Towers 25-27 at Miner’s Camp.Cabin parking rail with half cabins.Return terminal on the Park City side.Loading area and lift shack.Doppelmayr Uni-G return terminal.View of the line from King Con.The comline goes under the haul rope for the big span over Thaynes Canyon.View up the line from tower 14.Mid-station with angle.Minimalist mid-station.Looking down towards White Pine Canyon.Side view of the angle station.Skiers can unload in either direction here.Unloading area on Pinecone Ridge.View down towards Miner’s Camp.Breakover towers from below.Depression tower 18.T21-T23Riding over the canyon.Pinecone Ridge.Mellower line on the Canyons Village side.Tower 6.Drive terminal in The Colony.Towers 1-2 and lots of sheaves.View up the Canyons line.CWA Omega IV’sCabin maintenance building and gen-set.
If you wish to see this area in the summer, the “mid mountain trail” crosses the line of Quicksilver fairly close to the mid-station. That trail is used by both mountain bikers and hikers — pretty busy on weekends.
Did you take these pictures when the gondolas were getting off/on their parking rail? The view from king con looks like they are putting the last of the cabins on the haul rope.
Some of them were taken a day after a big storm, the first time cabins were ever taken off. It took Park City the entire day to relaunch them. So I had to go back another day for the rest of the photos.
Is there a reason for which this gondola uses Europe-style stations and tower on the Park City side, and American-style stations and tower on the Canyons side?
Anybody have any idea why Vail Resorts didn’t put up a covered cabin parking facility? The gondola was pretty expensive, and you would think Vail Resorts would want to protect the cabins from the elements. They did the same thing with the Breck Connect Gondola, only a small maintenance garage, and the cabins are very worn and sometimes full of snow in the morning after a storm
A gondola evacuation over thaynes canyon looks fun…. Really fun…. Is there a special evacuation procedure for thaynes canyon or do they straight up lower you down by rope?
I don’t know if this is accurate, but I’m guessing most people riding towards the Canyons side tend to unload at the midstation to get some extra skiing on Blaise’s Way and Golden Spruce to get down to Dreamcatcher, rather than unload at the Colony terminal, While everyone headed towards Park City gets on at the Colony terminal since that’s the only point accessible from Iron Mountain or Flat Iron.
Fewer people unload at the midstation than you might think. When riding over from PCMR, I usually unload and ski down from there. I’ve had people surprised that I’m unloading there before; I just don’t think people realize it’s an option. They could add signage explaining this if they wanted. They closed the off ramp trail from the midstation, I’m not entirely sure why. I wonder if it was related to why Flat Iron was so delayed in opening this year.
Correct. Unless you are able to ski double black terrain, you would ride the gondola to the Park City (Miners Camp) terminal. If you are riding towards Canyons, it is best to unload at the mid station because it is mostly flat at the colony station.
Silverlode opens earlier. I’ve seen it open as early as late November before. Typically opens early December after they’ve made enough snow on the trails.
Are there runs on both sides of the mid station? If so, is there a path between the two sides of the mid station so you can access the terrain on either side?
There’s also the pinecone ridge terrain going into the park city side. However, since it’s south facing, conditions can be variable, and it requires a decent snow depth to be worthwhile. In the right conditions Limelite/Lite’s out can be great. You can walk around the angle station and access the runs on either side.
Does this gondola run in the summer?
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No. Unlikely it ever will due to the remote locations of all three stations.
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If you wish to see this area in the summer, the “mid mountain trail” crosses the line of Quicksilver fairly close to the mid-station. That trail is used by both mountain bikers and hikers — pretty busy on weekends.
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Did you take these pictures when the gondolas were getting off/on their parking rail? The view from king con looks like they are putting the last of the cabins on the haul rope.
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Some of them were taken a day after a big storm, the first time cabins were ever taken off. It took Park City the entire day to relaunch them. So I had to go back another day for the rest of the photos.
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Is there a reason for which this gondola uses Europe-style stations and tower on the Park City side, and American-style stations and tower on the Canyons side?
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Line gauge is wider on the Park City section because of the big span.
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For those curious, the mid-station is an Agamatic design, an Italian lift manufacturer which Doppelmayr acquire before merging with Garaventa.
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Anybody have any idea why Vail Resorts didn’t put up a covered cabin parking facility? The gondola was pretty expensive, and you would think Vail Resorts would want to protect the cabins from the elements. They did the same thing with the Breck Connect Gondola, only a small maintenance garage, and the cabins are very worn and sometimes full of snow in the morning after a storm
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does anyone know
how long the gondola is?
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A gondola evacuation over thaynes canyon looks fun…. Really fun…. Is there a special evacuation procedure for thaynes canyon or do they straight up lower you down by rope?
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Yet Sugarbush still says they can’t run Slide Brook because there is “not enough snow for evacuation”. They literally admit that it is their policy.
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Get a razor with chains on it that will do the trick.
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I don’t know if this is accurate, but I’m guessing most people riding towards the Canyons side tend to unload at the midstation to get some extra skiing on Blaise’s Way and Golden Spruce to get down to Dreamcatcher, rather than unload at the Colony terminal, While everyone headed towards Park City gets on at the Colony terminal since that’s the only point accessible from Iron Mountain or Flat Iron.
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Fewer people unload at the midstation than you might think. When riding over from PCMR, I usually unload and ski down from there. I’ve had people surprised that I’m unloading there before; I just don’t think people realize it’s an option. They could add signage explaining this if they wanted. They closed the off ramp trail from the midstation, I’m not entirely sure why. I wonder if it was related to why Flat Iron was so delayed in opening this year.
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I think PCMR should put up the signage, since there are alternative routes to Dreamcatcher that are really only accessible from the midstation.
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Correct. Unless you are able to ski double black terrain, you would ride the gondola to the Park City (Miners Camp) terminal. If you are riding towards Canyons, it is best to unload at the mid station because it is mostly flat at the colony station.
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Does the gondola run from the start of the season, or is it a delayed opening?
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The Quicksilver Gondola typically opens mid to late December.
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Thank you! Does Silverlode open at the same time, or generally earlier?
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Silverlode opens earlier. I’ve seen it open as early as late November before. Typically opens early December after they’ve made enough snow on the trails.
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Are there runs on both sides of the mid station? If so, is there a path between the two sides of the mid station so you can access the terrain on either side?
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There’s The Highway and Blaise’s Way, both of which take you to Dreamcatcher before ending at the base of Iron Mountain.
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There’s also the pinecone ridge terrain going into the park city side. However, since it’s south facing, conditions can be variable, and it requires a decent snow depth to be worthwhile. In the right conditions Limelite/Lite’s out can be great. You can walk around the angle station and access the runs on either side.
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