Ramcharger 8 is the third lift to travel in the important alignment from Big Sky’s Mountain Village to the summit of Andesite Mountain.The rear end of the bottom terminal has a large digital display.View up the lift line at tower 6.Tower 6.Towers 1 and 2 at the bottom terminal.Another look down the line.T7.Another view of tower 7.Tower 9.Inside the return station.Bottom bullwheel with hydraulic tensioning.The other side of the bottom bullwheel.View down the first pitch of the lift.Unloading area up top with the parking tunnel.Chair parking rails.The drive bullwheel and evac drive.D-Line grip and chair charging rails.Doppelmayr Direct Drive.Outside operator controls.Breakover towers near the summit.Eight place chair with bubble.Another view of the bottom terminal.Looking down at tower 7.Top terminal end.Tower 10Chairs with a view of Lone Peak.Drive station overview.Another look at tower 7.Side view of the top station.T12.Downhill end of the top terminal.Tower 13.Overview of the lift line.The bottom terminal with chairs parked inside.An empty line.Parked chairs in the turnaround.Side view of the D-Line station.Upper part of the line.Lower station overview.Tower 13 and the upper terminal.Inside of a chair.T4.Riding up the line.Breakover towers.Giant 501 sheaves.
Peter, do you know what the different Doppelmayr sheave sizes are? I’ve only ever taken note of the usual size found on most lifts built in North America in the last 30+ years, and the slightly larger sheaves on Powder Seeker’s larger towers.
For years Doppelmayr’s standard sheave was a 400mm. On bigger lifts lately, they’ve adopted a 500mm for bigger rope diameters (gondolas mostly, but probably this one as well). Terminal sheaves used to be a mix of 500s for PTO and 740mm monsters for deflection but they seem to have gone to just 500s in all terminal applications now.
From frequent checks of the webcam, I’m noticing that it’s difficult to find a time when this lift isn’t running. Between normal day operations, first tracks, Everett’s 8800, headlamp night skiing, summer operations, and there’s probably something I’m missing, this lift has to be getting almost as many hours as the Whistler Village Gondola. Once full night skiing is implemented, it will be running even more hours. Speaking of that I’m wondering when night skiing is scheduled to be implemented (with trail lights rather than headlamp tours).
That’s a great question. I really hope night skiing happens soon. I know it keeps getting pushed back because all the new lifts being built but it is in the 2025 plan.
Fun fact is that there actually used to be night skiing at Big Sky awhile back. There are still lights left on Bear Back’s towers. Hopefully, they can put lights on Ambush, although I feel like that would be too commercial for a mountain in Montana.
Does Anyone Know On Ramcharger 8 How Much Hi Wind It Can Operate In. There Seems To Be Alot Of People On The East Coast Who Don’t Think Ramcharger 8 Would Be Able To Operate In. But If You Look Ar A Reg Open 6 Pack VS Ramcharger Bubble Lift It Seems To Be A No Brainer.
All things considered if there were people leaving the bubbles open during high winds the amount of drag produced would be pretty insane. Though I suppose most people would put the bubbles down in the wind anyway just from a comfort standpoint, and the operators could follow special procedures to require the bubbles be put down in particular wind conditions. I’d say a bubble chair is probably less capable in the wind than a regular seat even with the bubble down, especially if they’re equipped with the slatted seats for additional wind resistance. Heavier chairs can help but aerodynamics are pretty key for that too. At the end of they day, I’d probably go with a slatted seat lift as opposed to a bubble if I’m going for wind resistance, even if it comes at the compromise of some comfort for riders.
I was very impressed with the lift not shutting down in high wind last year. Maybe one or two time. The old ramcharger would shut down 10-20 time in a year because of wind.
Skied Big Sky sunday the carrier building at the top is still not finished. Big sky did install some mesh wraps printed with a ram this season mostlikly to keep the shrink wrap from tearing in the wind like it did last year but otherwise still no real skin on the building.
