The Avalanche expansion opened in 1988 with a CTEC fixed grip quad.Side view of the top station.View down from the summit.This is the longest lift at Hidden Valley.View down the line.Looking up the line.New galvanized lifting frames have been added.Loading area.Another view of the fixed drive bullwheel.
Sunnyside at Winter Park has/had the same model drive and return as this lift. Sunnyside was installed in 1989 while Avalanche was 1988. CTEC was probably experimenting with the Gemini style drive and a return to go with it. They eventually settled on a monopod drive with either an Orion top return or the much more common tripod tensioned bottom return (like Sunbrook). Sunbrook was 1990 so one year after these two experimental lifts.
About the lifting frames, I think they were added recently by an aftermarket manufacturer. They were probably added to make maintenance easier. This is a similar situation to Practice Slope at MRG. Although the aftermarket lifting frames look very similar to the early 90s Doppelmayr lifting frames, they have most likely been installed in the last 10 years.
To add more to this, Town Lift at PCMR has a 4 leg top drive-tension terminal, with a Gemini enclosure. It was built in 1985 and uses counterweight tensioning.
Pioneer, also at PCMR, was built in 1984 and has a monopod fixed top Gemini drive. The bottom station has an integrated counterweight, and is different from the tri-leg hydraulic tension terminal that came later.
Sunnyside at Winter Park is top (hydraulic) tension, which may have something to do with it.
Pioneer at PCMR’s counterweight tension terminal looks like a Yan design with the integrated tower housing the counterweight. Does anyone know of other CTEC lifts with that design?
Town Lift looks just like this one, with a counterweight likely because it’s so long. The counterweight has the CTEC logo set in concrete.
Lift Blog 
Some of the most unique CTEC terminals I’ve seen. And are those aftermarket lifting frames?
LikeLike
Sunnyside at Winter Park has/had the same model drive and return as this lift. Sunnyside was installed in 1989 while Avalanche was 1988. CTEC was probably experimenting with the Gemini style drive and a return to go with it. They eventually settled on a monopod drive with either an Orion top return or the much more common tripod tensioned bottom return (like Sunbrook). Sunbrook was 1990 so one year after these two experimental lifts.
About the lifting frames, I think they were added recently by an aftermarket manufacturer. They were probably added to make maintenance easier. This is a similar situation to Practice Slope at MRG. Although the aftermarket lifting frames look very similar to the early 90s Doppelmayr lifting frames, they have most likely been installed in the last 10 years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
To add more to this, Town Lift at PCMR has a 4 leg top drive-tension terminal, with a Gemini enclosure. It was built in 1985 and uses counterweight tensioning.
Pioneer, also at PCMR, was built in 1984 and has a monopod fixed top Gemini drive. The bottom station has an integrated counterweight, and is different from the tri-leg hydraulic tension terminal that came later.
Sunnyside at Winter Park is top (hydraulic) tension, which may have something to do with it.
LikeLike
Actually there is one more it is lakeview at Alpine Meadows and it is also counterweight tensioned.
LikeLike
Pioneer at PCMR’s counterweight tension terminal looks like a Yan design with the integrated tower housing the counterweight. Does anyone know of other CTEC lifts with that design?
Town Lift looks just like this one, with a counterweight likely because it’s so long. The counterweight has the CTEC logo set in concrete.
LikeLike
Any chance this becomes detachable?
LikeLike
It’s too short to do it. It’s only about a 5 minute ride as it is.
LikeLike
North Pole at Seven Springs also utilizes a four legged drive with a Gemini motor room
LikeLike