Riblet return-tension station.Loading area and counterweight.Tension carriage.Crossing under the Peak 8 SuperConnect.Riding up the line.View back down line.Unload zone.Top drive station with a vault.Riblet towers.Another view of the lift line on Peak 9.
I believe at some point back in the 80s or early 90s all the Riblets at Breckie got upgraded chairs. This particular lift is a 1972 model so I would assume it had the center pole doubles. But I could be wrong.
Stowe’s Mt. Mansfield double (1959, listed as 1970) had bail chairs. Upon being relocated to an abandoned ski area in 1985 (went abandoned in 2000), it still kept all original parts, including the bail chairs
These aren’t the original carriers. Breckenridge upgraded to this model I believe in the early 2000s. The previous carrier design to my knowledge would be the ones used on Lift E.
Yah all of the doubles at Breckenridge with this style chair originally had center pole chairs, Vail used the chairs from lift 4 at Keystone for some of their Yans as the yan D series grip could be made to fit in the hanger bore and the chairs were only 2-3 years old.
I learned to ski at Breck in 1989 or 1988. The Quicksilver 6 lift was not in place at that time. I am thinking that maybe a B Chair was the name of the lift that I learned on and later replaced by the Quicksilver. I am almost certain that the lift was realigned. I learned to ski on Peak 9 with Bonaza being one of the first runs that I skied. Maybe somebody else has a better memory about Breckenridge taught Ski School back then and where.
I was skiing at Breck a few weeks ago, and near the top of the old Quicksilver chair, there are a bunch of old Riblet chairs lying in the woods. I was thinking they could be from B-Chair? Does anyone know where they may be from?
I think one of the Breckenridge master plans calls for this lift to be eventually replaced with a high speed quad that runs daily (currently, this lift is a weekends/peak periods reliever for the Beaver Run and Mercury SuperChair).
While the master plan does call for an upgrade to Lift C, that’s probably a low priority, because despite nearing 50 years old, Lift C also only runs on weekends and holidays, so is logging less hours than Lift E or even Lift A.
Upgrading C at some point is going to likely happen at some point as the mountain is reaching saturation point at times. This may take some relief off Beaver Run and Mercury. Although I could see an upgrade to Beaver Run to a HSS before C gets a replaced.
1) The terrain pod from American over to Volunteer is relatively underutilized in compared to the rest of Peak 9. While these are more advanced blues / easy blacks they just don’t get a lot of use in part to the relatively obscure trail entrances and that C Chair doesn’t operate during week and/or a long slow double.
2) Egress from Peak 8 to 9, currently requiring the push down Sawmill when the lift doesn’t operate.
Lift C would certainly do the job of relieving the Beaver Run and Mercury SuperChairs. I don’t think either of those lifts are quite up for replacement, and the Beaver Run SuperChair did get new chairs just five years ago.
I wouldn’t say the terrain pod from American over to Volunteer is underutilized, as I use the Mercury SuperChair to lap those trails. The only parts of those trails that you can’t reach from the Mercury SuperChair are the parts of Gold King and Peerless below Lower American.
On the other hand, an upgraded Lift C would make it to where there’d be three high speed quads running up the main Peak 9 face, each with different purposes: C’s superchair being for lapping Peerless, Gold King and Volunteer; plus providing access to Peak 9 for intermediates bypassing Sawmill; the Beaver Run SuperChair for those coming out of the base, as well as top to bottom laps on Bonanza, Columbia, Sundown and American; and the Mercury SuperChair for all of those trails as well as Cashier, Country Boy, Briar Rose, Sizzler and Upper Lehman.
Replacing with a HSQ is a good idea, although I could see one issue. This lift’s bottom Terminal is smack-dab in the middle of a dedicated beginner’s run, much to easy for a beginner to hop on this. However, it would relieve traffic on Beaver Run and Mercury, which can get quite busy on Weekends and Peak Times. It is also very long and slow, and doesn’t operate on weekdays. So, IMO, this should go detach
Sometimes I wonder what name the lift in this alignment would take if it becomes a high speed quad. Since the runs on Peak 9 are named after gold mines, I think C’s alignment would become something like the Creskill SuperChair.