Based on the live feeds, this lift also runs at night for night skiing (well, Big Sky’s version of night skiing which is “pay a bunch of money to ski with a guide using headlamps”)
Compared to the Agamatic series, the length of the springs have decreased while the springs have gotten larger horizontally. There is a slack point in the grip which allows for the double position. Really cool that Doppelmayr has achieve double position with coil spring grips.
The grip is the D-Line D5000 grip, the larger of the two D-Line grips. The other is the D3000. I presume that stands for the grip pressure in Kilograms.
I wrote somewhere else that it was merely a dual-position A grip. Now you’ve said this I’ll have to go back and clarify:) As for the numbering, could be. Doppelmayr always numbered their grips off the most common application- 104 for quads, 106 for sixes, et cetera, so this is new.
It’s a synchronous motor that spins at the same RPM as the bull wheel (approximately 13.5rpm at full speed), not an induction or DC motor. The motor and bull wheel are directly coupled.
As far as I know they do. We do have some large resistor banks in the drive vaults for both of ours but I don’t think that’s the sole means of braking.
That makes sense, Rob. I vaguely recall the techs explaining that when we were building them. Something about the grid being able to absorb the regen load while the generator can’t?
Correct. The grid/utility can “absorb” that power and use it elsewhere. With nothing but a big generator connected, there’s nowhere for that power to go as it regens. So the brake choppers (and big resistors) dissipate the additional energy in the form of heat.
That’s exactly right, tolerances for warping are much lower on the entrance to the terminal than the rest of the line. Not sure the exact reason some lifts need it and others don’t, I think it has to do with how much sun exposure and temperature swings the tower is exposed to. Shedhorn also has these reflective panels on it’s breakover.
Just rode this lift for the first time this past weekend. It is legit. Pretty fast, comfortable, and just impressive equipment. The seat heaters were nice though, as said, they are not really noticeable on a warm day. I heard from the locals that its maiden season was filled with problems and issues. I personally saw it stopped because of one bubble refusing to open, which stopped the lift for a few minutes. They offloaded the offending carrier at the top. But overall pretty impressive. Everyone is excited about Swifty.
I agree. The bubbles on the flyer at copper rattle around a lot, and just generally don’t feel well integrated into lift. Doppelmayr’s are just more smooth and more comfortable from my experience.
I haven’t worked on a new Doppelmayr bubble, but I’m not sure where you get the ‘rattle’ on the Flyer bubbles. They’re well-designed and put together (in fact, I’ve had to break out the big wrench to take them apart sometimes). I haven’t seen anything undersized or substandard yet.
They are there to mimic the form of the R2 or glass box version of the terminal whilst maintaining the snow loading capacity of the old UNIG. Big Sky was the first to install a screen on the end as far as I’m aware.
Overhead on Ramcharger last week, “They sure don’t have one of these at Aspen!” if anyone is wondering where some of the new Big Sky skiers are coming from…
Lift Blog 
one question: are all sheaves (support and hold down) the same size?
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thanks for adding more pictures Peter!!
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Peter, do you know what the different Doppelmayr sheave sizes are? I’ve only ever taken note of the usual size found on most lifts built in North America in the last 30+ years, and the slightly larger sheaves on Powder Seeker’s larger towers.
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Sweetwater has three different sizes just on the towers. Not sure about the specific diameters.
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For years Doppelmayr’s standard sheave was a 400mm. On bigger lifts lately, they’ve adopted a 500mm for bigger rope diameters (gondolas mostly, but probably this one as well). Terminal sheaves used to be a mix of 500s for PTO and 740mm monsters for deflection but they seem to have gone to just 500s in all terminal applications now.
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From frequent checks of the webcam, I’m noticing that it’s difficult to find a time when this lift isn’t running. Between normal day operations, first tracks, Everett’s 8800, headlamp night skiing, summer operations, and there’s probably something I’m missing, this lift has to be getting almost as many hours as the Whistler Village Gondola. Once full night skiing is implemented, it will be running even more hours. Speaking of that I’m wondering when night skiing is scheduled to be implemented (with trail lights rather than headlamp tours).
