Bottom dock on the California side of Heavenly.Tram car, hanger and carriage.View up the line.50-passenger car #2.This tramway has only two towers.Old school top terminal building.Car one above tower two.Top dock.Tower 2.Car 2 and tower 1.The longest of the three spans is between the bottom dock and tower 1.Tall tower 1.Car 2 and tower 1.Swoboda cabin.Car 2 in the top dock.Tower 2 and car 2.The halfway point.Car 2.Car 1 stops on tower 1 to pick up a mechanic.Car 1 passes tower 1.Cabin and carriage.Upgraded Frey controls.The fly by.On the top dock.
I believe that handle is for the track rope brake, which can be used by the operator to stop the cabin on the track ropes if an emergency issue occurs with the haul rope.
Cannon’s 1979 Agudio tram has a red lever in a similar position in each cabin. A tram operator told me that if it is pulled, it takes the mechanics an hour and a half to get it running again. One use is if a sheave broke and the lift needs to stop and stay stopped.
The terrain below is pretty steep and melts away much faster than the higher elevation snow. They needed a way for beginners, intermediates, and late-season skiers to be able to return to California base, and I guess this was better than a gondola in 1984.
Seconded. Trams are suspect at best even pre-2020, but at least the Snowbird and J-Hole varietals cover significant and important vert over challenging(ish for Snowbird) terrain in a ridiculously short time. This is just conspicuous consumption of wealth.
For Jackson Hole, a tram was the most economical option for that alignment. It has too much of a span for a monocable gondola, and a tricable gondola would have been much more expensive than the tram and would have had more capacity than they needed. Other than niche situations like that though, trams usually aren’t the best option, especially post-covid.
A tram was the best option in 1965. When they rebuilt the tram in 2006, it was not the most economical option. Both a bi-cable gondola and 3S gondola would have been cheaper and worked, but a tram was chosen to keep the resort’s aesthetics and charm. Peter mentioned a lot of this in his post “Will North America Build a New Tram Ever Again?”
A 3S or 2S would require heavy duty stations along with towers, cables, and tensioning comparable to the current tram. The cost of these stations plus the additional cabins would have made a 2S or 3S system much more expensive than a tram. In addition, there is very limited space at the base of the Jackson Hole tram; there isn’t enough space in the bottom station for a 2S or 3S station. Installing a gondola would require a lot of construction in the base area. While part of the decision to go with a tram was to preserve the aesthetics of a tram, a large part of it was definitely financial.
The first Heron tram was mainly built to bring tourists up for sightseeing. They first had this idea in 1953, two years before Heavenly became a ski area. In the 1970/80s, they wanted to avoid waiting times when larger buses arrived, which is why the decision was made to build a new and bigger one.
“New” tram (50 passenger) installed 1984. Original 25 passenger tram built in 1962. Until the Gondola went in in 2002, the tram was the center of summertime activities on the mountain.
It still gets a fair amount of use, but only early and late in the day, as an access lift. For beginners and low intermediates, it’s less intimidating than downloading on Gunbarrel at the end of the day.
There is a restaurant as well as snowcat service shop at the top so a tram was and still is a convenient way to move bulk supplies up there. Not to mention the ride time for a tram is much shorter than the fixed grip chairs that ran parallel before the Gunbarrel HSQ was installed which made it more convenient for skiers and sightseers to ride.
When installed in 1962 (25 passenger), it was intended as much for summer sightseers as winter skiers. Prior to that, Lift 1 (Gunbarrel) was open in the summer for the same purpose, but non-skiers probably found riding a “non-stop”, open-air chair lift, especially over such steep terrain, to be pretty intimidating. I remember riding the Tram as a kid in 1965, and it seemed like it took you to the top of the world. It was a reallybig deal for its time. When replaced with the current 50 passenger version in 1984, summer sightseeing was still a big part of the equation and remained so until the installation of the Gondola in 2002. In today’s world, it does seem like quite an anachronism, since it’s such a short ride, and definitely does not go to “the top”. Other than transporting supplies up, and injured skiers down, its main purpose is to provide additional capacity to the Gunbarrel HSQ for both uphill and downhill loading as a significant percentage of Heavenly’s clientele find runs on the Face to be far too challenging, and, due to the low elevation, often has poor snow conditions, anyway.
