The very last Yan lift built at Sunrise also appears to have been abandoned first due to the sheave and chair designs used.Plastic seats and aluminum “hub cap” sheaves.View down the abandoned lift line.Looking up the lift.Cool looking sheave train.Many of the plastic chairs have failed after decades outside.Middle section of the lift.This sheave assembly has also failed.Other towers look fine.The bottom station.Loading area.View up from the bottom.Sheaves appear to have been cannibalized for Geronimo, Cyclone and/or Fort Apache.The top terminal.The lodge in the background is also abandoned as of 2019.Chair with YAN lettering.View down from the summit.Mid ’80s style motor room.
Those chairs with YAN lettering were pathetic. I can’t stand lifts and ski areas that overbrand their name everywhere. But even more pathetic was letting this lift rot like it is.
The Plastic chairs are too light with to much surface area so they do not do well in the wind. The grips on this lift at least are fine other than QC issues. The Sheave assemblies are cast aluminum that explode on impact or just because they can. Aluminum is a bad material to use in this application, especially cast. Aluminum was a poor chose both due to fatigue life issues and crystallization issues in casting.
Reading this, I can’t help but think at some point the risk to the public from skiing under this lift becomes unacceptable. When does Sunrise’s insurance carrier say no more? Even if the rope lasts for centuries, the sheave assemblies won’t and the chairs are already failing. By one account, this lift last ran in 2002. That would mean 17 years of UV and wind at 11,000 feet above sea level.
Peter- I do not think there is “grave” danger of lift parts raining onto the ski public as they cross under the lift…unless the haul rope parted for some reason. Also, as the operator is the White River Apache Nation, they are self insured…and self inspected.
Self inspected? Really? So no Forest Service inspection? Yikes!!! I wonder if Ski Apache over in New Mexico is also self insured and self regulated? Remind me to not ski there
Ski Apache is located almost entirely in the Lincoln National Forest and therefore subject to the same regulations as other resorts on USFS land. In fact, I believe it was initially laid out to avoid tribal territory. Ironic considering it is now owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. On the very edge near the bottom of the Elk lift there is now a ski-in, ski-out casino (outside of the National Forest.)
Sunrise isn’t in a National Forest so it makes sense it is not subject to USFS oversight.
The sheave “assemblies” do not “explode on impact or just because they can”. The individual sheaves (Type S-2, S-2A and S-2B) have been known to have their side plates fail during operation (No fun, I know). While being cast aluminum is one of the problems, I am also aware of 2 other failures that arise from improper assembly- 1) The star washer that is supposed to be installed between the two flanges (a PITA to put in place) is left out causing the 2 flanges to contact each other at the bolt holes and 2) The bolts are not tightened in an eccentric pattern as you would a car tire rim but instead are just tightened in a circular pattern, often with an impact gun, which puts unwanted stress on the sheave flanges.
My $0.02
This lift is the equivalent of the Devil’s Fiddle Quad at Killington. It was built primarily as an egress lift from a pod that doesn’t exist anymore, though this lift was abandoned before Cyclone. Devil’s Fiddle was removed after Northeast Passage.
Looks like they’ll try to take this one out in the Summer of 22. To be honest, one of the reasons I ski here is to gawk at the old lifts rotting in place:
“Cyclone (Lift 6) is the furthest right (furthest West) of any lifts. There is only one lift not pictured on our map. It is on Apache Peak (old lift 7 – to the right of Geronimo, where the Eagle Feather trail is), but it is not operational or repairable. We are working to have it removed soon.”
I found one of these plastic chairs laying in a ditch a few years ago and it’s been a great bench ever since, as much as they were tacky and unreliable they are very unique and cool pieces of lift history
Lift Blog 
Those chairs with YAN lettering were pathetic. I can’t stand lifts and ski areas that overbrand their name everywhere. But even more pathetic was letting this lift rot like it is.
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Is this resort struggling to stay in business? Why have they abandoned so much infrastructure and terrain and not made any lift upgrades since 1997?
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Peter,
What is the issue with the chair design and sheaves?
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The Plastic chairs are too light with to much surface area so they do not do well in the wind. The grips on this lift at least are fine other than QC issues. The Sheave assemblies are cast aluminum that explode on impact or just because they can. Aluminum is a bad material to use in this application, especially cast. Aluminum was a poor chose both due to fatigue life issues and crystallization issues in casting.
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Reading this, I can’t help but think at some point the risk to the public from skiing under this lift becomes unacceptable. When does Sunrise’s insurance carrier say no more? Even if the rope lasts for centuries, the sheave assemblies won’t and the chairs are already failing. By one account, this lift last ran in 2002. That would mean 17 years of UV and wind at 11,000 feet above sea level.
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Peter- I do not think there is “grave” danger of lift parts raining onto the ski public as they cross under the lift…unless the haul rope parted for some reason. Also, as the operator is the White River Apache Nation, they are self insured…and self inspected.
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Self inspected? Really? So no Forest Service inspection? Yikes!!! I wonder if Ski Apache over in New Mexico is also self insured and self regulated? Remind me to not ski there
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Ski Apache is located almost entirely in the Lincoln National Forest and therefore subject to the same regulations as other resorts on USFS land. In fact, I believe it was initially laid out to avoid tribal territory. Ironic considering it is now owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. On the very edge near the bottom of the Elk lift there is now a ski-in, ski-out casino (outside of the National Forest.)
Sunrise isn’t in a National Forest so it makes sense it is not subject to USFS oversight.
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The sheave “assemblies” do not “explode on impact or just because they can”. The individual sheaves (Type S-2, S-2A and S-2B) have been known to have their side plates fail during operation (No fun, I know). While being cast aluminum is one of the problems, I am also aware of 2 other failures that arise from improper assembly- 1) The star washer that is supposed to be installed between the two flanges (a PITA to put in place) is left out causing the 2 flanges to contact each other at the bolt holes and 2) The bolts are not tightened in an eccentric pattern as you would a car tire rim but instead are just tightened in a circular pattern, often with an impact gun, which puts unwanted stress on the sheave flanges.
My $0.02
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Is this the last remaining yan lift with plastic triple chairs?
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Those sheave trains are beatiful, very unique shapes. Also intresting to see trains of 3. Too bad they they had issues and are gone.
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I agree, they are the coolest-looking sheave trains despite their issues. There are still a few operating lifts with these around the country.
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This lift is the equivalent of the Devil’s Fiddle Quad at Killington. It was built primarily as an egress lift from a pod that doesn’t exist anymore, though this lift was abandoned before Cyclone. Devil’s Fiddle was removed after Northeast Passage.
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Looks like they’ll try to take this one out in the Summer of 22. To be honest, one of the reasons I ski here is to gawk at the old lifts rotting in place:
“Cyclone (Lift 6) is the furthest right (furthest West) of any lifts. There is only one lift not pictured on our map. It is on Apache Peak (old lift 7 – to the right of Geronimo, where the Eagle Feather trail is), but it is not operational or repairable. We are working to have it removed soon.”
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Any news on this being removed?
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What’s the deal with the abandoned lodge in the background?
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Its no longer abandoned. New improvements this winter per the Sunrise Park story from this weeks roundup.
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It is definitely still abandoned. Looks like they may have painted it from what I saw this past weekend. Nowhere near operable though
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My bad. Missed the part about the lodge. Disregard my previous comment.
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I found one of these plastic chairs laying in a ditch a few years ago and it’s been a great bench ever since, as much as they were tacky and unreliable they are very unique and cool pieces of lift history
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