There is a world of difference between a modern detach terminal (or ‘SuperChair) and a Riblet vault-drive setup. In many cases the so-called ‘vault’ was completely above ground, which necessitated a much larger and probably steeper ramp than what we see on (for example) Merc or chair 4.
Sounds like they need a bit more snow on the ramp. This one isn’t nearly as tall as some of its counterparts (old chair 5 at Baker comes to mind) but the lifties still need to pay attention to the top deck. I too have short dude issues with a few ramps.
“BSR proposes to replace the existing, fixed grip Riblet double C-Chair, with a six-person high-speed detachable lift. The replacement lift would have a capacity of approximately 3,000 pph and would follow the same alignment as the existing C-Chair. The bottom terminal would be located slightly uphill from its current location. The top terminal would be sited above the Overlook Restaurant providing access to the underutilized expert terrain on the north side of Peak 9”
I highly doubt this will happen in 2025 but perhaps 2026. The Peak 9 beginner gondola will be taking precedence over this project.
Its in the most recent master plan to the forest service but there have bene no firm plans. With Vail Resorts announcements and plans for capex at this point is it not happening for 2025-2026. There is no firm timeline. Like said Peak 9 base Gondola will likely happen first.
Its still a few years out at this point.
As I’ve said before, C-Chair should run far more than it does just one weekends as it makes the Peak 8->9 transfer that much easier but they only run this lift on Sat/Sun/Holidays. Should run it more than they do, especially since Friday is the new Saturday these days.
Scuttlebutt around the hill says the gondola isn’t happening soon either. It’s beginning to sound like our L-lift proposal, according to my sources- make a big announcement then back off for a few years. The gondola would be an asset for sure, though- Quicksilver is painful to ride.
Scuttlebutt also says C is often closed due to staffing problems. It’s a shame, because while it’s a slow ride, it would definitely make the 8-9 transfer better (I hate the catwalk between the bottom of C and the Peak 9 base).
I can’t speak to any of the projects you mentioned, but the way I’m reading the tea leaves, I bet we’re about to see consecutive, once in a lifetime size construction seasons.
Looking at who is now head of the USFS and other de-regulation throughout the EPA….If you operate on federal land and have projects you need to get done, there might never be a window again like the one that’s opening now.
Could be true. On the flip side, I wonder if things will just move even slower if staffing reductions affect this part of the FS and EPA. There could be less regulation but there might not be anyone to even look over proposals. I really don’t know.
TBH, I don’t think there is a single Breckenridge skier who enjoys the lower part of Sawmill. The least Breck could do at this point is just install a ropetow on Lower Sawmill to make it way easier for beginners to access Peak 9. When you have little kids, the run is terrible because they can barely move down it.
Yeah makes sense as Vail Resorts to work through in the short to medium term. They have a lot of other projects and replacements coming due across their resorts I don’t think the appetite to do either of these projects at Breck is happening for another couple of years. Realistically, it probably doesn’t make sense to do the Peak 9 gondola project until they are ready to replace Quicksilver. Seems like to me, that when they eventually replace Quicksilver they rework the alignments in that area and get 2 lifts out of the lower base. One a Gondola, one a detach. The current proposal since crazy with the alignments and midstations in the sense its working around the current Quicksilver alignment.
Breckenridge barely ever runs this lift, even on weekends. I went skiing Friday-Sunday a few weeks ago, and it wasn’t running any of those days. Would have been nice to have, because Sawmill was really painful
Lift Blog 
Was this lift upgraded with new chairs?
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I believe at some point back in the 80s or early 90s all the Riblets at Breckie got upgraded chairs. This particular lift is a 1972 model so I would assume it had the center pole doubles. But I could be wrong.
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I’ve heard as early as 1960 bail style chairs were an option, so they could very well be original as well.
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Do you have an ARS account, ACA Allertor?
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If I’m talking about what you are (I think I am), yes I do!
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Wrong. As early as 1959 (Mt. Mansfield at Stowe (became Charlie at Ski Rio in ’85), even though listed as ’60 for some reason)
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Stowe’s Mt. Mansfield double (1959, listed as 1970) had bail chairs. Upon being relocated to an abandoned ski area in 1985 (went abandoned in 2000), it still kept all original parts, including the bail chairs
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I recall this lift having center pole chairs.
