The Northern Express anchors the Hunter North Expansion, which opened for the 2018-19 ski season.Peak Resorts ordered Omega carriers for parts commonality with the Kaatskill Flyer.LPA drive station.Side view of the lower terminal and tower 1.Lift overview.Loading area and operator house.This lift was constructed by Hunter’s own crews rather than Leitner-Poma.View up at tower 3 of 11.Lower part of the lift line.View down at T7.Upper part of the lift line.It took a ton of blasting and earth work to fit the top terminal adjacent to the Belt Parkway ski run.Side view of the return terminal.Another view of the upper terminal.Breakover towers 10 and 11.Unloading ramp.Tower 1 and the lower station.Upper part of the lift line seen from the valley.Riding up the line in winter.Towers 10 and 11.View from the summit.Unloading ramp.
22 thoughts on “Northern Express – Hunter Mountain, NY”
Collin ParsonsMay 3, 2019 / 8:32 am
The haulrope stretch that typically occurs after the first season of a new lift is clearly visible here. The tension carriage travel on both terminals is pretty much maxed out, particularly at the top.
Was there any reason that they did not site the upper terminal of the lift higher up on the mountain? Using the lift’s trajectory I was hoping that the upper terminal would have been around the upper White Cloud/Belt Parkway junction, or Colonels Alternate, almost at the Kaaterskill Flyer path?
I skied Hunter this winter, and rode the Northern Express for the first time. I must say that they did a great job. The terrain is great, the lift is smooth, and it opens up a whole new area of the mountain. As I mentioned earlier, I am dismayed at the upper terminal. Had the lift reached the summit upper area near where the Kaaterskill Flyer terminates, then the flexibility and combinations of runs would have been much greater. I don’t think the terrain under the lift was the reason, and there is room for an upper terminal alongside the open area at the summit. The current upper terminal really does not have much room for skiers to accumulate. Riding the lift and talking about this with many folks, I did hear that a single board room individual made the final decision, against those who actually ski and knew the mountain, and wanted the lift to reach the summit…frustrating. However, this is the largest ski expansion in the East, Hunter Operations is top notch, and this further solidifies Hunter as a really great place to ski.
Way To Primitive. You Folks Are Still Behind Technology When It Comes to Chairlifts. You Still Have To Ski Out To Load The Chair. No Protection Of The Harsh East Coast Weather.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBruORQOFKM
I think the issue is that we are too lawsuit-happy here. We had a lot more lifts with footrests over here but they cut them off for fears that they may knock people off. In literally any other case it could be brought down to we here in murica love out dumbass lawsuits.
If anything, I think footrests feel safer than a regular bar. The regular bar is just too light and nothing is there to stop you. The teeth on bars just aren’t comfortable.
If you don’t want to be out in the weather here on the Ice Coast, then…don’t ski. Plus, imagine the cost of the gigantic vacuum-forming machine needed to make the plastic bubbles on bubble chairlifts. And the added weight: each chair on Kanc8 at loon weighs in at over a ton! Now think about how many chairs are needed on each lift! That’s a lot of weight! All of the lift’s components would need to be made stronger to bear the added weight! No ski area can afford that on all of their lifts.
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The haulrope stretch that typically occurs after the first season of a new lift is clearly visible here. The tension carriage travel on both terminals is pretty much maxed out, particularly at the top.
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Was it cheaper for hunter for their own crew to install the lift?
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Was there any reason that they did not site the upper terminal of the lift higher up on the mountain? Using the lift’s trajectory I was hoping that the upper terminal would have been around the upper White Cloud/Belt Parkway junction, or Colonels Alternate, almost at the Kaaterskill Flyer path?
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The terrain looks a bit rocky up above the unload point.
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I skied Hunter this winter, and rode the Northern Express for the first time. I must say that they did a great job. The terrain is great, the lift is smooth, and it opens up a whole new area of the mountain. As I mentioned earlier, I am dismayed at the upper terminal. Had the lift reached the summit upper area near where the Kaaterskill Flyer terminates, then the flexibility and combinations of runs would have been much greater. I don’t think the terrain under the lift was the reason, and there is room for an upper terminal alongside the open area at the summit. The current upper terminal really does not have much room for skiers to accumulate. Riding the lift and talking about this with many folks, I did hear that a single board room individual made the final decision, against those who actually ski and knew the mountain, and wanted the lift to reach the summit…frustrating. However, this is the largest ski expansion in the East, Hunter Operations is top notch, and this further solidifies Hunter as a really great place to ski.
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I heard something similar, with cost being cited as the reason rather than space or terrain constraints.
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Way To Primitive. You Folks Are Still Behind Technology When It Comes to Chairlifts. You Still Have To Ski Out To Load The Chair. No Protection Of The Harsh East Coast Weather.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBruORQOFKM
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Woah, you have to ski out to load a chair! So primitive!! I can’t even imagine putting the effort to ski forward a few feet. Wow!
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I think the issue is that we are too lawsuit-happy here. We had a lot more lifts with footrests over here but they cut them off for fears that they may knock people off. In literally any other case it could be brought down to we here in murica love out dumbass lawsuits.
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If anything, I think footrests feel safer than a regular bar. The regular bar is just too light and nothing is there to stop you. The teeth on bars just aren’t comfortable.
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Paul. Enough already.
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I think this “Paul” character is a troll bot programmed by a goldendoodle.
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If you don’t want to be out in the weather here on the Ice Coast, then…don’t ski. Plus, imagine the cost of the gigantic vacuum-forming machine needed to make the plastic bubbles on bubble chairlifts. And the added weight: each chair on Kanc8 at loon weighs in at over a ton! Now think about how many chairs are needed on each lift! That’s a lot of weight! All of the lift’s components would need to be made stronger to bear the added weight! No ski area can afford that on all of their lifts.
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I wonder if Vail Resorts will opt for the omega chairs on Broadway Six when that gets built this summer?
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Vail will buy whatever is cheapest.
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They went with regular LPA chairs for Broadway. Nothing wrong with that, IMO, and it probably was cheaper than having Omega chairs custom built.
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Is this the only lift with Omega 6 Chairs?
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There are a TON more.
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Not at all. We have a ’98, there are at least two over the hill at Breck, WP/MJ has one….
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Oh yeah, all of the Omega Terminal Six-Packs have them too.
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