Polar Express is the original detachable at Wachusett and debuted in 1994.Top station setup for summer ops.Turnaround with EJ chairs.Bottom terminal next to Monadnock Express.Tower 4.The lift is sponsored by Polar Beverages.Lift overview.Side view of the drive station with grip maintenance shop.Doppelmayr Worldbook entry.
18 thoughts on “Polar Express – Wachusett Mountain, MA”
sullivanqJanuary 15, 2021 / 5:45 am
Right after the chair leaves the bottom terminal there is a small pond there, likely for snowmaking water. Me and my buddies would always count how many gloves and poles were in the pond that people dropped in there and never got back.
The pond was filled in over the summer according to a video Wachusett recently posted on social media and will become part of the Polar Kids teaching area. Between this and the realignment of Barker at Sunday River, I believe there are no longer any lifts in New England that travel over bodies of water (other than streams/creeks).
Sign says max 985 fpm during winter ops, 450 in summer. On a crowded, sunny, March mid-week day this week it was only running at ~790 fpm (5:28 to the top). Major disappointment since due to COVID the chairs are going up half empty and thus there was a 10 minute line. For the price they charge for 3.5 hrs of skiing, they better run their lifts at top speed!
I have always wondered why more mountains do not have their lifts sponsored like this one. I know American Express at Stratton is another but I cannot think of any more. It is a bit of an eye-roller for some who may view this as a sign of mountains acting too much like corporations, but if this can bring in revenue then they can perhaps lower the cost of skiing in the form of either ticket prices or F&B.
European resorts do generally have much cheaper day ticket prices and better lift infrastructure. The odds of day ticket prices going down in the Vail mega-pass era is low, but I could see them investing in more, and better, lifts if companies are willing to sponsor and subsidize. This could mirror how real estate projects subsidized lift construction in the 90s and early 2000s.
In the future I could see some resorts like Big Sky for example copying the European model with the better infrastructure, and real estate projects. Not sure about pass prices going down though.
According to a comment from Wachusett on their April 18th Facebook post about the removal of this lift, they won’t be selling the chairs as they are “looking for a buyer for the whole lift”. I’m hopeful that it can find a new home as I’m under the impression it’s been well-maintained despite all the hours on it. A midsize resort that lacks detachables such as Catamount, Butternut or Tenney Mountain could probably really benefit from putting in this lift, if they can afford it.
I would think someone would like it. There’s still the matter of a new control (and possibly drive) setup, which is why we didn’t reinstall its twin out here.
We were quoted around $3 million to move, rewire, and update the drive, motor, and brakes. This wouldn’t even have been a major move- only to the parking lot then back up in a different location. If someone were to do this project even without the brakes (we wanted a new hydraulic unit to be in line with our other Doppelmayr lifts and retrofits), it would be pricey. It’s been discussed before on these pages but Doppelmayr requires an electrical update if they’re going to continue to support the lift. Solvable, yes; not as expensive as a new lift, yes- but not minor.
I could absolutely see this going to Tenney, as the current double (Hornet) is over a mile in length at 1.13 miles. There is certainly more than enough trail capacity to handle a lot of skier traffic from the summit, and Tenney’s layout as it exists today is actually quite easy for crowds to disperse.
My only concern is that Tenney is mostly a small family owned mountain, so having a detachable would need quite a lot of work/sourcing for new parts for a re-install. My guess is that would probably be too expensive on what is a limited budget.
Lift Blog 
Right after the chair leaves the bottom terminal there is a small pond there, likely for snowmaking water. Me and my buddies would always count how many gloves and poles were in the pond that people dropped in there and never got back.
LikeLike
Gold Coast at Squaw Valley has the same thing, if you look you see gloves and poles and stuff in it.
LikeLike
The pond was filled in over the summer according to a video Wachusett recently posted on social media and will become part of the Polar Kids teaching area. Between this and the realignment of Barker at Sunday River, I believe there are no longer any lifts in New England that travel over bodies of water (other than streams/creeks).
LikeLike
Sign says max 985 fpm during winter ops, 450 in summer. On a crowded, sunny, March mid-week day this week it was only running at ~790 fpm (5:28 to the top). Major disappointment since due to COVID the chairs are going up half empty and thus there was a 10 minute line. For the price they charge for 3.5 hrs of skiing, they better run their lifts at top speed!
LikeLike
I have always wondered why more mountains do not have their lifts sponsored like this one. I know American Express at Stratton is another but I cannot think of any more. It is a bit of an eye-roller for some who may view this as a sign of mountains acting too much like corporations, but if this can bring in revenue then they can perhaps lower the cost of skiing in the form of either ticket prices or F&B.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe because Polar Beverages is also owned by the Crowley family. Also, there may be restrictions for lifts on public lands.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s advertising all over European resorts and less awful and tacky. And we all know they they wouldn’t lower the cost of skiing unfortunately.
LikeLike
European resorts do generally have much cheaper day ticket prices and better lift infrastructure. The odds of day ticket prices going down in the Vail mega-pass era is low, but I could see them investing in more, and better, lifts if companies are willing to sponsor and subsidize. This could mirror how real estate projects subsidized lift construction in the 90s and early 2000s.
LikeLike
In the future I could see some resorts like Big Sky for example copying the European model with the better infrastructure, and real estate projects. Not sure about pass prices going down though.
LikeLike
And that’s the way we travel on the…
LikeLike
Any updates on a potential replacement?
LikeLike
I think that they are planning on replacing it with a six pack from Doppelmayr
LikeLike
Man, I sure am gonna miss this lift
LikeLike
According to a comment from Wachusett on their April 18th Facebook post about the removal of this lift, they won’t be selling the chairs as they are “looking for a buyer for the whole lift”. I’m hopeful that it can find a new home as I’m under the impression it’s been well-maintained despite all the hours on it. A midsize resort that lacks detachables such as Catamount, Butternut or Tenney Mountain could probably really benefit from putting in this lift, if they can afford it.
LikeLike
I would think someone would like it. There’s still the matter of a new control (and possibly drive) setup, which is why we didn’t reinstall its twin out here.
LikeLike
New electrical (controls and drive) is a solvable problem. In the overall cost of a project like a lift relocation, it’s a pretty minor percentage.
LikeLike
We were quoted around $3 million to move, rewire, and update the drive, motor, and brakes. This wouldn’t even have been a major move- only to the parking lot then back up in a different location. If someone were to do this project even without the brakes (we wanted a new hydraulic unit to be in line with our other Doppelmayr lifts and retrofits), it would be pricey. It’s been discussed before on these pages but Doppelmayr requires an electrical update if they’re going to continue to support the lift. Solvable, yes; not as expensive as a new lift, yes- but not minor.
LikeLike
I could absolutely see this going to Tenney, as the current double (Hornet) is over a mile in length at 1.13 miles. There is certainly more than enough trail capacity to handle a lot of skier traffic from the summit, and Tenney’s layout as it exists today is actually quite easy for crowds to disperse.
My only concern is that Tenney is mostly a small family owned mountain, so having a detachable would need quite a lot of work/sourcing for new parts for a re-install. My guess is that would probably be too expensive on what is a limited budget.
LikeLike