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That’s a great question. I really hope night skiing happens soon. I know it keeps getting pushed back because all the new lifts being built but it is in the 2025 plan.
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Fun fact is that there actually used to be night skiing at Big Sky awhile back. There are still lights left on Bear Back’s towers. Hopefully, they can put lights on Ambush, although I feel like that would be too commercial for a mountain in Montana.
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https://youtu.be/D8XV6ElGMPE I have the first full length recording on the internet I believe.
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Did you ask to go inside the terminal’s?
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No, he wore a black wool ski mask and snuck up into them. :)
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Does Anyone Know On Ramcharger 8 How Much Hi Wind It Can Operate In. There Seems To Be Alot Of People On The East Coast Who Don’t Think Ramcharger 8 Would Be Able To Operate In. But If You Look Ar A Reg Open 6 Pack VS Ramcharger Bubble Lift It Seems To Be A No Brainer.
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The bubbles probably cause the chairs to swing more, but the chairs are probably heavier. I doubt it can operate in too high wind, but decent.
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All things considered if there were people leaving the bubbles open during high winds the amount of drag produced would be pretty insane. Though I suppose most people would put the bubbles down in the wind anyway just from a comfort standpoint, and the operators could follow special procedures to require the bubbles be put down in particular wind conditions. I’d say a bubble chair is probably less capable in the wind than a regular seat even with the bubble down, especially if they’re equipped with the slatted seats for additional wind resistance. Heavier chairs can help but aerodynamics are pretty key for that too. At the end of they day, I’d probably go with a slatted seat lift as opposed to a bubble if I’m going for wind resistance, even if it comes at the compromise of some comfort for riders.
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I was very impressed with the lift not shutting down in high wind last year. Maybe one or two time. The old ramcharger would shut down 10-20 time in a year because of wind.
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I wonder if the one who raves will come back when Swift Current 6 is in place.
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I believe they can resist winds up to 60 to 70 mph
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Skied Big Sky sunday the carrier building at the top is still not finished. Big sky did install some mesh wraps printed with a ram this season mostlikly to keep the shrink wrap from tearing in the wind like it did last year but otherwise still no real skin on the building.
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Based on the live feeds, this lift also runs at night for night skiing (well, Big Sky’s version of night skiing which is “pay a bunch of money to ski with a guide using headlamps”)
Live feed of base of this lift: https://youtu.be/YImAkvMlu8E
Live feed of Everett summit with last part of lift line: https://youtu.be/mPy_tLqoVrc
Live feed of snow stake with top terminal in background: https://youtu.be/5ATYt867bE8
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What model of grips on this lift? Is it a special model for D-Line? Looks like a separate model.
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D-Line introduced new grips that are separate from the DT and Agamatic series.
They are a double position grip like the DTs, but as you can tell there are some elements of the A-series grips in there too.
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Compared to the Agamatic series, the length of the springs have decreased while the springs have gotten larger horizontally. There is a slack point in the grip which allows for the double position. Really cool that Doppelmayr has achieve double position with coil spring grips.
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The grip is the D-Line D5000 grip, the larger of the two D-Line grips. The other is the D3000. I presume that stands for the grip pressure in Kilograms.
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Thanks for clarifying that for me!
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I wrote somewhere else that it was merely a dual-position A grip. Now you’ve said this I’ll have to go back and clarify:) As for the numbering, could be. Doppelmayr always numbered their grips off the most common application- 104 for quads, 106 for sixes, et cetera, so this is new.
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How does the direct drive work? It seems impossible without a gearbox.
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Works like a ceiling fan, on a much larger scale.
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It’s a synchronous motor that spins at the same RPM as the bull wheel (approximately 13.5rpm at full speed), not an induction or DC motor. The motor and bull wheel are directly coupled.
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Are there any lifts which make use of the direct drive for regenerative braking?
