Bottom station, lift line and chair parking rail.Approaching the top terminal.Top station.Bottom station.Top terminal.Looking down the lift line.Riding up.Looking back at the base.Entering the top station.
I think it is something to do with the old parking rail from the old yan detachable. Or something to hang the trail map from. It doesn’t look like its in use anymore. Or just could be for decoration. Its a odd object though.
Are you sure this is from 1990? Pretty sure they were still using the DT grips then, and the Yan retrofits only began in 1996 (unless they did it beforehand) but the spacejet didn’t come out until a few years later.
I believe that the current EJ chairs only were introduced around 2010. Prior to that, this lift had teardrop chairs like Frenchman’s and Christmas at Sun Valley.
2011 they added the Doppelmayr EJ carriers, I remember as it was my freshman year in high school, my family showed up for our yearly Schweitzer trip to brand new carriers.
I don’t have fond memories of this chairlift. It has a horrible susceptibility to high winds along the entire line. It got new chairs for the 2007-2008 season during which there was a power failure and it nearly threw my mother and other passengers clear off. One of the chairs swung upwards so violently against a sheave train that it bent the back of the restraint bar. It also had ridiculous lines at peak season. A bubble six-pack would not go amiss here.
Now that there’s two new lifts in the Outback Bowl, an upgrade to Great Escape such as a Leitner-Poma six pack with footrests would certainly be welcome.
Or maybe even a Doppelmayr D-line with no bubbles like Grand Targhee is doing on Peaked. Schweitzer may want to stick with Leitner-Poma or not spend that much money though.
This lift is truly Frankenstein’s monster It has Yan, Doppelmayr and Skytrac equipment in it. It should be replaced but with Schweitzer’s planned new base area and mountain portal, I think it will be around for another 10.
Hard to tell when you are just riding the lift, but we were at Schweitzer last week and it feels like this is running better than some of the other YAN conversions I’ve ridden.
That new portal will be welcome. Even with walk on lines across the mountain, parking was chaotic at best.
I’ve ridden almost every Doppelmayr retrofitted Yan hsq out there except the two at June (never ridden a Poma retrofit) Sun Valley’s run exceptionally well, especially Challenger, Lookout Express, & Seattle Ridge. But this one is right on par with them, and is certainly more aesthetically pleasing (All 7 of Sun Valley’s could REALLY use a repaint), it’s also a much more complete conversion than the other “Yoppelmayr” lifts, for example: this is the only Yoppelmayr to completely do away with Yan’s downsloped accel/decel banks, eliminating the need for longer hanger arms, and the line gauge is slightly wider, evidenced by the horizontal deflection sheaves the terminals, and the fact that the lifting frames are almost. the same as the line gauge (Yan lifting frames have tendency to stick out wider than the line gauge). Though unlike Challenger and Lookout Express at Sun Valley, this lift retains it’s Yan driveline. Overall despite it’s limited 900fpm rope speed, it’s in super shape, is effective, and is probably low on the totem pole for replacement, my guess is 10 more yeard until a 6er takes it’s place.
Yan lifting frames were always slightly wider than line gauge. This was to facilitate removing the rope from the assemblies more easily (no need to lever the rope out to lower it past the edge of the assembly) when you were going to do a rebuild.
This has got to be the most famous or infamous lift at Schweitzer, its the out of base workhorse, a Yoppeltrac at this point, is very exposed at the top, has massive lines, but Schweitzer has made no public intention to replace it as of yet. They do however, take very good care of it as the lift was recently repainted and they park the chairs most every night at the bottom. A 3,200pph-3,400phh HS6 would not go amiss here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t6xwaRSDDs
Lift Blog 
This was actually one of the YAN HSQ that was retrofitted by Dopplemayer
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What’s that blue thing to the left of the top terminal in second picture?
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I think it is something to do with the old parking rail from the old yan detachable. Or something to hang the trail map from. It doesn’t look like its in use anymore. Or just could be for decoration. Its a odd object though.
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I say wind fence.