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’62 at the latest for a bail chair option:
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The earliest date I know of is 1948 on Hoodoo, Oregon’s original Green Lift, which was one of their first doubles.
https://skihoodoo.com/announcement/quote-for-ski-lift/
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Picture of Chair 1 Miners Basin at Crystal Mtn.
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Is that one of the old Riblets at Gore, NY?
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These aren’t the original carriers. Breckenridge upgraded to this model I believe in the early 2000s. The previous carrier design to my knowledge would be the ones used on Lift E.
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They were replaced around 1998 or 1999, around the same time Quicksilver Super6 was built.
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Yah all of the doubles at Breckenridge with this style chair originally had center pole chairs, Vail used the chairs from lift 4 at Keystone for some of their Yans as the yan D series grip could be made to fit in the hanger bore and the chairs were only 2-3 years old.
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I learned to ski at Breck in 1989 or 1988. The Quicksilver 6 lift was not in place at that time. I am thinking that maybe a B Chair was the name of the lift that I learned on and later replaced by the Quicksilver. I am almost certain that the lift was realigned. I learned to ski on Peak 9 with Bonaza being one of the first runs that I skied. Maybe somebody else has a better memory about Breckenridge taught Ski School back then and where.
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Lift B ran up from near the top of old Quicksilver to where the Mercury SuperChair currently offloads.
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Yes, QuickSilver 6 vs the original QuickSilver run two separate alignments.
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I was skiing at Breck a few weeks ago, and near the top of the old Quicksilver chair, there are a bunch of old Riblet chairs lying in the woods. I was thinking they could be from B-Chair? Does anyone know where they may be from?
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They could also be from Lift D (which was replaced by the Beaver Run SuperChair in 1990).
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Pics?
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I think one of the Breckenridge master plans calls for this lift to be eventually replaced with a high speed quad that runs daily (currently, this lift is a weekends/peak periods reliever for the Beaver Run and Mercury SuperChair).
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While the master plan does call for an upgrade to Lift C, that’s probably a low priority, because despite nearing 50 years old, Lift C also only runs on weekends and holidays, so is logging less hours than Lift E or even Lift A.
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I’m guessing a low capacity HSQ for Lift C.
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I think an upgraded Lift C would be given a capacity of 2,400 to adequately absorb traffic from the Mercury and Beaver Run SuperChairs.
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Upgrading C at some point is going to likely happen at some point as the mountain is reaching saturation point at times. This may take some relief off Beaver Run and Mercury. Although I could see an upgrade to Beaver Run to a HSS before C gets a replaced.
1) The terrain pod from American over to Volunteer is relatively underutilized in compared to the rest of Peak 9. While these are more advanced blues / easy blacks they just don’t get a lot of use in part to the relatively obscure trail entrances and that C Chair doesn’t operate during week and/or a long slow double.
2) Egress from Peak 8 to 9, currently requiring the push down Sawmill when the lift doesn’t operate.
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Lift C would certainly do the job of relieving the Beaver Run and Mercury SuperChairs. I don’t think either of those lifts are quite up for replacement, and the Beaver Run SuperChair did get new chairs just five years ago.
I wouldn’t say the terrain pod from American over to Volunteer is underutilized, as I use the Mercury SuperChair to lap those trails. The only parts of those trails that you can’t reach from the Mercury SuperChair are the parts of Gold King and Peerless below Lower American.
On the other hand, an upgraded Lift C would make it to where there’d be three high speed quads running up the main Peak 9 face, each with different purposes: C’s superchair being for lapping Peerless, Gold King and Volunteer; plus providing access to Peak 9 for intermediates bypassing Sawmill; the Beaver Run SuperChair for those coming out of the base, as well as top to bottom laps on Bonanza, Columbia, Sundown and American; and the Mercury SuperChair for all of those trails as well as Cashier, Country Boy, Briar Rose, Sizzler and Upper Lehman.
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Replacing with a HSQ is a good idea, although I could see one issue. This lift’s bottom Terminal is smack-dab in the middle of a dedicated beginner’s run, much to easy for a beginner to hop on this. However, it would relieve traffic on Beaver Run and Mercury, which can get quite busy on Weekends and Peak Times. It is also very long and slow, and doesn’t operate on weekdays. So, IMO, this should go detach
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Has anyone noticed this lift is not shown on the lift status page on Breck’s website? A bit suspicious.
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I checked with Breck, this was just an oversight and C-Chair is alive and well.
