This surface lift, combined with the Orient Express, serves the outer bowls known as Mongolia.The bottom terminal has the drive.View up the line.Drive bullwheel.Loading area overview.View up the line at T3.Looking down the line.Top station.Unloading at tower 6.Tensioning by counterweight.
This lift is scheduled to be replaced with a detachable quad. The liftline would begin at Silk Road (east of Orient Express) and have a top terminal northeast of the existing platter, allowing easier access to Outer Mongolia. Simultaneously, new trails would be cut from the top of Pete’s Express down through East Pete’s Bowl that would end at the proposed lift’s base.
I don’t think this lift has run at all this season. It didn’t run this weekend, at least. A few folks were trudging up the lift line to access the Mongolia bowls which are now, effectively, hike-to terrain.
As far as I’m aware it didn’t run much at all last year either. About a week ago I was there and hiked lift-line 2 days after an 11 inch dump. I was able to still get fresh tracks for most of the way down which is honestly astonishing on resort terrain. Though I would definitely prefer the lift to be running it’s still a great trade for the relatively short hike, especially if you’re acclimated to the elevation (being from the east coast, I was most definitely not).
The remoteness definitely is a factor in the limited schedule, considering that to get to Mongolia from any base area can take anywhere from four to six chairlifts.
I hope that if the Mongolia HSQ lift gets built they keep this lift in. It is a short ride, not much to operate, and would make accessing Mongolia much easier from Two Elk and that area.
First day for this lift in the 24-25 season was 1/25/25. In prior years, it’s felt like this was a weekend only lift, but it’s been running midweek this week.
Lift Blog 
This lift is scheduled to be replaced with a detachable quad. The liftline would begin at Silk Road (east of Orient Express) and have a top terminal northeast of the existing platter, allowing easier access to Outer Mongolia. Simultaneously, new trails would be cut from the top of Pete’s Express down through East Pete’s Bowl that would end at the proposed lift’s base.
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I think the proposed alignment puts an upper terminal somewhere near the crest of that ridge.
I presume that if built it will also be the primary lift for the Siberia Bowl, rather than the Orient Express lift.
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I don’t think this lift has run at all this season. It didn’t run this weekend, at least. A few folks were trudging up the lift line to access the Mongolia bowls which are now, effectively, hike-to terrain.
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Good work, Vail. Just absolutely a top-tier operator. 🤦♂️
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I would imagine this is probably very low priority on Vail’s list on account of this section of the Back Bowls being pretty remote.
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Not wrong … but that’s not the kind of calculus I’d expect of a world class resort
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As far as I’m aware it didn’t run much at all last year either. About a week ago I was there and hiked lift-line 2 days after an 11 inch dump. I was able to still get fresh tracks for most of the way down which is honestly astonishing on resort terrain. Though I would definitely prefer the lift to be running it’s still a great trade for the relatively short hike, especially if you’re acclimated to the elevation (being from the east coast, I was most definitely not).
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The remoteness definitely is a factor in the limited schedule, considering that to get to Mongolia from any base area can take anywhere from four to six chairlifts.
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I hope that if the Mongolia HSQ lift gets built they keep this lift in. It is a short ride, not much to operate, and would make accessing Mongolia much easier from Two Elk and that area.
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They could easily have one person operation.
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Actually, no. The bottom operator can’t really see what’s happening at the top, and code may require operators at both ends.
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Big Sky seems to manage just fine with one person operations on their surface lifts. Thanks for the response though.
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That was kind of snarky, sorry. I just really hope they don’t remove the lift.
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First day for this lift in the 24-25 season was 1/25/25. In prior years, it’s felt like this was a weekend only lift, but it’s been running midweek this week.
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