LPOA Alpha drive station.Lift overview.Riding up the line.Chair hanger and grip.Middle part of the lift line.Upper lift line.Arriving at the return.Top bullwheel unload.View back up to the summit.Lift line view.Another view up the lift line.Another view looking down the line.Tower 1.Lower terminal.That view!
Hello! I am new to skiing and will be going to Loveland next week. Trying to figure out how to get to the Ptarmigan lift. On the mountain map it looks like I’d just take lift 2 and it’s a short distance fro there. Is this correct?
This lift was designed to replace the upper section of Lift 2. Lift 2 originally ended where Ptarmigan now ends, but they decided to cut that lift back to its midway station so as to reduce traffic on lift 2. (It didn’t help that in those transition years, Lift 2 had a midway unload added right before its midway load, which complicated things greatly)
I was at Loveland the other day and I was talking to the Director of Lift Operations and she said that she regrets putting the Ptarmigan as a triple chair. She was saying that they are going to replace Lift 6 next https://liftblog.com/6-loveland-co/ with a triple and she wanted to relocate the Ptarmigan lift to replace that, and then put a detachable quad where Ptarmigan is. She said she got a bid and the price was very expensive so they are not going to do it.
I’ve never been to Loveland, but I don’t get the buyer’s remorse here. Ptarmigan is only 3085 feet long. In most places that length would be a fixed grip. Lift 1 got replaced because they wanted a better out of base lift even though it’s only around 2600 feet long. If they’re going to replace Lift 6 next, then I think that should be the high speed quad because it is longer at 3280 feet. The thing I do think they messed up on was that they shortened Lift 2 too much. It should’ve been kept at a length where you could access both Ptarmigan and Lift 9.
As a Loveland instructor, it gets much steeper not too far above where 2 currently unloads which would make it much harder for beginners. It would be nice to have it just slightly higher though, just below the steeper upper section, so you can better access chair 6. It is rather nice having chair 9 a little harder to get to as well because you don’t want beginners to have easy access to that lift. I think they should upgrade 6 with a high-speed and angle it a little bit differently to the right so it goes up past E-Tow cabin just short of porcupine saddle. It would open up much more of that bowl below the saddle that is very underutilized and you would still have good access to the top of the current chair 6. It would have to have shorter towers and maybe even some slatted backrests for wind resistance though.
Just visited Loveland for the first time a few weeks ago. It is a little confusing as a new visitor to get to the different mid-mountain lift load areas – we skied right below Ptarmigan at one point, not realizing we’d missed it till we got to Chair 4. Oh well, we had a map and got to see more of the mountain :).
I thought the Ptarmigan lift ride time was very reasonable. An HSQ would have been expensive and not saved that much time. FGQs can be harder to load/unload, so I think they hit the ‘sweet spot’ with Ptarmigan. I would assume it does OK on windy days, too.
After about 20 years of riding Abasin, I think Loveland may be my new local/indie fave, btw. Hoping they have a good fall price on four-packs gain.
I think Loveland does need to re-do the top of the mountain to where Lift 9 is. I think they need to divide the lift in to two parts. The current Fixed Grip would be shortened and would begin before Tower 12 (Right after the mid-unload). The rest of the lift would be removed and a new High Speed Quad (1800/hr) would replace the lower section. The lift would start at merge between Fail Safe and Lower Creek trail. It would end near the base of the run Castle Rock. Their is a nice green/blue run to where the top of Ptarmigan is. Ptarmigan would be removed as the lift would not be needed.
Later, Ptarmigan would be moved to replace Lift 2 in a different alignment, with it ending near Tower 2 on the current Ptarmigan Lift. The lift would start where the current Lift 2 is.
The only thing that could improve this lift, sniveling aside, is the design team from Bromont. Loveland is the best ski area in Summit County, and it’s not even in Summit County.
Another interesting thing about this lift is that it has a ridiculously long unload ramp. The length from the bullwheel to the first flat stopping point rivals some bunny hills.
I have noticed that the Ptarmigan lift stops a lot, very irritating. The problem, I believe, is the high number of newbie skiers having problems with loading/unloading. It’s a shame because the trails on this lift pod are great, covering green to low-black. We could fix this with a high-speed lift right? I know these are expensive but this is a crucial lift for Loveland.
Loveland’s revised master plan shows what I consider two major projects: a high-speed replacement for Ptarmigan (and relocating of the existing Ptarmigan to build Lift 10), and a high-speed replacement of Lift 2, starting at the same bottom terminal but realigned to end at Forest Meadow and a new mid-mountain lodge. In my mind the latter is more likely to happen first due to Lift 2’s age; with the replacement of Lift 7 this summer Lift 2 will be the new oldest lift, likely warranting a replacement. This would open up easier access to beginner terrain, and may alleviate some of the current crowds at Ptarmigan.
Wow, well thanks to Ben for unearthing that. You do have to go into the supporting documents folder to find the updated plan. And the plan does mention increasing the capacity of Ptarmigan, which is not likely to mean a fixed grip 6-pack :-)
Lift Blog 
Why does such a new Lift like this not have bars?
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Because Loveland didn’t order them. They add some weight and cost.
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They put them on Chet’s Dream, though.
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As of today, pretty much every lift at loveland basin has bars, though I think only Chet’s has foot rests.
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Hello! I am new to skiing and will be going to Loveland next week. Trying to figure out how to get to the Ptarmigan lift. On the mountain map it looks like I’d just take lift 2 and it’s a short distance fro there. Is this correct?