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Considering Bachelor’s Skyliner has one of those…
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Confirmed on the wind fence / deflector and on a windy day its benefit can be felt by the passenger for sure!
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It’s identical in design to the wind fence on Skyliner at Mt. Bachelor: https://liftblog.com/skyliner-express-mt-bachelor-or/
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Are you sure this is from 1990? Pretty sure they were still using the DT grips then, and the Yan retrofits only began in 1996 (unless they did it beforehand) but the spacejet didn’t come out until a few years later.
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1990 is the Lift Engineering installation date. 1996 is the Doppelmayr retrofit year.
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I believe that the current EJ chairs only were introduced around 2010. Prior to that, this lift had teardrop chairs like Frenchman’s and Christmas at Sun Valley.
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2011 they added the Doppelmayr EJ carriers, I remember as it was my freshman year in high school, my family showed up for our yearly Schweitzer trip to brand new carriers.
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Hah I remember that too, I was a sophomore and wonderered where the “roundy chairs” went
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They were introduced in the same season as the installation of the Basin Express.
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I don’t have fond memories of this chairlift. It has a horrible susceptibility to high winds along the entire line. It got new chairs for the 2007-2008 season during which there was a power failure and it nearly threw my mother and other passengers clear off. One of the chairs swung upwards so violently against a sheave train that it bent the back of the restraint bar. It also had ridiculous lines at peak season. A bubble six-pack would not go amiss here.
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Now that there’s two new lifts in the Outback Bowl, an upgrade to Great Escape such as a Leitner-Poma six pack with footrests would certainly be welcome.
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Or maybe even a Doppelmayr D-line with no bubbles like Grand Targhee is doing on Peaked. Schweitzer may want to stick with Leitner-Poma or not spend that much money though.
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This lift is truly Frankenstein’s monster It has Yan, Doppelmayr and Skytrac equipment in it. It should be replaced but with Schweitzer’s planned new base area and mountain portal, I think it will be around for another 10.
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What SkyTrac equipment is up there?
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Electrical system
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Hard to tell when you are just riding the lift, but we were at Schweitzer last week and it feels like this is running better than some of the other YAN conversions I’ve ridden.
That new portal will be welcome. Even with walk on lines across the mountain, parking was chaotic at best.
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I’ve ridden almost every Doppelmayr retrofitted Yan hsq out there except the two at June (never ridden a Poma retrofit) Sun Valley’s run exceptionally well, especially Challenger, Lookout Express, & Seattle Ridge. But this one is right on par with them, and is certainly more aesthetically pleasing (All 7 of Sun Valley’s could REALLY use a repaint), it’s also a much more complete conversion than the other “Yoppelmayr” lifts, for example: this is the only Yoppelmayr to completely do away with Yan’s downsloped accel/decel banks, eliminating the need for longer hanger arms, and the line gauge is slightly wider, evidenced by the horizontal deflection sheaves the terminals, and the fact that the lifting frames are almost. the same as the line gauge (Yan lifting frames have tendency to stick out wider than the line gauge). Though unlike Challenger and Lookout Express at Sun Valley, this lift retains it’s Yan driveline. Overall despite it’s limited 900fpm rope speed, it’s in super shape, is effective, and is probably low on the totem pole for replacement, my guess is 10 more yeard until a 6er takes it’s place.
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Yan lifting frames were always slightly wider than line gauge. This was to facilitate removing the rope from the assemblies more easily (no need to lever the rope out to lower it past the edge of the assembly) when you were going to do a rebuild.
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here are some pictures of this lift before the teardrop chairs were taken
I like the Yan chairs way better
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This has got to be the most famous or infamous lift at Schweitzer, its the out of base workhorse, a Yoppeltrac at this point, is very exposed at the top, has massive lines, but Schweitzer has made no public intention to replace it as of yet. They do however, take very good care of it as the lift was recently repainted and they park the chairs most every night at the bottom. A 3,200pph-3,400phh HS6 would not go amiss here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t6xwaRSDDs
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