View from above of the upper section.Top station and lift line.Unique Riblet monopod drive terminal.Tower 14.Looking up at the motor room.Yan bottom station.Lift line view.
Originally Boulder and North Bowl were one lift with a mid station at present day base of North Bowl, the base station used to be in the building that now houses the kids ski school and lift operations office. In 1988 the lift was split with the lower portion realigned to it’s present location.. A Yan return station was constructed further up the hill. The original lift (a double chair) was called “Boulder”, after the split the upper portion was given the name of North Bowl.
I remember riding the original Boulder double with the mid station loading/unloading station in the early-mid 80’s. It was miserable, even in an era when all chairs were fixed grip. The beginner traffic getting on and off the lower section often caused multiple stoppages. Without stops, it was easily a 20-minute ride, meaning it was usually closer to 25, sometimes approaching 30, all for only about 1600′ of vertical.
Been riding the new North Bowl Express quite a bit this season, getting about 1300′ for a 4-minute ride. Folks who grew up skiing or riding since the advent of high-speed lifts need to get on a long, fixed grip chair every once in a while, (like, say Galaxy) in order to appreciate how much less time we spend on lifts these days. In the 70’s and 80’s you could be on the hill from opening to closing and sometimes get in only 8 or 10 runs. Skied Heavenly yesterday (a Thursday), and managed 20 runs, well over 20K of vertical, and was back in the parking lot at 12:45.
Is this boulder being replaced along with Northbowl? In reading the press release vail talked about reducing the ride time out of Boulder lodge so I was thinking it may revert back to a single lift with a midstation at the current Northbowl bottom station?
I’d be happy if they left Boulder as is. Because this lift is so slow, Boulder Lodge and parking lot are usually more accessible than any of the other base areas, which has the added benefit of making North Bowl Express far less crowded than Stagecoach on busy days. There are few places at Heavenly that don’t get insanely crowded – chairs AND runs – when it’s busy, but this is one of them.
Grill Guy – My sentiments exactly. As it currently stands, the slow Boulder chair deters all but beginners (and latecomers intending to go to Stagecoach, only to find it full) from parking there. Although it’s certainly not a secret, when skiing lower Nevada, North Bowl Express is somewhat hidden, or for infrequent visitors, an unknown entity, as most runs are not readily visible from elsewhere on the mountain. And if skiers other than beginners make the mistake of skiing to Boulder Lodge, that slow chair often prevents them from ever returning. Most will go to the upper mountain or over to Stagecoach. When North Bowl and/or Boulder Bowl runs are groomed (I’m old, with knee replacements and a heart condition), skiing North Bowl Express is the best, and by far the least crowded, area at Heavenly. That’s saying a lot these days, because after about 11, most of the HSQ’s, and the runs they serve, have been INSANELY crowded almost every day of the week since 2020.
Lift Blog 
When did it get a Yan bottom station?
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Originally Boulder and North Bowl were one lift with a mid station at present day base of North Bowl, the base station used to be in the building that now houses the kids ski school and lift operations office. In 1988 the lift was split with the lower portion realigned to it’s present location.. A Yan return station was constructed further up the hill. The original lift (a double chair) was called “Boulder”, after the split the upper portion was given the name of North Bowl.
Sorry, that’s more than you asked for!
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I remember riding the original Boulder double with the mid station loading/unloading station in the early-mid 80’s. It was miserable, even in an era when all chairs were fixed grip. The beginner traffic getting on and off the lower section often caused multiple stoppages. Without stops, it was easily a 20-minute ride, meaning it was usually closer to 25, sometimes approaching 30, all for only about 1600′ of vertical.
Been riding the new North Bowl Express quite a bit this season, getting about 1300′ for a 4-minute ride. Folks who grew up skiing or riding since the advent of high-speed lifts need to get on a long, fixed grip chair every once in a while, (like, say Galaxy) in order to appreciate how much less time we spend on lifts these days. In the 70’s and 80’s you could be on the hill from opening to closing and sometimes get in only 8 or 10 runs. Skied Heavenly yesterday (a Thursday), and managed 20 runs, well over 20K of vertical, and was back in the parking lot at 12:45.
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Is this boulder being replaced along with Northbowl? In reading the press release vail talked about reducing the ride time out of Boulder lodge so I was thinking it may revert back to a single lift with a midstation at the current Northbowl bottom station?
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I asked this question on Heavenly’s Instagram but no response yet.
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Boulder chair will remain as is for the foreseeable future. Vail taking the low road once again.
.
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I’d be happy if they left Boulder as is. Because this lift is so slow, Boulder Lodge and parking lot are usually more accessible than any of the other base areas, which has the added benefit of making North Bowl Express far less crowded than Stagecoach on busy days. There are few places at Heavenly that don’t get insanely crowded – chairs AND runs – when it’s busy, but this is one of them.
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Grill Guy – My sentiments exactly. As it currently stands, the slow Boulder chair deters all but beginners (and latecomers intending to go to Stagecoach, only to find it full) from parking there. Although it’s certainly not a secret, when skiing lower Nevada, North Bowl Express is somewhat hidden, or for infrequent visitors, an unknown entity, as most runs are not readily visible from elsewhere on the mountain. And if skiers other than beginners make the mistake of skiing to Boulder Lodge, that slow chair often prevents them from ever returning. Most will go to the upper mountain or over to Stagecoach. When North Bowl and/or Boulder Bowl runs are groomed (I’m old, with knee replacements and a heart condition), skiing North Bowl Express is the best, and by far the least crowded, area at Heavenly. That’s saying a lot these days, because after about 11, most of the HSQ’s, and the runs they serve, have been INSANELY crowded almost every day of the week since 2020.
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Is this lift equipment for sale or is it going to be for sale
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