13 thoughts on “Hogsback Express – Stevens Pass, WA”
AndrewDecember 22, 2017 / 2:29 pm
This lift is always so crowded, and nothing in their MDP seems to be offering a solution, they’re just adding more lifts, which is just going to bring more people here, and while stuff would be more spread out, it doesn’t really solve the crowding issue. They need to upgrade this lift to a high speed six, and probably do the same with Skyline, and move these lifts to Brooks and Kehrs, and have them both start lower on the mountain. Although, Hogsback is always pretty crowded at the top too, and upgrading capacity could add to this problem. Perhaps they build another lodge?
Well part of the reason Hogsback is so crowded is because the lift is designed for 1000 fpm, while they usually run it only at 800. Since they just got a new high speed quad (brooks express), I don’t see them replacing this especially because they have other lifts that should be replaced such as Kerhs.
The upgrades of Daisy and Brooks ought to remove some of the crowds from Hogsback. Of course, Hogsback is the first of two lifts you’ll have to take if you’re headed to the back side.
Mostly. The terminals take some design cues from the Garaventa MCS model but are not copied. The accel/decel mechanisms are CTEC, again based on Garaventa but not copied outright. Chairs, towers, and sheave assemblies are CTEC. You could order the Garaventa carriers if you wanted.
Probably the worst lift at this resort. Lines are long, and when I already feel like I have waited for eons to get on a chairlift, they call this lift a “quad” chair when there is really only enough room for three and a half people (they should have rounded down, not up), and the top station unload is so steep I am not sure I can remember more than 3 times I have ridden this lift and not fallen down on the unload. Personally, I feel like taking up Kehr’s – Double Diamond – Aquarius is the best way to get to the bottom of the backside. If you don’t want to do that, take up Skyline, 7th Heaven, and then ski to the top of Hogsback. No joke, I have done this just to avoid taking this lift. That’ll be much easier than taking up this thing.
It’s a shame, too. The runs in this area are honestly some of the bests on the front side, and Rock n’ Blue is my favourite intermediate run outside of the backside.
It’s not all bad, though. The Croud flow control here isn’t bad, and lift operators are always trying their best to keep things moving. I see hope for this being upgraded into a high-speed six, and this being a great lift. Honestly, just doing that would solve all their problems. After recent Kehr’s update into a quad, Daisy into a quad, and Brooks into a high-speed detachable quad, this is their next upgrade.
I think it’s going to happen too. Other than southern cross/double diamond chairlifts becoming high-speed, I don’t see anything else for them to work on. Realistically, I don’t think that’s going to happen (They need it, though. That lift ride on Southern Cross is so long and uncomfortable, but the lift is way too long to replace every chair since the lift is spanning over BOTH faces of Big Chief Mountain, so that won’t get an upgrade any time soon probably). The Vail community is always looking to change something or the other for near perfection, and perfection is the opposite of what this lift is.
It’s going to happen, and we are going to love it. It’s just a matter of time.
Lift Blog 
This lift is always so crowded, and nothing in their MDP seems to be offering a solution, they’re just adding more lifts, which is just going to bring more people here, and while stuff would be more spread out, it doesn’t really solve the crowding issue. They need to upgrade this lift to a high speed six, and probably do the same with Skyline, and move these lifts to Brooks and Kehrs, and have them both start lower on the mountain. Although, Hogsback is always pretty crowded at the top too, and upgrading capacity could add to this problem. Perhaps they build another lodge?
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Well part of the reason Hogsback is so crowded is because the lift is designed for 1000 fpm, while they usually run it only at 800. Since they just got a new high speed quad (brooks express), I don’t see them replacing this especially because they have other lifts that should be replaced such as Kerhs.
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The upgrades of Daisy and Brooks ought to remove some of the crowds from Hogsback. Of course, Hogsback is the first of two lifts you’ll have to take if you’re headed to the back side.
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Don’t forget they replaced a double and a triple with this one lift. In theory the capacity went down.
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So, I know the grips come from Garaventa, but is everything else CTEC-designed?
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Mostly. The terminals take some design cues from the Garaventa MCS model but are not copied. The accel/decel mechanisms are CTEC, again based on Garaventa but not copied outright. Chairs, towers, and sheave assemblies are CTEC. You could order the Garaventa carriers if you wanted.
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MCS terminal:
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Wait that did not show up. Here it is.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS7p_ig1bAQggsfQ8llbRl80TQ8aCBcSMzXTU0UfxOV-lMRkOEJ8uWK5sTO8_D8iKUATJw&usqp=CAU
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Probably the worst lift at this resort. Lines are long, and when I already feel like I have waited for eons to get on a chairlift, they call this lift a “quad” chair when there is really only enough room for three and a half people (they should have rounded down, not up), and the top station unload is so steep I am not sure I can remember more than 3 times I have ridden this lift and not fallen down on the unload. Personally, I feel like taking up Kehr’s – Double Diamond – Aquarius is the best way to get to the bottom of the backside. If you don’t want to do that, take up Skyline, 7th Heaven, and then ski to the top of Hogsback. No joke, I have done this just to avoid taking this lift. That’ll be much easier than taking up this thing.
It’s a shame, too. The runs in this area are honestly some of the bests on the front side, and Rock n’ Blue is my favourite intermediate run outside of the backside.
It’s not all bad, though. The Croud flow control here isn’t bad, and lift operators are always trying their best to keep things moving. I see hope for this being upgraded into a high-speed six, and this being a great lift. Honestly, just doing that would solve all their problems. After recent Kehr’s update into a quad, Daisy into a quad, and Brooks into a high-speed detachable quad, this is their next upgrade.
I think it’s going to happen too. Other than southern cross/double diamond chairlifts becoming high-speed, I don’t see anything else for them to work on. Realistically, I don’t think that’s going to happen (They need it, though. That lift ride on Southern Cross is so long and uncomfortable, but the lift is way too long to replace every chair since the lift is spanning over BOTH faces of Big Chief Mountain, so that won’t get an upgrade any time soon probably). The Vail community is always looking to change something or the other for near perfection, and perfection is the opposite of what this lift is.
It’s going to happen, and we are going to love it. It’s just a matter of time.
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I doubt the chairs are that bad, many other lifts of this model operate in America and Canada without any issue.
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If you cannot unload a chairlift without falling, that’s a skill issue.
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