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hopefully there isnt enough stops to make it worthwhile :)
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As far as I know they do. We do have some large resistor banks in the drive vaults for both of ours but I don’t think that’s the sole means of braking.
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I think the resistor banks are for braking if you are running on a generator. The drives will regen to the utility supply if available.
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That makes sense, Rob. I vaguely recall the techs explaining that when we were building them. Something about the grid being able to absorb the regen load while the generator can’t?
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Correct. The grid/utility can “absorb” that power and use it elsewhere. With nothing but a big generator connected, there’s nowhere for that power to go as it regens. So the brake choppers (and big resistors) dissipate the additional energy in the form of heat.
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Do the heated seats on this lift work well? I have seen people say they don’t work too well. Do you guys think they could be shut off?
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They change power level based on temperature so on warmer days you don’t really feel them. That could be why.
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They turn the seat heaters off on the Orange Bubble lift at Canyons when it’s not needed, which is about all the time.
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On all lifts with heated seats I’ve seen the heating can be turned off, and usually is at warm enough temperatures.
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What are the chrome/ish style panels on the lower/mid portion of tower 13? Are they solely cosmetic or do they serve a purpose?
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those I believe protect the towers from warping due to the sun exposure and temperature changes.
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On Brooks Express at Stevens Pass, WA Peter describes them as “UV Guards” so sun protection makes sense.
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That’s exactly right, tolerances for warping are much lower on the entrance to the terminal than the rest of the line. Not sure the exact reason some lifts need it and others don’t, I think it has to do with how much sun exposure and temperature swings the tower is exposed to. Shedhorn also has these reflective panels on it’s breakover.
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I got to ride this lift. It’s like a modern roller-coaster amusement park ride. It’s so fancy.
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Just rode this lift for the first time this past weekend. It is legit. Pretty fast, comfortable, and just impressive equipment. The seat heaters were nice though, as said, they are not really noticeable on a warm day. I heard from the locals that its maiden season was filled with problems and issues. I personally saw it stopped because of one bubble refusing to open, which stopped the lift for a few minutes. They offloaded the offending carrier at the top. But overall pretty impressive. Everyone is excited about Swifty.
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Yeah its capicty per hour is great
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Why didn’t Big Sky do Swift Current first? Isn’t that lift plagued with issues and has been nice Big Sky 2025.
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these high speed eight chairs look like high speed nine chairs
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Ah yes, I love riding up 5 packs, 7 packs, and 9 packs.
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Why do I think that “ski man” user is Paul Wanders?
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I swear that guy is like the Voldemort of the lift nerd community XD
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I do wonder why those are not in use.
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Doppelmayr has better design bubble chairs than Leitner Poma
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I agree. The bubbles on the flyer at copper rattle around a lot, and just generally don’t feel well integrated into lift. Doppelmayr’s are just more smooth and more comfortable from my experience.
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I haven’t worked on a new Doppelmayr bubble, but I’m not sure where you get the ‘rattle’ on the Flyer bubbles. They’re well-designed and put together (in fact, I’ve had to break out the big wrench to take them apart sometimes). I haven’t seen anything undersized or substandard yet.
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Wish We Had These Lifts At Hunter Mountain. Wish We Had Protection From The Harsh East Coast Weather!
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Hi Paul! 🤪😉😂🤣
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Anyone have pictures of the chair barn all finished?
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I don’t have a picture but it looks basically the same as the Swift Current chair barn.
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/AMzdEajY2GXvwRJ56
Here are some shots from December I took, like Myles said its pretty similar to Swiftys barn.
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Thanks!!
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Does anyone know why D-Line terminals need that big square part on the end? Other than for the Jumbotron, obviously.
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They are there to mimic the form of the R2 or glass box version of the terminal whilst maintaining the snow loading capacity of the old UNIG. Big Sky was the first to install a screen on the end as far as I’m aware.
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Overhead on Ramcharger last week, “They sure don’t have one of these at Aspen!” if anyone is wondering where some of the new Big Sky skiers are coming from…
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