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That’s correct.
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This lift was designed to replace the upper section of Lift 2. Lift 2 originally ended where Ptarmigan now ends, but they decided to cut that lift back to its midway station so as to reduce traffic on lift 2. (It didn’t help that in those transition years, Lift 2 had a midway unload added right before its midway load, which complicated things greatly)
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I was at Loveland the other day and I was talking to the Director of Lift Operations and she said that she regrets putting the Ptarmigan as a triple chair. She was saying that they are going to replace Lift 6 next https://liftblog.com/6-loveland-co/ with a triple and she wanted to relocate the Ptarmigan lift to replace that, and then put a detachable quad where Ptarmigan is. She said she got a bid and the price was very expensive so they are not going to do it.
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I’ve never been to Loveland, but I don’t get the buyer’s remorse here. Ptarmigan is only 3085 feet long. In most places that length would be a fixed grip. Lift 1 got replaced because they wanted a better out of base lift even though it’s only around 2600 feet long. If they’re going to replace Lift 6 next, then I think that should be the high speed quad because it is longer at 3280 feet. The thing I do think they messed up on was that they shortened Lift 2 too much. It should’ve been kept at a length where you could access both Ptarmigan and Lift 9.
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As a Loveland instructor, it gets much steeper not too far above where 2 currently unloads which would make it much harder for beginners. It would be nice to have it just slightly higher though, just below the steeper upper section, so you can better access chair 6. It is rather nice having chair 9 a little harder to get to as well because you don’t want beginners to have easy access to that lift. I think they should upgrade 6 with a high-speed and angle it a little bit differently to the right so it goes up past E-Tow cabin just short of porcupine saddle. It would open up much more of that bowl below the saddle that is very underutilized and you would still have good access to the top of the current chair 6. It would have to have shorter towers and maybe even some slatted backrests for wind resistance though.
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Just visited Loveland for the first time a few weeks ago. It is a little confusing as a new visitor to get to the different mid-mountain lift load areas – we skied right below Ptarmigan at one point, not realizing we’d missed it till we got to Chair 4. Oh well, we had a map and got to see more of the mountain :).
I thought the Ptarmigan lift ride time was very reasonable. An HSQ would have been expensive and not saved that much time. FGQs can be harder to load/unload, so I think they hit the ‘sweet spot’ with Ptarmigan. I would assume it does OK on windy days, too.
After about 20 years of riding Abasin, I think Loveland may be my new local/indie fave, btw. Hoping they have a good fall price on four-packs gain.
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I think Loveland does need to re-do the top of the mountain to where Lift 9 is. I think they need to divide the lift in to two parts. The current Fixed Grip would be shortened and would begin before Tower 12 (Right after the mid-unload). The rest of the lift would be removed and a new High Speed Quad (1800/hr) would replace the lower section. The lift would start at merge between Fail Safe and Lower Creek trail. It would end near the base of the run Castle Rock. Their is a nice green/blue run to where the top of Ptarmigan is. Ptarmigan would be removed as the lift would not be needed.
Later, Ptarmigan would be moved to replace Lift 2 in a different alignment, with it ending near Tower 2 on the current Ptarmigan Lift. The lift would start where the current Lift 2 is.
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The only thing that could improve this lift, sniveling aside, is the design team from Bromont. Loveland is the best ski area in Summit County, and it’s not even in Summit County.
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Comfort / safety bars were added to Ptarmigan for the ’20/’21 season.
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The safety bars were also added to Lift 2.
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Looks like the also added bars to Lift 9 this year. Did they retrofit all the lifts?
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All of the LPA lifts got bars.
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Lift 8 with bars
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Another interesting thing about this lift is that it has a ridiculously long unload ramp. The length from the bullwheel to the first flat stopping point rivals some bunny hills.
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Loveland seems to me like a very slow mountain, with all of it’s lifts being fixed and it taking too long to lap a run
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There’s literally a HSQ out of base…
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being their shortest lift…
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both 2 and 7 are shorter.
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I have noticed that the Ptarmigan lift stops a lot, very irritating. The problem, I believe, is the high number of newbie skiers having problems with loading/unloading. It’s a shame because the trails on this lift pod are great, covering green to low-black. We could fix this with a high-speed lift right? I know these are expensive but this is a crucial lift for Loveland.
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doubtful you’ll see this upgraded to a HSQ anytime soon. Loveland isn’t a big corporation owned mountain.
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Loveland’s revised master plan shows what I consider two major projects: a high-speed replacement for Ptarmigan (and relocating of the existing Ptarmigan to build Lift 10), and a high-speed replacement of Lift 2, starting at the same bottom terminal but realigned to end at Forest Meadow and a new mid-mountain lodge. In my mind the latter is more likely to happen first due to Lift 2’s age; with the replacement of Lift 7 this summer Lift 2 will be the new oldest lift, likely warranting a replacement. This would open up easier access to beginner terrain, and may alleviate some of the current crowds at Ptarmigan.
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Thanks for the response, sounds like my wish may come true in a few years. Is this revised plan available anywhere? I can only find the 2013 plan.
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Courtesy of Ben from a comment on the main Loveland page: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54196
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Wow, well thanks to Ben for unearthing that. You do have to go into the supporting documents folder to find the updated plan. And the plan does mention increasing the capacity of Ptarmigan, which is not likely to mean a fixed grip 6-pack :-)
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