Madden – Homewood, CA

Madden is the main out-of-base lift at Homewood and the only access to the mountain’s high speed quad above.
Motor room and loading ramp.
Leaving the bottom terminal.
All the line equipment has been replaced by Doppelmayr.
View back down the first face.
There is a mid-load station.
Loading above Lake Tahoe.
Top bullwheel with a support likely re-used from the previous lift.
Operator house with broken windows and peep holes!
Upper lift line.
The mid-loading station.
Yan drive-tension terminal.
Top station.

10 thoughts on “Madden – Homewood, CA

  1. powderforever21's avatar powderforever21 August 4, 2019 / 5:43 pm

    Why not upgrade this to a HSQ if it’s the only out of base lift and it accesses a HSQ. Money?

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    • snowbasin local's avatar snowbasinlocal12894 August 6, 2019 / 8:48 am

      Probably because of the mid station. Detachable mid stations are not cheap and there huge. One of the advantages over a fixed grip chairlift than a detachable.

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    • milanyvr's avatar milanyvr December 14, 2019 / 5:43 pm

      Construing the Lift OPs have to peak through pieces of pli wood, I dont think they could afford a new HSQ. Buying used might be a good option though.

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  2. Dan Bryant's avatar Danny Bryant February 1, 2020 / 5:43 pm

    The Homewood Master Plan has this lift scheduled to be upgraded to an eight passenger gondola (see master plan link on the lift list page for Homewood under “thoughts.”

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    • Somebody's avatar Somebody February 1, 2020 / 6:42 pm

      An 8 passenger gondola replacing a 1982 Yan triple with no safety bars and a peep-hole at the top operator house seems a bit overly-optimistic to me.

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      • SilverSubaru's avatar julestheshiba January 15, 2021 / 8:57 pm

        If they could a chondola would be far better, there are some runs that lead to the bottom of this lift that, with enough snow, would be nice to lap. I hate loading gondolas, if you don’t need it then have a chairlift.

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  3. Giles Douglas's avatar Giles Douglas February 1, 2021 / 2:28 pm

    Anyone know what the maintenance on this lift the week of Jan 25th was? One of the lower towers near the base has had the brace arm (ie the diagonal support that connects to the tower) excavated to the ground and it looks like they’ve done work at the interface to the mountain. The chair was not running Monday to Friday.

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  4. SilverSubaru's avatar julestheshiba February 1, 2021 / 4:35 pm

    honestly if I was to replace this lift I would replace it with an hsq or chondola 6. I would probably also move its top terminal farther up rainbow ridge so it can better be lapped.

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  5. Utah Lost Ski Area Project's avatar Utah Powder Skier March 3, 2021 / 8:55 am

    That top terminal structure looks a lot like the ones found on American Cableways and Hjorth Brothers lifts. Could it be that the former Madden lift was another Western Lift installation?

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  6. SkiLucas's avatar SkiLucas February 23, 2025 / 7:27 am

    Is the new gondola going to be in the same alignment?

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