The Highlands at Harbor Springs will forge ahead with another lift replacement project this summer, retiring the Interconnect Riblet triple for a faster Doppelmayr version. The new fixed grip triple will feature a height adjustable loading conveyor, RFID gates and safety bars, all of which the current triple lacks. The Alpenstar machine will move 33 percent faster and improve access to North Peak terrain. The move comes hot on the heels of this season’s debut of Camelot 6, the first bubble detachable in the Midwest and fastest chairlift in Michigan.
When the new Interconnect lift is complete, The Highlands will have replaced four aging Riblet chairlifts with new technology over just two seasons. “We are eager to upgrade our Interconnect lift with a new Doppelmayr fixed-grip design to enhance the experience for guests next winter season,” said Mike Chumbler, president and general manager of The Highlands. “With improved speed, efficiency, modern conveniences, and safety features, we are confident that this addition will help build on the overall skiing and riding adventures at The Highlands.”
For the second year in a row, Boyne Resorts has announced more new lifts at more mountains than any other North American operator. Boyne plans at least six lift projects this summer at its resorts in Maine, Michigan, Montana and Washington.
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I like the idea of them replacing this lift with a Superbowl type lift that’s gonna a very fast carpet loaded fixed grip, although I’m surprised there not going quad with this one given its the only way to access North Face. I wonder if there trying to a similar set up to the Zendo and Kensho Superchairs at Breckenridge where Interconnect will act as an access lift and North Face will be for lapping.
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It’s pretty much just an access lift. The least busy at Highlands by far with only a couple (basically flat) lappable runs. The lift is very long and very slow though so replacement is good to see. It may get more use with the new lift though as this will be far nicer than the center pole quads on Amy’s and North Face
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I know the triples are older, but the lifts I want to see go buh-bye are the center pole behind the seat Riblet quads at both the Mountain and the Highlands. When Nubs received new carriers for the Riblet green in 1996, it was oh so luxurious. Snowriver pulled out the Voyager’s quad, I haven’t cared about skiing Alpine Valley (MI) in a long time, and I keep stopping at Devil’s Head (WI) without actually buying a lift ticket there. The remaining Riblet quads at the Mountain are secondary lifts that you don’t need if it is midweek and the high speed lifts are running.
Is Amy’s going to outlast North Face? Amy’s and Stephen’s Pass are actually two of my fav Highlands runs, but I dislike riding the lift.
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Well, every time you add a seat you have to reduce the rope speed by 50 feet/sec according to ANSI standards. So, a triple seems to be the optimal number of seats for this application. This is also probably why they replaced a quad with a triple at the Superbowl – ride time vs capacity.
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I had no idea Riblet made a triple. I thought Yan started the triple after Riblet folded. Thanks for the update!
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There are plenty of Riblet triples in Michigan. Still trying to figure out what the plan is for the Challenger lift. While it is not a single point of failure in the network because the Heather Express also serves those runs, it’s been down pretty much all season and just as 1960s-old as all of the other north side lifts.
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Riblet built the first triple, and many of them along the way. Also, Yan folded a handful of years before Riblet did.
https://www.midwestskiers.com/post/tbt-first-triple-chair-ever-at-boyne-highlands
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Makes sense to replace with a fixed grip as it is essentially an access-lift to North Peak. Its generally not really lap-able terrain as its 3 very flat green runs. Not worth the $5-8 M+ cost of a detachable lift on this alignment.
Its also a fairly straightforward replacement compared to last summer’s project on C6. This is a replacement on the same alignment with minimal tree clearing, grading, and minimal disruption/relocation of any existing snowmaking & utility infrastructure.
There is “rumor” of adding some lights to one of the Interconnect runs, so they could run this lift and allow skier access to the North Peak Warming Hut for evening dinners/events that currently they utilize snowcats & sleighs. Not so much to expand night skiing footprint but more for the F&B / dining experience.
The story on Challenger is that it was a gear box failure and will be repaired/replaced in the off-season.
The longer-term replacement “rumor” if you will is that Challenger & Amys will be replaced by a single detachable lift that will start from a slightly lower point below the current Challenger lift by the plowed parking area, and terminate higher near the actual summit north of Heather and give access via Paysons Pass to the Amys area, and Little John, Challenger, etc. and improve skier circulation to/from the Interconnect/North Peak area.
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I guess the Amy’s/Challenger replacement would require a bridge to ski over Little John to access the top of Challenger, but that would be kinda cool.
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With a lower terminal closer to the road below Challenger, and an upper terminal near the Graham Chapel area north of Heather and a slight bit of regrading work at the top of the hill, it is possible to access anything from Amys, Little John Challenger, and really anything all the way over to C6 area.
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Highlands isn’t a single summit/nob like Nubs or Schuss, so it has always had some issues with being able to get good skier flow around the slopes – at least after North Peak was developed. But now, we are seeing lifts go up in old alignments to improve the flow.
The Heather Expressed made Little John and Leprechaun obsolete, and they were pulled off the hill shortly thereafter. C6 replaced all three Riblet triples on the south side of the hill, but terminates where Leprechaun once did.
A Challenger/Amy’s detach replacement would effectively be a new Little John chair, but adding access to Amy’s (a small terrain pod that was developed after the original triples were installed at the Highlands).
It’s exciting because we’ll finally have what we’ve always wanted, which is quicker and easier slope access.
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Given the length of the lift and the fact that almost all the chairs go up empty I thought this would be a great application for a pulse lift. But few of these exist, I don’t think there are any in the midwest, and I don’t know if any lift company would even be interested in building a pulse lift.
But, they could cut the ride time by at least half with a pulse lift at far less cost than a detachable. Perhaps someone who knows more about this can explain why I’m off-base about this.
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Pulse lifts look strange to me, but I agree this could have been an application. I’ve stood on the top of Floradora after getting off the North Face lift, telling myself – why does Interconnect run all the time, but is so empty? Granted, I tend to ski midweek.
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NO!!! This was a cool chair! Leave it alone!
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Unfortunately I think many vintage Riblets days are getting numbered
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Will the new lift have a dip over Stephen’s Pass like the current one did? I believe that the original installation on Little John had a dip over Little John. Everyone misses the Leprechaun descent before the final climb.
It is not like the Interconnect lift has the two hangers like the quads or the Valley lift.
Unless I am mistaken, “Cool chair” just means you are stuck forever on a really slow lift with a dip, and dips lose vertical, which one does not have in excess in Michigan or the Midwest.
Maybe “cool chair” on the north end of The Highlands means it is taking you to another one of those nasty center pole in the back 1960s Riblet quads. Cannot wait until they are all gone and replaced, and I am skeptical about the new SkyTrac green at Nubs until I ride it.
If “cool chair” means you survived the dip with no safety bar, then started contemplating the meaning of life on the long way after that while freezing, then you get to listen to squeaky sheaves at the top near near the drive terminal while beyond-due for a restroom break at the warming house … oh yeah, cool chair. If I am around the area this summer, I think I’ll help dismantle its coolness with my bare hands.
I have an extremely specific feeling about a lift I ride once per winter, no? :)
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Indeed it is sad. Its a shame to lose one of the first Riblet triples. I’m going to try to work some magic into getting some towers saved up there. But hey Hemlock is still there!
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