Lower station with counterweight.Loading area from above.View up the line.Side view of the return station.Riding up in winter.Heron-Poma lift line.View back down the lift line.Tower 22 just below the summit.Vault drive.View down the lift line.Tower 12.Lower lift line.
You contradict yourself here. On the Looking Glass lift page you say that you want it replaced, but the lift that is 8 years newer is historic and shouldn’t be replaced. 1974 isn’t really that historic for a lift and neither is 1966 either. There are plenty of lifts that old that still operate.
Why do you want more traffic on Challenger? It’s the best part of the mountain and it’s best when people who have no business being on it stay away from it
i agree, but disagree. I think wp should replace this lift with a new double identical in capacity, similar to palivichini at a basin because if wp upgrades the capacity, the bumps on the c chair side will become terrible, making a lot of loyal jane skiers leave.
What’s to say the bumps aren’t already terrible? Super Gauge services all the terrain and goes twice as fast as Challenger. Eventually it will become time for a replacement, but the resort will know what the best replacement is for this terrain.
I disagree a detachable lift here will ruin Mary Jane, or make the bumps terrible. As it is today with Super Gauge, the most accessible bumps can suffer from being over-skied when it has not snowed in a while. Hidden or off-the-beaten-path bumps have no issues. A detachable Challenger will only continue these trends.
However, if you are really concerned about uphill capacity, remove Pony Express as well when a detachable quad is installed here so 2400 pph capacity replaces 2400 pph capacity.
Skiing for the first time at WP this winter. I love taking the occasional ride on lifts like this or Looking Glass. A change of pace from all the high speed lifts.
Lift Blog 
This and/or Iron Horse are overdue for high speed quad upgrades.
LikeLike
No, no, no! These lifts are VERY historic. Well, at least Challenger lift is (iron horse is practically never open).
LikeLiked by 3 people
The problem with ‘historic’ lifts is that they become increasingly difficult to find parts for.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Literally every remaining SLI out there…….49 Degrees North & Telluride feel that one!
LikeLike
You contradict yourself here. On the Looking Glass lift page you say that you want it replaced, but the lift that is 8 years newer is historic and shouldn’t be replaced. 1974 isn’t really that historic for a lift and neither is 1966 either. There are plenty of lifts that old that still operate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
i am so in love with this lift, replace one of them with a quad if they must but not challenger:(
LikeLiked by 1 person
Challenger getting replaced would siphon more traffic from Super Gauge than replacing Iron Horse would.
LikeLike
Why do you want more traffic on Challenger? It’s the best part of the mountain and it’s best when people who have no business being on it stay away from it
LikeLiked by 2 people
Because it would alleviate crowding at Super Gauge.
LikeLike
i agree, but disagree. I think wp should replace this lift with a new double identical in capacity, similar to palivichini at a basin because if wp upgrades the capacity, the bumps on the c chair side will become terrible, making a lot of loyal jane skiers leave.
LikeLike
What’s to say the bumps aren’t already terrible? Super Gauge services all the terrain and goes twice as fast as Challenger. Eventually it will become time for a replacement, but the resort will know what the best replacement is for this terrain.
LikeLike
I disagree a detachable lift here will ruin Mary Jane, or make the bumps terrible. As it is today with Super Gauge, the most accessible bumps can suffer from being over-skied when it has not snowed in a while. Hidden or off-the-beaten-path bumps have no issues. A detachable Challenger will only continue these trends.
However, if you are really concerned about uphill capacity, remove Pony Express as well when a detachable quad is installed here so 2400 pph capacity replaces 2400 pph capacity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you could change anything about this lift, what would it be and why?
LikeLike
I would upgrade it to a quad, because it would help the crowding in super gauge.
LikeLike
Yes I agree. The crowds at Super Gauge can become enormous so a HSQ would really help. Same with Iron Horse, but Challenger may be a bigger problem.
LikeLike
Skiing for the first time at WP this winter. I love taking the occasional ride on lifts like this or Looking Glass. A change of pace from all the high speed lifts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They have plans to replace Challenger and Iron Horse with a six-pack and an angled mid station
LikeLike
Not Challenger, but Pony and Iron Horse.
LikeLike
Oh, right. I get them mixed up because they are both Heron-Poma and very similar.
LikeLike
Yeah, easy to mix all of them up because basically every lift on Mary Jane side except Super Gauge is a Heron-Poma.
LikeLike