Until recently, there was talk of replacing the Tram with a high-speed chair that would continue to the top of Powderbowl chair, where a new indoor lodge would be built, something that is sorely needed on the CA side. Nostalgia buffs have been vocal in their opposition to such a plan, as they find the Tram to be “charming”, and an integral part of Heavenly’s history. But old timers (like me) who hold that view are starting to get too old to ski or are dying off. But something will have to be done at some point, as the Tram is now over 40 years old and Gunbarrel HSQ is nearing 30. Given Vail’s well-known reticence to spend money at Heavenly, it’s hard to say what, if anything, will happen in the foreseeable future. I think the most likely scenario will be to eventually replace Gunbarrel with a high speed 6-pack, and when the Tram finally gives up the ghost, to simply remove it. Or possibly do a direct replacement with a (used?) fixed grip triple or quad to help with the morning and afternoon rush, and to act as backup should Gunbarrel break down. Because it traverses such steep terrain it wouldn’t be a terribly long ride, maybe 10 minutes, vs. 4 for a high-speed chair.
A little-known fact is there was once a proposal to build a separate ski area starting out behind the casino core, with a gondola going to the top of East Peak. They got as far as cutting the lift line, which is still visible today, and known locally as “Firebreak”. This would have no doubt developed into the terrain we now know as the “Nevada side” long before that concept was a twinkle in anybody’s eye. I came across a prospectus from 1959, offering shares in the gondola project to the public at $10 (!) apiece.
I got married at the lakeview lodge at the top of this tram. Half of our guest had never ridden a tram and it was a real treat. There used to be a protected stairway down to the lodge but that was removed a few years ago so now you have to ski down and hike back up and during the summers, for special events, they bus you down to the lodge. Honestly a gondola from the current base all the way to the former base of the ridge chair make a ton of sense and would move skiers to where they want to be much better. Its a pretty straight shot. Years ago (I think under American ski company) they had proposed a lodge in that location (ish) which could be the terminus of the gondola. Wishful thinking :)
The original 1962 Tram was intended at least as much for summer sightseers as skiers. When it was replaced in 1984, HSQ’s were not yet in existence, and with it’s larger capacity, it was a much quicker alternative to the then fixed grip Gunbarrel or West Bowl chairs. Summer sightseeing was still a factor, because the Gondola was almost 20 years in the future. In 2022, it does seem like an anachronism, but without it, there would be only one chair going up the mountain from their largest parking lot. It’s supposed to be replaced by a HSQ at some point, which would continue to approximately the top of Powderbowl chair. Lots of nostalgia buffs have decried this possibility, AND, it seems like a lot of money for what would essentially be an access only lift that most customers would only ride once a day. None of that fits with Vail’s “bottom line, bean counting” M.O.
Seems like the tram is less susceptible to wind hold than a gondola. There is talk of replacing the tram with a gondola that goes further up the hill, possibly up to the top of Sky chair.
I like the tram, but it should probably be replaced with a gondola directly from California Lodge to Sky Deck. Making all of the intermediate and tired advanced skiers use their poles to walk down Maggie’s (in the likely event they don’t take Ridge Run to Mombo) and then have to take Patsy’s or Groove to Gunbarrel or the Tram is quite the ordeal after a full day of skiing. The tram’s popularity has also faded since Gunbarrel became a detachable lift 25 years ago, and the isolated location of the bottom terminal makes it fairly inaccessible.
If they want to maintain access to Lakeview Lodge, they could add a midstation to the gondola.
If one makes the mistake of skiing to the base of Sky and Canyon, with the intention of accessing Maggie’s, that VERY flat trail should be enough to deter them from ever doing it again. Anyone who’s skied Heavenly more than a couple of times knows to take Ridge Run to Mambo or Waterfall and avoid the beginner traffic on Maggie’s, and the requisite “push” to get out of Sky Meadows.
However, quite often, when returning home from NV to CA, you’re greeted with a monstrous line on Sky, and even sometimes on Canyon. In my younger days, I’d occasionally skate that flat trail (I don’t think it even has a name,) rather than wait for Sky or Canyon. But that was a long time ago, now I’m too old for that kind of nonsense, so I just grit my teeth and wait for Canyon. Not terribly exciting, but at least I can ski all the way to Groove to get down the mountain without having to walk or skate. From there, I’ve only rarely skied Roundabout to get down, because of the same walking/skating issues. If there’s enough snow, I’ll use Advanced Roundabout. I’m a pretty good skier for my age, but if the runs down the Face are in poor condition (which is more often than not), I have no qualms about riding the Gunbarrel chair down.
