Top tension terminal with counterweight.Looking down the upper lift line.Looking down the line.Looking up from the bottom terminal.Bottom vault drive.Top terminal in the summer.Bottom station.Almond-shaped towers for avalanche purposes.Looking back riding up.
One of my duties as a lift supervisor was to fire this up for one run every morning. We’d send up lifties, then the last one would call me when he or she unloaded and I’d shut it back down. We rarely staffed it except weekends.
In the early-mid 90s, pre-Boyne buyout, I would walk the 5 minutes up to C-1 instead of waiting at Midway Shuttle. Midway ran more slowly, stopped more, and always had a line. One season, Midway broke down for the rest of the year, and C-1 and C-4 were once again the only ways out of the base area.
Chair 1 was also a great option on storm days when Upper Mountain was closed. It’s hard to get from the top of Midway/Chinook over to Lower E and I think patrol now ropes it off regardless, but from 1 it was an easy schlep. I remember the huge cycle in February 94 when we got 65ish (not remembering the exact number) in 24 and just shy of 100 in 48. The only chair you could actually make turns from was 1. I was 12, so even that wasn’t enough, but it was fun nonetheless.
Huh. I worked at Crystal from ’91-’97 and I don’t recall Midway ever closing for the remainder of the season. One winter as an operator I caught the bullwheel liner peeling out at the DT, and the mechanics had to evac and close the lift until they could get a new liner from Poma, but that was only a week or two.
I also remember that 65+” storm, and I wasn’t quite old enough to drive myself up, nor could I persuade my parents to take me out of school and drive me. Oh well. I wasn’t good enough to have skied it well.
The Midway breakdown shutdown I’m thinking of lasted for a long time. The rumor I heard at the time was there was something wrong with the drive, which could be that bad bullwheel liner. I wasn’t an every-weekend skier and I remember it being broken for multiple visits, in part because of the lines I waited in on C-1. But you know, that was 25+ years ago and I also walked both ways uphill to school.
I worked Summit House in 1990 and Midway blew out the upper universal joint on the bull wheel driveline on Super Bowl Sunday (the worst weather day in Crystal’s history / 100+ mph gust on summit with upper mountain closed / REX’s chairs were banging into each other in the top station and 3 was de-roped off most of the upper towers / plus, both 5 and 9 derailed fully loaded with the evac chairs stuck in the Summit House’s basement). It took over a month to get Midway back running. 2 new drivelines were shipping over and failed testing before Riblet stepped in and built a new driveline with larger universal joints. Midway was unusual for being a vault drive and POMA didn’t have much experience with vault drive systems. It wasn’t down for the rest of the season, but it felt like it.
I vaguely recall hearing about this, but not the details. What a day! Kinda glad I didn’t work there then. I do remember that Crystal had issues with both 10 and 11 from the beginning. They ironed out the kinks but those lifts had a rough start.
I’ve only seen three vault-drive Pomas (although I think old Pucci at Hood was one as well?), so that follows with your information.
Lift Blog 
Was this lift scrapped or sold?
LikeLike
Scrapped.
LikeLike
That’s sad, would have been a cool lift to see at another resort.
LikeLike
One of my duties as a lift supervisor was to fire this up for one run every morning. We’d send up lifties, then the last one would call me when he or she unloaded and I’d shut it back down. We rarely staffed it except weekends.
LikeLike
I wonder if the grip room (old motor room for Chair 2) is still there. If it were medically possible to get a contact high. . .
LikeLike
In the early-mid 90s, pre-Boyne buyout, I would walk the 5 minutes up to C-1 instead of waiting at Midway Shuttle. Midway ran more slowly, stopped more, and always had a line. One season, Midway broke down for the rest of the year, and C-1 and C-4 were once again the only ways out of the base area.
LikeLike
Chair 1 was also a great option on storm days when Upper Mountain was closed. It’s hard to get from the top of Midway/Chinook over to Lower E and I think patrol now ropes it off regardless, but from 1 it was an easy schlep. I remember the huge cycle in February 94 when we got 65ish (not remembering the exact number) in 24 and just shy of 100 in 48. The only chair you could actually make turns from was 1. I was 12, so even that wasn’t enough, but it was fun nonetheless.
LikeLike
Huh. I worked at Crystal from ’91-’97 and I don’t recall Midway ever closing for the remainder of the season. One winter as an operator I caught the bullwheel liner peeling out at the DT, and the mechanics had to evac and close the lift until they could get a new liner from Poma, but that was only a week or two.
LikeLike
I also remember that 65+” storm, and I wasn’t quite old enough to drive myself up, nor could I persuade my parents to take me out of school and drive me. Oh well. I wasn’t good enough to have skied it well.
The Midway breakdown shutdown I’m thinking of lasted for a long time. The rumor I heard at the time was there was something wrong with the drive, which could be that bad bullwheel liner. I wasn’t an every-weekend skier and I remember it being broken for multiple visits, in part because of the lines I waited in on C-1. But you know, that was 25+ years ago and I also walked both ways uphill to school.
LikeLike
As did I :) My memory could be faulty, definitely.
LikeLike
I worked Summit House in 1990 and Midway blew out the upper universal joint on the bull wheel driveline on Super Bowl Sunday (the worst weather day in Crystal’s history / 100+ mph gust on summit with upper mountain closed / REX’s chairs were banging into each other in the top station and 3 was de-roped off most of the upper towers / plus, both 5 and 9 derailed fully loaded with the evac chairs stuck in the Summit House’s basement). It took over a month to get Midway back running. 2 new drivelines were shipping over and failed testing before Riblet stepped in and built a new driveline with larger universal joints. Midway was unusual for being a vault drive and POMA didn’t have much experience with vault drive systems. It wasn’t down for the rest of the season, but it felt like it.
LikeLike
I vaguely recall hearing about this, but not the details. What a day! Kinda glad I didn’t work there then. I do remember that Crystal had issues with both 10 and 11 from the beginning. They ironed out the kinks but those lifts had a rough start.
I’ve only seen three vault-drive Pomas (although I think old Pucci at Hood was one as well?), so that follows with your information.
LikeLike
Are you including detachable vault-drive Pomas like the old American Flyer? If not, what were the two besides Pucci and Midway/Loup Loup Quad?
LikeLike
I am. Flyer, original Colorado SuperChair, Midway, and Pucci.
LikeLike
The oldest lift @ Crystal. Removed ’11
LikeLike