View up the line from near the base terminal.Drive station.Lift line.CLD-260 terminal and EJ chairs.Loading area and maintenance rail.Yan operator house.Drive shaft.Another view of the base terminal.View of the line.Riding up the line.An empty line.Nearing the summit.Doppelmayr CLD-260 terminal.Unloading ramp.Side view of the top terminal.Lift line overview.Lower lift line.Top station seen from Dipper.
It was the first detach at Heavenly and it’s always had its fair share of problems, I remember in the 90’s the chairs had a center armrest and when the chair was unbalanced it would trigger a fault at the top station on chair entry, we would spend all day screaming “two on the right!” The lift has conveyor chain technology which just made everything more complex. In the last 10 years it’s had major issues (including a gearbox failure) but that’s no surprise with a lift of this age, it’s definitely due for replacement but I don’t think it’s in the plans.
Quite a lot of Doppelmayr HSQs of this vintage had a center armrest. All of the CLD-260s at Vail had them until 2006. Mt. Bachelor had them on all of their Doppelmayr HSQs until well into the 2010s.
I don’t think Comet needs a 6 pack, but I think a 6 would better be suited at Dipper Express. Don’t get me wrong, Comet Definitely needs an upgrade, but I just think they should make it a 4 person instead of a 6 as it doesn’t service as much terrain as Dipper and Dipper is probably more appealing to more people as it services more terrain. It also is one of the main ways to get over to Mott Canyon and Galaxy other than Skyline Trail.
I would think a six pack makes a lot of sense for Comet. It’s currently a high capacity detachable quad and those are being replaced by six packs of similar capacity. They just don’t make detachable quads capable of that capacity anymore. While six packs look like they’re very high capacity, there are some out there that have a lower capacity than most detachable quads.
Realistically, both Comet and Dipper should be replaced with six packs. Dipper could go with a 3400pph capacity like Powderbowl, which seems to be about the highest capacity the average Heavenly skiers can handle without stopping constantly. Comet could get away with a lower capacity around 3000pph. Dipper tends to be people’s first choice since it serves all the same terrain and more and usually has a longer line.
From a mechanical standpoint the 1988 Comet lift would be the one to replace. But as stated many times I don’t think Vail has any plans to replace any California lifts anytime soon.
Yeah, why is it that it isn’t common to see 2,400pph detachable quads anymore? As well as six packs these days having capacity in the same ballpark of detachable chairlifts from the 1980’s and 1990’s? Does it have to do with the increasing normalization of wider chair spacing, to make loading and unloading easier on modern lifts?
No more uphill capacity until more runs are cut, or the groom more pf the currently existing runs. There’s plenty of tree skiing for those who are into that, but to NOT more regularly groom Liz’s, Ellie’s, Powderbowl Run, Pinnacles, Waterfall, North Bowl Run, Milky Way Bowl or Meteor is criminal. Hell, I remember when East Bowl and The Face would get groomed a few times every season(!)
NO!
The two HSQ’S at the top of NV already create dangerously crowded conditions much of the time. No increased uphill capacity until more runs can cut.
The CLD 260 is the most ugly station I’ve ever seen in my life. Even snowshed express at Killington looks better than this. Comet Express is just Arrow Bahn Express at Vail equivalent
Arrow Bahn Express is actually at Beaver Creek, not Vail. The Arrowhead section of Beaver Creek was started as a private ski area by Vail founder Pete Seibert, hence the naming convention. It was integrated into Beaver Creek with the creation of Bachelor Gulch in the late 1990s. (1997, I believe)
The former Vista Bahn at Vail was a CLD 260 though. Vail has/had a number of CLD 260s over the years, although Vista Bahn was the only one at Vail to have bahn in the name. The CLD 260 definitely isn’t my favorite, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen worse. My favorite is actually the R2 roof option on the D-Line, but there are a lot of people who don’t seem to like that one.
Via Heavenly text message update yesterday: “Comet Express is open and operating normally following a thorough inspection” I wonder if we will ever find out what really happened.
It was mechanical, the operators actually saved those people’s lives by reacting so quickly and hitting a stop. The grip failed and slid down the haul rope.
Lift Blog 
FYI, The operators shacks were designed and built in house.
Fun fact : The California – Nevada state line passes right through the unload ramp! (confirmed in the original lift survey papers).
