View down the lift line.Upper lift line.Skytrac supplied an all-new tension return station in 2016.Summary: Skytrac return, Yan towers/drive, Doppelmayr sheaves/lifting frames, Riblet chairs.Loading area and operator house.Riding up the line.Arriving at the unload.Drive station with modified enclosure.
I learned to ski on the run that is now occupied by the terrain park. Not only was there no terrain park then, but Keystone didn’t even allow snowboarding at the time.
At the time, this lift ran in conjunction with Packsaddle I, which served the Lower Go Devil trail but primarily was an auxiliary lift for the Peru Express lift. It and Saint’s John (a double chairlift to the summit of Dercum Mountain which served as a backup for the Montezuma Express lift) were removed in 2003.
This chair is cool. May as well have a frankenchair for the terrain park, maybe? Interesting that Vail doesn’t want something more toward the appearance of normal.
It seems odd they retrofitted the original Yan grips with the newer Riblet chairs which likely were from old lift 4 at Breckenridge since the chairs were replaced shortly before the lift was replaced with BreckConnect.
In the stats on the spreadsheet, the length is off. The lift is actually more like 2,200 feet long, not 4,190 feet long. 4,190 would make A-51 longer than the defunct Argentine lift was.
Keystone’s master plan has this lift being upgraded tov a FGQ, although I feel that is unnecessary, as this lift rarely sees lines and seems to be in decent shape. Is there another reason?
Lift Blog 
This lift was originally named Packsaddle II.
I learned to ski on the run that is now occupied by the terrain park. Not only was there no terrain park then, but Keystone didn’t even allow snowboarding at the time.
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At the time, this lift ran in conjunction with Packsaddle I, which served the Lower Go Devil trail but primarily was an auxiliary lift for the Peru Express lift. It and Saint’s John (a double chairlift to the summit of Dercum Mountain which served as a backup for the Montezuma Express lift) were removed in 2003.
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This chair is cool. May as well have a frankenchair for the terrain park, maybe? Interesting that Vail doesn’t want something more toward the appearance of normal.
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Go here if you want to see the lift as it looked before all these modifications: http://www.skilifts.org/old/images/resort_images/co-keystone/packsaddle2/packsaddle2.htm
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This is what we found in Area 51
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When did this lift get Riblet chairs?
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A51 and Discovery got their Riblet chairs in 2006.
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This lift used to have a companion in Packsaddle I, which was relegated to backup use after the Peru Express was built.
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It seems odd they retrofitted the original Yan grips with the newer Riblet chairs which likely were from old lift 4 at Breckenridge since the chairs were replaced shortly before the lift was replaced with BreckConnect.
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The grips appear to be the original Yan grips with the only modification to the carriers being the chairs themselves.
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” since the chairs were replaced shortly before the lift was replaced with BreckConnect.” I assume you meant the Peak 8 SuperConnect here.
Riblet grips are woven into the cable, as seen here:
Now compare with A51:
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Yes, since the Riblet grips are woven into the haul rope, it seems as if they would be compatible with the remaining Yan and now Skytrac equipment.
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In the stats on the spreadsheet, the length is off. The lift is actually more like 2,200 feet long, not 4,190 feet long. 4,190 would make A-51 longer than the defunct Argentine lift was.
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Frankenlift!
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Keystone’s master plan has this lift being upgraded tov a FGQ, although I feel that is unnecessary, as this lift rarely sees lines and seems to be in decent shape. Is there another reason?
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Looks like they’re going with a HSQ per Ropeways story.
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A Skytrac return, Yan towers and a Yan drive, Doppelmayr lifting frames, and Riblet chairs. Quite an odd combination, yet a very good looking lift!
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The motor room enclosure looks ridiculous lol, more like the lifty shack than a top terminal.
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It looks pretty unique. I dig the look.
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