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.
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).
LikeLiked by 1 person
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?
LikeLike
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.
LikeLike
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.
LikeLike
A new six pack would go well in its place.
LikeLike
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.
LikeLiked by 1 person
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.
LikeLiked by 3 people
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.
LikeLiked by 1 person
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.
LikeLiked by 2 people