I wonder what they’re going to do for that Windy Ridge lift? I have to assume it’s going to be some kind of budget option like the bubble lift they bought.
And it sounds like they want to replace at least some of their current fleet…
Would it be possible to run a HSQ from the bottom of Chair 1 to near the top of Ka-Wham? It would be a 6,890 ft long HSQ. The bottom terminal would be skiers left of the bottom terminal of Chair 1 and Chair 1 would not be removed.
I think that would take some aggressive re-grading at the base; not sure there’s enough room there for another lift terminal & queuing area. I’m also not sure that’d be a very popular lift; with the low-angle ski outs back to the base most non-beginners want to lap the upper mountain, not return all the way to the base.
I know they have a big expansion plan (including lodging, which is the only way Mission is going to draw significant visitation from the Seattle market), but looks like the lift investment will be focused on expanding into new terrain to the east.
If they have extra money lying around for lifts, replacing chair 1 with a fixed quad wouldn’t be the worst idea. I visited Mission for the first time this weekend and it’s a little bizarre to have to ride an old center-pole double in order to access a detachable quad with a bubble. Center pole doubles aren’t the most beginner- or kid-friendly lifts, and it seems like chair 1 slows/stops a lot.
I also think that a good idea, if they don’t have the money to fully replace the lifts, would be to acquire Riblet bail chairs if possible. Besides the possibility of adding safety bars, I’m sure that using bail-style carriers would significantly cut down on stops and slows.
I think the way I’d modernize the rest of the Mission Ridge lift fleet if I had unlimited money would be to replace lifts 3 and 4 with high speed quads, and 1 with a fixed grip quad. Then use the Riblets to service the bowls: one for Windy Ridge, one for Microwave, and one for Bowl 4.
I’d take a guess that the drive is a large enough percentage of the cost on these old fixed grips that if you’re going to bother replacing it, you might as well just buy new everything else too.
Since they kept the drive of the old Liberator up top they could be planning on using it again. You said replacing lift 1 with a fixed grip, they should have kept liberators chairs and drive and used them to replace 1 with a fixed quad. I mean they already had the parts.
If you’re replacing chair 3 with a HSQ I’d extend it a bit so the top terminal is at or near the ridge.
I’m not sure Windy Ridge has enough terrain to justify its own lift, especially if lift 3 ends higher.
A Microwave lift would be a great expert lift, probably amongst the best in the state. Start it from near where the road from chair 4 meets Skookum and any of the old doubles would be long enough.
They don’t call it Windy Ridge for nothing. If a lift to the top of the ridge on the south side ever gets built, I predict an expert-oriented T-bar like at Crested Butte or Kirkwood.
With the amount of detachable platters in Europe along with Leitner-Poma and GMM still making them, I would think it wouldn’t be too hard or expensive to do. Another option could be what Copper did and have a chairlift end just below the ridge and have a surface lift go up to the ridgeline.
Ok, here’s a question for any Mission Ridge insiders. Why are there multiple haul ropes just laying in the dirt the length of Mimi off of Chair 1? Went on a larch hike today and was surprised to see ~5 haul ropes just laying on the ground, rusting away. I would think recycling the steel or storing them out of the weather would be better options?
Lift Blog 
What happened are they keeping the Poma high speed quad?
LikeLike
I have been promised an update soon.
LikeLike
I wonder what they’re going to do for that Windy Ridge lift? I have to assume it’s going to be some kind of budget option like the bubble lift they bought.
And it sounds like they want to replace at least some of their current fleet…
LikeLike
Would it be possible to run a HSQ from the bottom of Chair 1 to near the top of Ka-Wham? It would be a 6,890 ft long HSQ. The bottom terminal would be skiers left of the bottom terminal of Chair 1 and Chair 1 would not be removed.
LikeLike
I think that would take some aggressive re-grading at the base; not sure there’s enough room there for another lift terminal & queuing area. I’m also not sure that’d be a very popular lift; with the low-angle ski outs back to the base most non-beginners want to lap the upper mountain, not return all the way to the base.
I know they have a big expansion plan (including lodging, which is the only way Mission is going to draw significant visitation from the Seattle market), but looks like the lift investment will be focused on expanding into new terrain to the east.
If they have extra money lying around for lifts, replacing chair 1 with a fixed quad wouldn’t be the worst idea. I visited Mission for the first time this weekend and it’s a little bizarre to have to ride an old center-pole double in order to access a detachable quad with a bubble. Center pole doubles aren’t the most beginner- or kid-friendly lifts, and it seems like chair 1 slows/stops a lot.
LikeLike
I also think that a good idea, if they don’t have the money to fully replace the lifts, would be to acquire Riblet bail chairs if possible. Besides the possibility of adding safety bars, I’m sure that using bail-style carriers would significantly cut down on stops and slows.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the way I’d modernize the rest of the Mission Ridge lift fleet if I had unlimited money would be to replace lifts 3 and 4 with high speed quads, and 1 with a fixed grip quad. Then use the Riblets to service the bowls: one for Windy Ridge, one for Microwave, and one for Bowl 4.
LikeLike
The Ribs are too old and need to go. If you are going to do all that work you might as well go new with everything.
LikeLike
I could see them reusing the towers just replacing the chairs and terminals with Skytrac equipment.
LikeLike
Superior Tramways could probably do it for a better price.
LikeLike
Out of curiosity, what if they just replaced the drives on some of these lifts while moving them?
Seems like that would eliminate quite a few problems.
LikeLike
I’d take a guess that the drive is a large enough percentage of the cost on these old fixed grips that if you’re going to bother replacing it, you might as well just buy new everything else too.
LikeLike
Since they kept the drive of the old Liberator up top they could be planning on using it again. You said replacing lift 1 with a fixed grip, they should have kept liberators chairs and drive and used them to replace 1 with a fixed quad. I mean they already had the parts.
LikeLiked by 2 people
If you’re replacing chair 3 with a HSQ I’d extend it a bit so the top terminal is at or near the ridge.
I’m not sure Windy Ridge has enough terrain to justify its own lift, especially if lift 3 ends higher.
A Microwave lift would be a great expert lift, probably amongst the best in the state. Start it from near where the road from chair 4 meets Skookum and any of the old doubles would be long enough.
LikeLike
They don’t call it Windy Ridge for nothing. If a lift to the top of the ridge on the south side ever gets built, I predict an expert-oriented T-bar like at Crested Butte or Kirkwood.
LikeLike
Or it could be a detachable platter like Cirque at Snowmass. They might be hard to get though.
LikeLike
With the amount of detachable platters in Europe along with Leitner-Poma and GMM still making them, I would think it wouldn’t be too hard or expensive to do. Another option could be what Copper did and have a chairlift end just below the ridge and have a surface lift go up to the ridgeline.
LikeLike
Peter the OG chair 2 is called “Chinook”
LikeLike
Ok, here’s a question for any Mission Ridge insiders. Why are there multiple haul ropes just laying in the dirt the length of Mimi off of Chair 1? Went on a larch hike today and was surprised to see ~5 haul ropes just laying on the ground, rusting away. I would think recycling the steel or storing them out of the weather would be better options?
LikeLike