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So did I by asking on Twitter, they also have the Falcon and Kensho Listed as 4 passenger superchairs right now
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Sometimes I wonder what name the lift in this alignment would take if it becomes a high speed quad. Since the runs on Peak 9 are named after gold mines, I think C’s alignment would become something like the Creskill SuperChair.
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The C-Chair drop on exiting needs to be overhauled and reevaluated. It is different than the super chairs.
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There is a world of difference between a modern detach terminal (or ‘SuperChair) and a Riblet vault-drive setup. In many cases the so-called ‘vault’ was completely above ground, which necessitated a much larger and probably steeper ramp than what we see on (for example) Merc or chair 4.
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Totally agree! I was launched in the air a bit today. Short woman problem I guess but took me by surprise.
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Sounds like they need a bit more snow on the ramp. This one isn’t nearly as tall as some of its counterparts (old chair 5 at Baker comes to mind) but the lifties still need to pay attention to the top deck. I too have short dude issues with a few ramps.
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I think this lift should become a HSQ that would run clockwise and have 90-degree loading, which may take pressure off the workhorse Beaver Run
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There’s more than enough room for inline loading at the bottom.
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“BSR proposes to replace the existing, fixed grip Riblet double C-Chair, with a six-person high-speed detachable lift. The replacement lift would have a capacity of approximately 3,000 pph and would follow the same alignment as the existing C-Chair. The bottom terminal would be located slightly uphill from its current location. The top terminal would be sited above the Overlook Restaurant providing access to the underutilized expert terrain on the north side of Peak 9”
I highly doubt this will happen in 2025 but perhaps 2026. The Peak 9 beginner gondola will be taking precedence over this project.
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3,000 pph seems like overkill to me based off other comments but I have never been to breck so I wouldn’t know.
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Its in the most recent master plan to the forest service but there have bene no firm plans. With Vail Resorts announcements and plans for capex at this point is it not happening for 2025-2026. There is no firm timeline. Like said Peak 9 base Gondola will likely happen first.
Its still a few years out at this point.
As I’ve said before, C-Chair should run far more than it does just one weekends as it makes the Peak 8->9 transfer that much easier but they only run this lift on Sat/Sun/Holidays. Should run it more than they do, especially since Friday is the new Saturday these days.
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Scuttlebutt around the hill says the gondola isn’t happening soon either. It’s beginning to sound like our L-lift proposal, according to my sources- make a big announcement then back off for a few years. The gondola would be an asset for sure, though- Quicksilver is painful to ride.
Scuttlebutt also says C is often closed due to staffing problems. It’s a shame, because while it’s a slow ride, it would definitely make the 8-9 transfer better (I hate the catwalk between the bottom of C and the Peak 9 base).
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I can’t speak to any of the projects you mentioned, but the way I’m reading the tea leaves, I bet we’re about to see consecutive, once in a lifetime size construction seasons.
Looking at who is now head of the USFS and other de-regulation throughout the EPA….If you operate on federal land and have projects you need to get done, there might never be a window again like the one that’s opening now.
LikeLike
Could be true. On the flip side, I wonder if things will just move even slower if staffing reductions affect this part of the FS and EPA. There could be less regulation but there might not be anyone to even look over proposals. I really don’t know.
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TBH, I don’t think there is a single Breckenridge skier who enjoys the lower part of Sawmill. The least Breck could do at this point is just install a ropetow on Lower Sawmill to make it way easier for beginners to access Peak 9. When you have little kids, the run is terrible because they can barely move down it.
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Yeah makes sense as Vail Resorts to work through in the short to medium term. They have a lot of other projects and replacements coming due across their resorts I don’t think the appetite to do either of these projects at Breck is happening for another couple of years. Realistically, it probably doesn’t make sense to do the Peak 9 gondola project until they are ready to replace Quicksilver. Seems like to me, that when they eventually replace Quicksilver they rework the alignments in that area and get 2 lifts out of the lower base. One a Gondola, one a detach. The current proposal since crazy with the alignments and midstations in the sense its working around the current Quicksilver alignment.
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Breckenridge barely ever runs this lift, even on weekends. I went skiing Friday-Sunday a few weeks ago, and it wasn’t running any of those days. Would have been nice to have, because Sawmill was really painful
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