vert, 2210 (likely the lowest vert including non-skiing lifts at ski ares)
 

Tony

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I'm pretty sure liftblog.com and skilift.org both get their data from trade publications which are highly accurate. They list
  • Mt Holy's "Mach 1" as 243 vert, 1465 length (likely the shortest non-bunny hill detachable lift)
  • Bittersweet's "Sweet Express" as 318 vert, 1816 length
  • Snowbasin's "little cat" as 174, 1576 (likely the lowest vert lift including bunny hill)
  • Sugar bowl's "village gondola" as 87 vert, 3205 (not a skiing lift)
  • winter park's "village cabriolet 83 vert, 1436 (likely the shortest lift including non-skiing lifts at ski ares)
  • Beaver Creek's "riverfront express" 63 vert, 2210 (likely the lowest vert including non-skiing lifts at ski ares)
You left out the winner I posted on previous page. Easy Rider at Sierra Tahoe is a detachable quad chairlift with 160' (48.7 m) vertical. And while runs returning to it are for beginners, it also provides access to West Bowl area from the base area via Marmot run.

The obvious advantage of high-speed lifts for beginners that I don't think has been mentioned is that it slows for them to load, reducing problems loading.
 

tch

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On a completely different note, this year I rode what I think is the longest -- and slowest -- fixed-grip lift I've ever done. Motherlode chair at Red Mt., BC. It's not the full vert of the resort (2,919')...but it's damn close. I think I could have eaten lunch, drunk a coffee, AND smoked a cigarette (if I still smoked) before I got to the top.
 

BC.

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On a completely different note, this year I rode what I think is the longest -- and slowest -- fixed-grip lift I've ever done. Motherlode chair at Red Mt., BC. It's not the full vert of the resort (2,919')...but it's damn close. I think I could have eaten lunch, drunk a coffee, AND smoked a cigarette (if I still smoked) before I got to the top.

Slowest chairs I have ever been on:

-Elk Mtn....(any/all of them)....
-Sugarbush.....ValleyHouse....we felt like we were at Elk
 

Johnny V.

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Slowest chairs I have ever been on:

-Elk Mtn....(any/all of them)....
-Sugarbush.....ValleyHouse....we felt like we were at Elk
Not sure if it's the slowest, but it sure seems like it: The Morningstar quad at Bristol nicknamed the "Siberian Crawler". It's slow and and on a windy day it's COLD!

On a Sugarbush note-we took the Castlerock double last week for the first time. The first ride up we were surprised by the distance between the chairs........lots of time to load.
 
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Slim

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I am actually surprised there are so many short detachable lifts. With such a short vertical the speed is largely negated. I also thought that maintenance on detachable lifts was counted in cycles? Am I wrong with that? That would be some huge cycle numbers on a lot of these lifts.
I know for small, busy areas like here in the Midwest, a big part of it is ease of loading for kids and beginners.
 

trailtrimmer

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Crystal mountain clipper in Michigan. Maybe 300' of vert for a detachable quad. It gives access to the back side of the resort.
 

Rudi Riet

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Slowest chairs I have ever been on:

-Elk Mtn....(any/all of them)....
-Sugarbush.....ValleyHouse....we felt like we were at Elk

Yeah, Elk's chairs are all quite slow. Those twin doubles (isn't the newer of those two early-70s vintage?) are slow and stop all the damn time.

And then there's the twin FG double/FG quad, with the double side showing how they sawed off the bottom of the old lift towers when CTEC installed the new towers. It's... interesting.

Luckily, Elk is a really great place to ski - and one of the only places in PA that had semi-decent snow this season.

FYI: the two HS quads at Blue Mountain scale at least 1,000 vertical feet - not shabby for PA.
 
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50kVert

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The new Charity Jane Express lift at Wolf Creek is 332 vertical feet.
While that may not be lowest around, it seems an odd choice to have an HSQ in this area. Skiers rarely lap it, it's basically just there to get out of the VERY flat area and back to Alberta lift.
 

David Chaus

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At Sun Valley, the Quarter Dollar lift (detachable quad) at Dollar Mt has a vertical rise of 181’, while the Lookout chair (fixed grip triple at the top of Baldy) has 170’ vertical.
 

Bill Miles

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At Sun Valley, the Quarter Dollar lift (detachable quad) at Dollar Mt has a vertical rise of 181’, while the Lookout chair (fixed grip triple at the top of Baldy) has 170’ vertical.

Since the Lookout chair goes across (from top of main mountain to top of bowls) more than up, the kids gave it the nickname of "chair to nowhere"
 

JoeSchmoe

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Not sure if it's the slowest, but it sure seems like it: The Morningstar quad at Bristol nicknamed the "Siberian Crawler". It's slow and and on a windy day it's COLD!

On a Sugarbush note-we took the Castlerock double last week for the first time. The first ride up we were surprised by the distance between the chairs........lots of time to load.

Would they ever update that Morningstar lift? Doing so would take a load of pressure off the green loop off the front side of the mountain, and even moreso the Comet chair.
 

Johnny V.

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Would they ever update that Morningstar lift? Doing so would take a load of pressure off the green loop off the front side of the mountain, and even moreso the Comet chair.
I'd like to think so, but probably not. They could add the magic carpet load and run it faster but that may freak out the many beginners who use that chair. I've mentioned to the owners (and I'm not the only one) to put in a rope tow or bungee cord T bar from the top of the Comet lift to the top of the Morningstar lift, but again most likely not happening. Our solution is to skate/hike uphill to the top of the lift-it's good exercise!
 

JoeSchmoe

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I'd like to think so, but probably not. They could add the magic carpet load and run it faster but that may freak out the many beginners who use that chair. I've mentioned to the owners (and I'm not the only one) to put in a rope tow or bungee cord T bar from the top of the Comet lift to the top of the Morningstar lift, but again most likely not happening. Our solution is to skate/hike uphill to the top of the lift-it's good exercise!

Does a rope tow need an attendant on both sides? If so, that would be cheaper than running the Morningstar chair on low volume days. It still doesn't solve the crowding on the lower half of the loop though
 

Andy Mink

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Shortest detached quad I've been on was my right one during high school track practice. It popped coming around the bend while running the 220.:ogbiggrin:
 

Tricia

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I thought the 6 pack at Boyne mountain was the shortest detachable I've ever been on.
Sorry, not a quad but 592 ft according to the website.

When it was installed it was the first 6 pack in North America.
Boyne likes to be a first. Like the first 8 pack with the Ramcharger at Big Sky now in its second season.
 

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