Doppelmayr Uni return terminal.View down line from the top.Bottom drive station.Another view of the top.Another view of the line.Lower lift line.Bottom terminal from above.Towers 15-16.Bottom terminal and lift line.In 2019, a gondola was built that crosses over the top of Bethlehem half way up.
These chairs were only used on early Doppelmayr detachable quads that were manufactured in Saint Jerome, Quebec. Only two detachable quads that I know of have used this exact carrier type, both of which had been installed at New England mountains (old Forerunner at Stowe, VT, and Bethlehem). I don’t know if these chairs were used on other Doppelmayr detachable quads before the EJ chair debuted in 1985, but from what I have seen the early Doppelamyr detachable quads from Salt Lake City used a more square-like version of the ’80s bail chair.
I’m pretty sure Doppelmayr had no facility in Utah before it took over the Garaventa/CTEC one in 2001. Doppelmayr had one in Golden, Colorado but I’m not sure if it was a manufacturing base or just parts and offices.
I forgot about that. It could be that one of the chair models (likely the more square of the two) could be a european chair. This could have been a case of Doppelmayr USA not being able to manufacture enough chairs, so they had some shipped from Europe, similar to what happened with the DT-104 grips in 1996 when all the Yan detachables were retrofitted.
However if you were to look at all the Doppelmayr fixed grip lefts from the 1980s in the western United States, you would notice that they are all the more square bail chairs, which leads me to believe that the rounded bail chairs are an exclusively New England carrier.
The Newport Double At Squaw had the eastern style chairs. Sadly it was removed in 2011, and I read it was sold to a zip line tour in Namibia. Pictures of it can be found on Skilifts.org
Early Doppelmayr detachables in Ontario and Quebec (pre-1990) almost exclusively had the ‘eastern’ style of chairs, save for bubble chairs and the ones at Mont Sainte-Anne. The oldest ones had the ‘western’ style.
These chairs are of the same design as Edge and the old Lowell Thomas, but I don’t think the design itself is called ‘EJ’. I think EJ only applies to the standard Dopplemayr design introduced in 1985 (still being used today).
Duncan, Soleil, Flying Mile, and LTE have EJ chairs. Edge and old Lowell Thomas have/had 80’s style chairs like this, but with the metal back like EJ chairs instead of the normal plastic slats. This lift has the same exact chairs as Edge.
I could see this getting upgraded to a six-pack some day. Other than the gondola, its the main out of base lift and has been running since the late 80s.
Looks like the first UNI in New England will also be the last to be removed, as the old Jordan Bowl is no more and the Polar Express is on track for replacement. It’ll be interesting to see how long this lift sticks around as it probably has very high hours even though it’s no longer as much of a workhorse thanks to the Gondola and Zephyr. If/when this lift is replaced I can’t see the replacement being a six-pack as that would make the out-of-base capacity a bit excessive in my opinion.
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Do you know much about the chairs? They look like 80’s Doppelmayr chairs with new padded back rests like the new chairs.
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These chairs were only used on early Doppelmayr detachable quads that were manufactured in Saint Jerome, Quebec. Only two detachable quads that I know of have used this exact carrier type, both of which had been installed at New England mountains (old Forerunner at Stowe, VT, and Bethlehem). I don’t know if these chairs were used on other Doppelmayr detachable quads before the EJ chair debuted in 1985, but from what I have seen the early Doppelamyr detachable quads from Salt Lake City used a more square-like version of the ’80s bail chair.
Essentially, this is just a nicer “eastern style” (more rounded at the top corners, https://skiliftblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/img_22411.jpg ) ’80s bail chair. There are some of the “western style” (more square at the top corners, https://skiliftblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/img_2245.jpg ) ’80s bail chairs in New England, but most of these chairs that I have seen are at western ski areas that would have gotten Doppelmayr lifts from Salt Lake City.
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If you look closely, Fabyan’s Express Triple (1983 Doppelmayr) has both chair styles (“eastern / rounded” chair on heavy side and “western / square” on light side): https://skiliftblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/img_2755.jpg
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I’m pretty sure Doppelmayr had no facility in Utah before it took over the Garaventa/CTEC one in 2001. Doppelmayr had one in Golden, Colorado but I’m not sure if it was a manufacturing base or just parts and offices.
LikeLike
I forgot about that. It could be that one of the chair models (likely the more square of the two) could be a european chair. This could have been a case of Doppelmayr USA not being able to manufacture enough chairs, so they had some shipped from Europe, similar to what happened with the DT-104 grips in 1996 when all the Yan detachables were retrofitted.
LikeLike
However if you were to look at all the Doppelmayr fixed grip lefts from the 1980s in the western United States, you would notice that they are all the more square bail chairs, which leads me to believe that the rounded bail chairs are an exclusively New England carrier.
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Mile One at Panorama has them. According to the pictures here, it’s from Europe.
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The Newport Double At Squaw had the eastern style chairs. Sadly it was removed in 2011, and I read it was sold to a zip line tour in Namibia. Pictures of it can be found on Skilifts.org
LikeLike
Early Doppelmayr detachables in Ontario and Quebec (pre-1990) almost exclusively had the ‘eastern’ style of chairs, save for bubble chairs and the ones at Mont Sainte-Anne. The oldest ones had the ‘western’ style.
LikeLike
I noticed these chairs have the EJ style back like the Edge Quad at Tremblant and the now removed Lowell Thomas Triple.
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These chairs are of the same design as Edge and the old Lowell Thomas, but I don’t think the design itself is called ‘EJ’. I think EJ only applies to the standard Dopplemayr design introduced in 1985 (still being used today).
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Duncan, Soleil, Flying Mile, and LTE have EJ chairs. Edge and old Lowell Thomas have/had 80’s style chairs like this, but with the metal back like EJ chairs instead of the normal plastic slats. This lift has the same exact chairs as Edge.
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Zoomer at Cannon, NH and II at Mont Sutton, QC.
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They have the squared-off chair bails.
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Is this lift going to be removed considering its age and its redundancy with the new gondola?
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Not at this time.
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I asked one if the lift operators and they said the design speed is only 800fpm
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How old is this lift looks kinda old
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Built in 89.
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I could see this getting upgraded to a six-pack some day. Other than the gondola, its the main out of base lift and has been running since the late 80s.
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Looks like the first UNI in New England will also be the last to be removed, as the old Jordan Bowl is no more and the Polar Express is on track for replacement. It’ll be interesting to see how long this lift sticks around as it probably has very high hours even though it’s no longer as much of a workhorse thanks to the Gondola and Zephyr. If/when this lift is replaced I can’t see the replacement being a six-pack as that would make the out-of-base capacity a bit excessive in my opinion.
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