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I understand you worked at lift ops for a while, was this lift (being an 80s detach) a pain to fix or always having things break?
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It was the first detach at Heavenly and it’s always had its fair share of problems, I remember in the 90’s the chairs had a center armrest and when the chair was unbalanced it would trigger a fault at the top station on chair entry, we would spend all day screaming “two on the right!” The lift has conveyor chain technology which just made everything more complex. In the last 10 years it’s had major issues (including a gearbox failure) but that’s no surprise with a lift of this age, it’s definitely due for replacement but I don’t think it’s in the plans.
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Quite a lot of Doppelmayr HSQs of this vintage had a center armrest. All of the CLD-260s at Vail had them until 2006. Mt. Bachelor had them on all of their Doppelmayr HSQs until well into the 2010s.
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Swift Creek Express, AKA the former Glacier Chaser at Whitefish Montana, still has them to this day.
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A new six pack would go well in its place.
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I don’t think Comet needs a 6 pack, but I think a 6 would better be suited at Dipper Express. Don’t get me wrong, Comet Definitely needs an upgrade, but I just think they should make it a 4 person instead of a 6 as it doesn’t service as much terrain as Dipper and Dipper is probably more appealing to more people as it services more terrain. It also is one of the main ways to get over to Mott Canyon and Galaxy other than Skyline Trail.
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I would think a six pack makes a lot of sense for Comet. It’s currently a high capacity detachable quad and those are being replaced by six packs of similar capacity. They just don’t make detachable quads capable of that capacity anymore. While six packs look like they’re very high capacity, there are some out there that have a lower capacity than most detachable quads.
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Realistically, both Comet and Dipper should be replaced with six packs. Dipper could go with a 3400pph capacity like Powderbowl, which seems to be about the highest capacity the average Heavenly skiers can handle without stopping constantly. Comet could get away with a lower capacity around 3000pph. Dipper tends to be people’s first choice since it serves all the same terrain and more and usually has a longer line.
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From a mechanical standpoint the 1988 Comet lift would be the one to replace. But as stated many times I don’t think Vail has any plans to replace any California lifts anytime soon.
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Yeah, why is it that it isn’t common to see 2,400pph detachable quads anymore? As well as six packs these days having capacity in the same ballpark of detachable chairlifts from the 1980’s and 1990’s? Does it have to do with the increasing normalization of wider chair spacing, to make loading and unloading easier on modern lifts?
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No more uphill capacity until more runs are cut, or the groom more pf the currently existing runs. There’s plenty of tree skiing for those who are into that, but to NOT more regularly groom Liz’s, Ellie’s, Powderbowl Run, Pinnacles, Waterfall, North Bowl Run, Milky Way Bowl or Meteor is criminal. Hell, I remember when East Bowl and The Face would get groomed a few times every season(!)
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NO!
The two HSQ’S at the top of NV already create dangerously crowded conditions much of the time. No increased uphill capacity until more runs can cut.
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Love the classic Doppelmayr CLD-260s :D
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The CLD 260 is the most ugly station I’ve ever seen in my life. Even snowshed express at Killington looks better than this. Comet Express is just Arrow Bahn Express at Vail equivalent
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Arrow Bahn Express is actually at Beaver Creek, not Vail. The Arrowhead section of Beaver Creek was started as a private ski area by Vail founder Pete Seibert, hence the naming convention. It was integrated into Beaver Creek with the creation of Bachelor Gulch in the late 1990s. (1997, I believe)
The former Vista Bahn at Vail was a CLD 260 though. Vail has/had a number of CLD 260s over the years, although Vista Bahn was the only one at Vail to have bahn in the name. The CLD 260 definitely isn’t my favorite, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen worse. My favorite is actually the R2 roof option on the D-Line, but there are a lot of people who don’t seem to like that one.
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You’d think this latest incident would speed up Comet’s replacement. But knowing Vail Comet will still be here in for a while longer.
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Via Heavenly text message update yesterday: “Comet Express is open and operating normally following a thorough inspection” I wonder if we will ever find out what really happened.
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Yes, it would be nice to know (at the very least) if the problem was operational or mechanical.
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It was mechanical, the operators actually saved those people’s lives by reacting so quickly and hitting a stop. The grip failed and slid down the haul rope.
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Thanks, that’s the most information we’ve received to date.
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