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What is the big red handle for in the corner where the operator sits? Emergency shutdown?
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I believe that handle is for the track rope brake, which can be used by the operator to stop the cabin on the track ropes if an emergency issue occurs with the haul rope.
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Cannon’s 1979 Agudio tram has a red lever in a similar position in each cabin. A tram operator told me that if it is pulled, it takes the mechanics an hour and a half to get it running again. One use is if a sheave broke and the lift needs to stop and stay stopped.
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What’s the point of such a random tram like this? Doesn’t seem like it needed to be a tram.
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The terrain below is pretty steep and melts away much faster than the higher elevation snow. They needed a way for beginners, intermediates, and late-season skiers to be able to return to California base, and I guess this was better than a gondola in 1984.
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Seconded. Trams are suspect at best even pre-2020, but at least the Snowbird and J-Hole varietals cover significant and important vert over challenging(ish for Snowbird) terrain in a ridiculously short time. This is just conspicuous consumption of wealth.
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For Jackson Hole, a tram was the most economical option for that alignment. It has too much of a span for a monocable gondola, and a tricable gondola would have been much more expensive than the tram and would have had more capacity than they needed. Other than niche situations like that though, trams usually aren’t the best option, especially post-covid.
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A tram was the best option in 1965. When they rebuilt the tram in 2006, it was not the most economical option. Both a bi-cable gondola and 3S gondola would have been cheaper and worked, but a tram was chosen to keep the resort’s aesthetics and charm. Peter mentioned a lot of this in his post “Will North America Build a New Tram Ever Again?”
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A 3S or 2S would require heavy duty stations along with towers, cables, and tensioning comparable to the current tram. The cost of these stations plus the additional cabins would have made a 2S or 3S system much more expensive than a tram. In addition, there is very limited space at the base of the Jackson Hole tram; there isn’t enough space in the bottom station for a 2S or 3S station. Installing a gondola would require a lot of construction in the base area. While part of the decision to go with a tram was to preserve the aesthetics of a tram, a large part of it was definitely financial.
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The first Heron tram was mainly built to bring tourists up for sightseeing. They first had this idea in 1953, two years before Heavenly became a ski area. In the 1970/80s, they wanted to avoid waiting times when larger buses arrived, which is why the decision was made to build a new and bigger one.
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“New” tram (50 passenger) installed 1984. Original 25 passenger tram built in 1962. Until the Gondola went in in 2002, the tram was the center of summertime activities on the mountain.
It still gets a fair amount of use, but only early and late in the day, as an access lift. For beginners and low intermediates, it’s less intimidating than downloading on Gunbarrel at the end of the day.
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There is a restaurant as well as snowcat service shop at the top so a tram was and still is a convenient way to move bulk supplies up there. Not to mention the ride time for a tram is much shorter than the fixed grip chairs that ran parallel before the Gunbarrel HSQ was installed which made it more convenient for skiers and sightseers to ride.
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When installed in 1962 (25 passenger), it was intended as much for summer sightseers as winter skiers. Prior to that, Lift 1 (Gunbarrel) was open in the summer for the same purpose, but non-skiers probably found riding a “non-stop”, open-air chair lift, especially over such steep terrain, to be pretty intimidating. I remember riding the Tram as a kid in 1965, and it seemed like it took you to the top of the world. It was a really big deal for its time. When replaced with the current 50 passenger version in 1984, summer sightseeing was still a big part of the equation and remained so until the installation of the Gondola in 2002. In today’s world, it does seem like quite an anachronism, since it’s such a short ride, and definitely does not go to “the top”. Other than transporting supplies up, and injured skiers down, its main purpose is to provide additional capacity to the Gunbarrel HSQ for both uphill and downhill loading as a significant percentage of Heavenly’s clientele find runs on the Face to be far too challenging, and, due to the low elevation, often has poor snow conditions, anyway.
