Arrow Express – Northstar, CA

Arrow is one of four Doppelmayr high speed quads with DS grips and Uni terminals at Northstar.
The lift line is short and reaches the bottom of the Comstock Express.
Unloading ramp at the drive.
View down the lift line.
Bottom terminal near the top of the Big Springs Gondola.
Top station from above.
View up the lift line.
Doppelmayr Worldbook entry.

9 thoughts on “Arrow Express – Northstar, CA

  1. Donald M. Reif's avatar Donald M. Reif March 15, 2019 / 11:27 am

    This lift replaced the Aspen Express, which had a slightly longer alignment that ran up to the bottom of Rendezvous (rather than drop you off at Comstock). Parts of the old Aspen Express were reused on the Arrow Express and Vista Express lifts.

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  2. Tyler's avatar Tyler January 27, 2020 / 7:40 am

    Why was the Aspen Express replaced after 5 years? Or is Arrow just a shortened version of the same lift?

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    • Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif January 27, 2020 / 8:47 am

      Arrow is pretty much a shortened version of Aspen. I think the reason for the replacement is that they thought the Aspen Express would be redundant after the Vista Express went in, or something like that. Still, Arrow Express isn’t exactly used for much more than to lap Main Street and Lumberjack (for beginners), and transport you from the main base up to Comstock Express (for everyone else).

      Given that you can also reach Comstock from either the Vista Express or the Tahoe Zephyr, I personally would say it’s more practical to take one of those lifts and ski down to Comstock rather than take the Arrow Express directly from Big Springs Lodge, since that way you log an extra run in and a few hundred more feet of vertical on EpicMix.

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      • Anders's avatar Anders November 24, 2023 / 4:13 pm

        It’s kind of nice if you want to get to Comstock faster though, like on a powder day.

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    • Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif March 4, 2020 / 8:53 pm

      Aspen ran up to the bottom of Rendezvous.

      Still doesn’t change the fact Arrow is pretty redundant since its role of getting you from Big Springs Lodge up to Comstock for the trip up to the top of Mount Pluto is also fulfilled by Vista and Tahoe Zephyr, just with those lifts you get a run in along the way.

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      • skitheeast's avatar skitheeast March 31, 2025 / 7:48 am

        Arrow gets used pretty heavily by beginners as a beginner lift given that it exclusively serves green terrain. However, its terrain (Main Street and The Gulch) is also full of intermediate and advanced skiers returning to Big Springs, causing a dangerous mix of speeds and skill levels with a ton of crowding. The smart move would be to upgrade Big Easy to a detachable lift and remove Arrow entirely, thereby pushing all beginners to their own area and easing congestion.

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  3. Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif December 11, 2020 / 1:50 pm

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  4. Kool Gye's avatar Kool Gye June 14, 2025 / 9:05 pm

    Why does this have six pack line gauge?

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    • wh2oshredder's avatar wh2oshredder June 15, 2025 / 9:54 am

      I think it is quad gauge, not six-pack gauge.

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