Disciples 8 – Boyne Mountain, MI

This first of its kind lift in the Midwest replaced two Riblet triples for the 2022-23 ski season.
The top terminal and tower 8.
View down the short but wide lift line.
Conical support tower with eight passenger chairs passing.
Unlike many other early D-Line lifts in the US, Disciples does not have bubbles or heated seats.
Tower 2.
Tower 1 adjacent to the drive terminal.
The new lift loads roughly half way between where two old ones did.
Lower station overview.
European eight place chair.
View up at tower 3.
Arriving at the summit.
Side view of the top terminal.
Chair back.
Upper part of the lift line.
Two ring Doppelmayr Direct Drive.
Height adjustable loading conveyor.
Outside operator controls at the drive station.
Combination assemblies on tower 5.
Doppelmayr Connect touch screen.
Line gauge bullwheel.
Inside the return terminal.
Another view of a chair.
Unloading area and terminal with LED screen.
Lift overview.
Side view of the drive station with small maintenance building.
Loading area.
Name plate.
View riding out of the bottom terminal.

21 thoughts on “Disciples 8 – Boyne Mountain, MI

  1. Bronsfan27's avatar Bronsfan27 January 5, 2023 / 4:08 pm

    Beautiful lift. Love the chair look without the bubbles.

    Like

  2. Myles's avatar Myles January 5, 2023 / 4:55 pm

    I think this is likely how the Fitzsimmons 8-pack will look at Whistler when it is installed next year just without the led screen at the top.

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    • Will's avatar Flyball December 29, 2023 / 12:20 pm

      That’s kinda what it looks like be Fitz along with the Adventure 8 at Mt St Louis Moonstone both have alternating red and black seats but unlike the Adventure 8 Fitz does not have heated seats.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. afski722's avatar afski722 January 5, 2023 / 7:05 pm

    Glad you made it through Michigan in our lackluster conditions so far this winter. Glad you were able to get pictures of this beautiful lift. While at first it seemed like overkill, it changes the dynamics of “The Mountain” and makes this area much more lap-able with a much quicker ride time versus the long and slow sleepy ride on the fixed-grips (that stopped alot) that it replaced.

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  4. Bob's avatar Bob January 5, 2023 / 8:16 pm

    I can’t help but notice a small wheel on the hanger arm, like the ones on gondolas to open the doors. On a lift without bubbles, what dies it do? Does the bar lower automatically?

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    • ShangRei Garrett's avatar ShangRei Garrett January 5, 2023 / 9:12 pm

      Not sure what the wheel is for, but the bar definitely doesn’t lower automatically because there are several pictures with chairs with the bar up

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      • Everett's avatar Everett January 5, 2023 / 9:28 pm

        The bar does not lower automatically, however it does lock if riders choose to lower it and will raise automatically in the top station, which is what the wheel is for.

        Lifts like Ramcharger and Jordan 8 actually have 2 separate levers, one for the bubble and one to control the locking bar.

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  5. Aussierob's avatar Aussierob January 5, 2023 / 11:05 pm

    Unusual for a lift in North America to have a buried comm line.

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    • Cody Brook's avatar Cody Brook January 6, 2023 / 5:28 am

      Jordan 8 at Sunday River has a burried com line also.

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      • Aussierob's avatar Aussierob January 6, 2023 / 9:10 am

        I guess if the terrain makes sense and weather is a factor then underground is a good idea. I can’t see any kind of connection box at the tower head, only at the base.

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    • V12Tommy's avatar V12Tommy January 31, 2023 / 4:19 pm

      Copper Mountain used to have a ton of them. Alpine, Blackjack, High Point, Kokomo, Lumberjack, and Pitchfork all had them. Several of those have been replaced and I don’t think any of the replacements are buried though.

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  6. Aussierob's avatar Aussierob January 6, 2023 / 9:11 am

    Another little detail difference I see with the D-lines is top speed is rated at 5.0m/s, rather than the 5.08m/s they used to use to give 1000fpm.

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    • ShangRei Garrett's avatar ShangRei Garrett January 6, 2023 / 4:17 pm

      I assume that’s because D-Line is manufactured in Austria, which uses metric, while many older spacejets and uni-g were manufactured in Salt Lake City

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      • Aussierob's avatar Aussierob September 5, 2024 / 8:27 am

        5.0m/s is standard. Customer can specify higher if they want. Obviously the cost goes up.

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  7. ski_joe's avatar Joey Dolan January 23, 2023 / 12:35 pm

    What are the silver metal plates on the last tower? I have seen them on many European lifts…

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    • Max's avatar Max January 23, 2023 / 7:41 pm

      They’re for sun reflection, to prevent the sun light from hitting and heating up the tower tube, causing the metal to expand which can lead to the tower being slightly out of alignment and trigger things like RPD faults.

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  8. probowlerkid's avatar probowlerkid August 7, 2024 / 1:45 am

    quite the upgrade for a midwest ski area

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  9. tiny explorations's avatar tiny explorations October 10, 2024 / 6:34 pm

    I have never noticed the carpet height changing, can someone please explain when or how this works?

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    • Coloradoskilifts's avatar Coloradoskilifts May 10, 2025 / 8:14 pm

      Basically, a lifting table underneath the loading platform allows it to be lifted and lowered with the press of a button. Lifties do it whenever smaller kids are loading the lift to ensure their safety.

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