Until recently, there was talk of replacing the Tram with a high-speed chair that would continue to the top of Powderbowl chair, where a new indoor lodge would be built, something that is sorely needed on the CA side. Nostalgia buffs have been vocal in their opposition to such a plan, as they find the Tram to be “charming”, and an integral part of Heavenly’s history. But old timers (like me) who hold that view are starting to get too old to ski or are dying off. But something will have to be done at some point, as the Tram is now over 40 years old and Gunbarrel HSQ is nearing 30. Given Vail’s well-known reticence to spend money at Heavenly, it’s hard to say what, if anything, will happen in the foreseeable future. I think the most likely scenario will be to eventually replace Gunbarrel with a high speed 6-pack, and when the Tram finally gives up the ghost, to simply remove it. Or possibly do a direct replacement with a (used?) fixed grip triple or quad to help with the morning and afternoon rush, and to act as backup should Gunbarrel break down. Because it traverses such steep terrain it wouldn’t be a terribly long ride, maybe 10 minutes, vs. 4 for a high-speed chair.
A little-known fact is there was once a proposal to build a separate ski area starting out behind the casino core, with a gondola going to the top of East Peak. They got as far as cutting the lift line, which is still visible today, and known locally as “Firebreak”. This would have no doubt developed into the terrain we now know as the “Nevada side” long before that concept was a twinkle in anybody’s eye. I came across a prospectus from 1959, offering shares in the gondola project to the public at $10 (!) apiece.
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CWA cabins.
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I really like the trams charm. I think people like the vintage styles of this and the snowbird tram and it is somewhat more panoramic then gondolas.
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I got married at the lakeview lodge at the top of this tram. Half of our guest had never ridden a tram and it was a real treat. There used to be a protected stairway down to the lodge but that was removed a few years ago so now you have to ski down and hike back up and during the summers, for special events, they bus you down to the lodge. Honestly a gondola from the current base all the way to the former base of the ridge chair make a ton of sense and would move skiers to where they want to be much better. Its a pretty straight shot. Years ago (I think under American ski company) they had proposed a lodge in that location (ish) which could be the terminus of the gondola. Wishful thinking :)
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The original 1962 Tram was intended at least as much for summer sightseers as skiers. When it was replaced in 1984, HSQ’s were not yet in existence, and with it’s larger capacity, it was a much quicker alternative to the then fixed grip Gunbarrel or West Bowl chairs. Summer sightseeing was still a factor, because the Gondola was almost 20 years in the future. In 2022, it does seem like an anachronism, but without it, there would be only one chair going up the mountain from their largest parking lot. It’s supposed to be replaced by a HSQ at some point, which would continue to approximately the top of Powderbowl chair. Lots of nostalgia buffs have decried this possibility, AND, it seems like a lot of money for what would essentially be an access only lift that most customers would only ride once a day. None of that fits with Vail’s “bottom line, bean counting” M.O.
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Seems like the tram is less susceptible to wind hold than a gondola. There is talk of replacing the tram with a gondola that goes further up the hill, possibly up to the top of Sky chair.
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Seems like a short distance for a tram to cover.
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I like the tram, but it should probably be replaced with a gondola directly from California Lodge to Sky Deck. Making all of the intermediate and tired advanced skiers use their poles to walk down Maggie’s (in the likely event they don’t take Ridge Run to Mombo) and then have to take Patsy’s or Groove to Gunbarrel or the Tram is quite the ordeal after a full day of skiing. The tram’s popularity has also faded since Gunbarrel became a detachable lift 25 years ago, and the isolated location of the bottom terminal makes it fairly inaccessible.
If they want to maintain access to Lakeview Lodge, they could add a midstation to the gondola.
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If one makes the mistake of skiing to the base of Sky and Canyon, with the intention of accessing Maggie’s, that VERY flat trail should be enough to deter them from ever doing it again. Anyone who’s skied Heavenly more than a couple of times knows to take Ridge Run to Mambo or Waterfall and avoid the beginner traffic on Maggie’s, and the requisite “push” to get out of Sky Meadows.
However, quite often, when returning home from NV to CA, you’re greeted with a monstrous line on Sky, and even sometimes on Canyon. In my younger days, I’d occasionally skate that flat trail (I don’t think it even has a name,) rather than wait for Sky or Canyon. But that was a long time ago, now I’m too old for that kind of nonsense, so I just grit my teeth and wait for Canyon. Not terribly exciting, but at least I can ski all the way to Groove to get down the mountain without having to walk or skate. From there, I’ve only rarely skied Roundabout to get down, because of the same walking/skating issues. If there’s enough snow, I’ll use Advanced Roundabout. I’m a pretty good skier for my age, but if the runs down the Face are in poor condition (which is more often than not), I have no qualms about riding the Gunbarrel chair down.
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