Mid-station used during early season operations.Looking back at the bottom terminal.Upper lift line.View down the line.Last tower and the top.Mid-station side view.Bottom drive terminal with drive and hydraulic tensioning.Top bullwheel.As of 2019, this lift has been modified to cross over a new T-Bar.Re-worked tower setup.The top terminal was replaced in 2016 after a similar one on Spruce Peak fell over due to concrete grout failure.New top station by Doppelmayr.Top station from above.New Doppelmayr bullwheel.The lift line with the adjacent T-Bar.
Can someone explain how early season operations are handled with regards to the mid station and downloading?
From what I can tell, downloading would be a mess with the lift not likely having full downhill capacity and needing to slow down every time someone gets on or off. That’s why they aggressively push for a route to the base ASAP unlike Killington where they stay in the North Ridge until the base depths are built on upper terrain and snowmaking weather is more consistent for a move to the base.
With regard to the mid load, do they bypass the mid station and make everyone go to the bottom as soon as they have a ribbon to the base pieced together or do they keep the mid load an option until the route to the base is in better condition? It would make sense to keep it an option to reduce skier traffic on the lower terrain and better preserve the snow in likely marginal weather, and because conditions on higher elevation terrain are usually better. Once more is open and the routes to the base are solidified, it makes sense to bypass the mid load to reduce staffing requirements and make lift operations easier.
Stage 1: Skiing top half of mountain only:
Click/strap into equipment at base, Load, ride to top, ski to mid-station, load again, repeat.
When done: Every 10th chair gets loaded downhill returning skiers to the base. Lift is slowed for downhill loading only. Full speed loading for folks going up.
If there is an appreciable line at the base after opening, they will load every other chair or so, so that folks waiting at the mid station aren’t there forever waiting for an empty chair.
Stage 2: Thin ribbon to base:
Downloading remains an option for those who don’t want to adventure ski to the base. Rope up across Sunday Punch at the mid station, usually a sign that says ‘walking may be required’, but you can ski down.
If appreciable traffic is lapping to the bottom of the lift, they will only load every other chair to keep uploading waits at the mid-station minimal.
Stage 3: Serviceable trail to the base:
This usually happens when there are a couple upper mountain options, but only one trail to the base, which isn’t in ideal shape:
Downloading closes, uploading from mid-station still an option, rope is pulled across Sunday Punch.
Stage 4: Good skiing top to bottom:
Mid station comes out of service completely, top and bottom terminals are the only ones staffed. This is the mid-season operation of this lift. I have never seen the mid-station in use once appreciable terrain is open.
Also not a Borvig expert, but based on my research, the other earliest original Borvig installations that I can find that have hydraulic tensioning are Chief at Nashoba Valley, MA, and Skyliner at Bluewood, WA. Those were both 1986 installations. However, a lot of Borvigs from that era are gone, some for quite some time, so those historical photos aren’t as readily available. There was a transition period with a mix of counterweight and hydraulic tensioning for a few years, but by the late 1980s, most new installs were hydraulic. It is still possible this was the first hydraulic tensioning Borvig did, but it appears more likely that it was a retrofit. I can’t find any overhead historical photos that are clear enough to be able to tell if there ever was a counterweight on Locke. Somebody with historical knowledge of Sunday River would have to chime in.
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Can someone explain how early season operations are handled with regards to the mid station and downloading?
From what I can tell, downloading would be a mess with the lift not likely having full downhill capacity and needing to slow down every time someone gets on or off. That’s why they aggressively push for a route to the base ASAP unlike Killington where they stay in the North Ridge until the base depths are built on upper terrain and snowmaking weather is more consistent for a move to the base.
With regard to the mid load, do they bypass the mid station and make everyone go to the bottom as soon as they have a ribbon to the base pieced together or do they keep the mid load an option until the route to the base is in better condition? It would make sense to keep it an option to reduce skier traffic on the lower terrain and better preserve the snow in likely marginal weather, and because conditions on higher elevation terrain are usually better. Once more is open and the routes to the base are solidified, it makes sense to bypass the mid load to reduce staffing requirements and make lift operations easier.
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Early season ops usually work like this:
Stage 1: Skiing top half of mountain only:
Click/strap into equipment at base, Load, ride to top, ski to mid-station, load again, repeat.
When done: Every 10th chair gets loaded downhill returning skiers to the base. Lift is slowed for downhill loading only. Full speed loading for folks going up.
If there is an appreciable line at the base after opening, they will load every other chair or so, so that folks waiting at the mid station aren’t there forever waiting for an empty chair.
Stage 2: Thin ribbon to base:
Downloading remains an option for those who don’t want to adventure ski to the base. Rope up across Sunday Punch at the mid station, usually a sign that says ‘walking may be required’, but you can ski down.
If appreciable traffic is lapping to the bottom of the lift, they will only load every other chair to keep uploading waits at the mid-station minimal.
Stage 3: Serviceable trail to the base:
This usually happens when there are a couple upper mountain options, but only one trail to the base, which isn’t in ideal shape:
Downloading closes, uploading from mid-station still an option, rope is pulled across Sunday Punch.
Stage 4: Good skiing top to bottom:
Mid station comes out of service completely, top and bottom terminals are the only ones staffed. This is the mid-season operation of this lift. I have never seen the mid-station in use once appreciable terrain is open.
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Before:
After:
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Was the hydraulic tensioning on this lift a retrofit? The old Spruce Peak triple was two years newer and had counterweight tensioning.
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Id say it is a retrofit. But I wouldn’t know to certain as Borvings are out of my knowledge
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Also not a Borvig expert, but based on my research, the other earliest original Borvig installations that I can find that have hydraulic tensioning are Chief at Nashoba Valley, MA, and Skyliner at Bluewood, WA. Those were both 1986 installations. However, a lot of Borvigs from that era are gone, some for quite some time, so those historical photos aren’t as readily available. There was a transition period with a mix of counterweight and hydraulic tensioning for a few years, but by the late 1980s, most new installs were hydraulic. It is still possible this was the first hydraulic tensioning Borvig did, but it appears more likely that it was a retrofit. I can’t find any overhead historical photos that are clear enough to be able to tell if there ever was a counterweight on Locke. Somebody with historical knowledge of Sunday River would have to chime in.
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