Your Favorite Lifts to Ski

[Sibhusky]

The main reasons I like lifts here are no one else is on them. Ergo, I'd have to have given up skiing before I'd post them here..

So, please go to Chair 1...

 

[richddt]

Flyer express @ Jay Peak, especially under -25c , really give you a new definition of cold.

 

[Philpug]

Flyer express @ Jay Peak, especially under -25c , really give you a new definition of cold.

Who ever designed that chair should have there license revolked.

 

[David Chaus]

Northway and Chair 6 at Crystal Mt.
7th Heaven at Stevens
Eidelweiss at Alpental
Northwest and Summit at Bachelor
Motherlode and Grey Mt chair at Red Mt
Challenger and Mayday at Sun Valley
Strawberry gondola at Snowbasin
Harmony and Symphony and Peak at Whistler
Goats Eye at Sunshine Village.

 

[cantunamunch]

A few that haven't been mentioned:

Gondola, Kicking Horser

I had it above - 'Golden Eagle Express'.

 

[geepers]

Don't just tell us your favourite chairlift, tell us why.

The Burfield Chair at Sun Peaks is over 10k feet in length (the shortest way down is over 2 miles long) and almost 3k vertical. At 22 minutes bottom to top it is probably the slowest quad chair in N.A. Most visitors ride it once and never come back. It is less busy now than in the 1980s due to all the Sun Peaks village development 2 miles down the road. There are 4 chairlifts on Sun Peak's Mount Tod but only the Burfield Chair delivers access to every run on Mount Tod.

The Tram at Jackson Hole. A great way to avoid the crowds is to let all of the Tram passengers ski away and then you have that whole section of the mountain to yourself until the next Tram car arrives.

Burfield at Sun Peaks is more like 24 minutes - assuming no stops . On a cold or wet day it is a significant issue.. There is a 1/2 way loading station but a 12 minute ride for 1400 vertical feet is still slow.

It's a pity that chair is so slow as it covers nice terrain. A fast lift would really improve that side of the resort.

 

[BC.]

Brighton- Milly....all the terrain lookers left riding up lift
Solitude- Summit....access to HoneyComb, Evergreen
Alta- Wildcat...all the terrain along the Snowbird boundary/trees
Snowbird- Little Cloud...I love to explore
GT- Blackfoot....exploring skiers right along boundary line
JH- Tram....lots of options/vertical
Killington- Bear...gets me on/off mountain fast/easy
Elk- Quad...been doing it for 30 years
Hunter- K27...avoids crowds/K27 laps/can get to West without having to go down to the 6 pack.....West is great option as the sun shifts back there mid morning.

 

[Doug Briggs]

The one I am getting on.

You beat me to it.

E
Kensho
Imperial
SuperConnect
Rocky Mountain

 

[4aprice]

While everyone lists the classics, a couple off beat favorites of my own:





East Basin Double at Loon NH



Taken in the clear but my favorite lift in a good old Utah snow storm. Snake Creek @ Brighton



Eagle Express at Solitude

 

[Captain Furious]

Sublette @ Jackson Hole
Bridger Gondola @ Jackson Hole
King Pine @ Sugarloaf
Wildcat Express @ Wildcat
Summit Triple @ Shawnee Peak

 

[DoryBreaux]

Silverado at Squaw
23 at Mammoth
Any chair at Alta
Any double it triple at any small resort

 

[Jim McDonald]

The one with a foot of fresh powder and nobody skiing it.

 

[David Chaus]

The one with a foot of fresh powder and nobody skiing it.

Oh, that one. Of course , how could I have forgotten?

 

[Dwight]

Pretty simple in the Midwest.

Quad
Triple
Double

and of course First chair and last chair.

 

[Bad Bob]

The one with a foot of fresh powder and nobody skiing it.

That would pretty much be my hill on a Friday come Feb/March.

 

[UGASkiDawg]

In no particular order and missing many but these are some major favs

Pali (Basin)
Deep Temerity (Highlands)
Tram (Snowbird)
Gold Hill Express (Tride)
KT (Squaw)
North Face (CB)
Summit (Whitewater)
Sierra (Copper) home mountain fav till they build the Tucker lift

and just to add a gratuitous shot at Vail because i can not a single lift there would make my top 30

 

[NZRob]

The one no-one has heard of: after 25 years of outstanding service, the recently dearly departed Waterfall Express, Whakapapa

The one everyone has heard of: Aguille du Midi, Chamonix

 

[geepers]

Basic criteria for a good ski lift:

1. A good vertical rise - around 1800 feet as a minimum
2. Fast - anything under 250 ft/min (that'd be just over 7 minutes for 1800 ft vertical) is getting tedious. This effectively rules out anything without detachable loading as those things are too slow.
3. Provides access to a good range of interesting terrain - not everyone in a group can ski ultra every run or wants to endlessly repeat the one good run.
4. No bad vices like: poor loading/unloading areas; highly exposed areas in predominant weather; frequent stopping due to novice skiers; frequently put on wind hold; no leg rests.
5. Good passenger haulage rate to keep lift lines at bay.
6. Provides good view on the way up of some descending skiers - for entertainment.
   
7. Quick ski in/out access to food/drink.

Other than that, who cares. The lift is just a means of getting to the top of good runs.

 

[Posaune]

Basic criteria for a good ski lift:

1. A good vertical rise - around 1800 feet as a minimum
2. Fast - anything under 250 ft/min (that'd be just over 7 minutes for 1800 ft vertical) is getting tedious. This effectively rules out anything without detachable loading as those things are too slow.
3. Provides access to a good range of interesting terrain - not everyone in a group can ski ultra every run or wants to endlessly repeat the one good run.
4. No bad vices like: poor loading/unloading areas; highly exposed areas in predominant weather; frequent stopping due to novice skiers; frequently put on wind hold; no leg rests.
5. Good passenger haulage rate to keep lift lines at bay.
6. Provides good view on the way up of some descending skiers - for entertainment.
   
7. Quick ski in/out access to food/drink.

Other than that, who cares. The lift is just a means of getting to the top of good runs.

I have one criterion not on your list, and it is the most important of all by far:

-It must service superior terrain.

 

[KingGrump]

Other than that, who cares. The lift is just a means of getting to the top of good runs.

Know exactly what you mean.
Other than a few gun shots wounds to my head, I'm doing fine this morning too.