The Red chair is one of two base-to-summit lifts at Magic and opened in 1971.The drive-tension station is inside a historic-looking building.Vault drive unit.Lower station overview.View up from the base area.Towers 1 and 2.The upper part of the line.Middle of the line.View up from tower 3.Middle section of the line.Lower lift line.View down the lift line near the summit.Hold down tower.Top bullwheel.View from the summit.The final tower and return.Upper part of the line.
Red is an iconic lift at Magic, but I cannot help but wonder how many years it really has left. Magic will likely run it until it literally cannot spin anymore like they did with Black 1.0, but will that be another 5 years? 10 maybe? Hopefully, Stratton has either Solstice or South American for Magic at that point.
Well, maybe it will spin for longer than that, like Upper Snowdon/Swirl Poma at Killington, as that one is STILL spinning in its original condition (and new location), and Pomalift, Inc installed that in 1958!
I think they’ll run Red until it becomes too much of a hassle due to frequent breakdowns (like the last 5-10 years of black) or is declared a safety hazard in some other way (like the original castlerock chair). I’d say it has 10-15 years.
While the Poma is a different type of lift and receives plenty of love from Killington, Red will stick around. The mountain won’t need more capacity once Black Line is done, and I doubt they would remove it without a good reason, given that virtually everything Magic Corporate says or does concerning that lift is focused on giving it a long and prosperous life. As for its reliability, the recent breakdown is the only one I can think of in recent history. It’s generally a pretty reliable lift, and there’s plenty of spare parts out there (Unlike Black 1.0).
Red’s set to receive some pretty good upgrades, new primary motor, new haul rope and new summit bullwheel bearings all going in this summer. Also some stuff concerning a delay in the Black lift but I’m not shocked https://mailchi.mp/magicmtn/already-working-on-1718-ski-season-2691938
My personal favorite in terms of lifts at Southern VT. Love to see a mountain taking pride in it’s old lifts
LikeLike
Is this is the lift from the Bernie Sanders meme?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Red is an iconic lift at Magic, but I cannot help but wonder how many years it really has left. Magic will likely run it until it literally cannot spin anymore like they did with Black 1.0, but will that be another 5 years? 10 maybe? Hopefully, Stratton has either Solstice or South American for Magic at that point.
LikeLike
Well, maybe it will spin for longer than that, like Upper Snowdon/Swirl Poma at Killington, as that one is STILL spinning in its original condition (and new location), and Pomalift, Inc installed that in 1958!
LikeLike
I think they’ll run Red until it becomes too much of a hassle due to frequent breakdowns (like the last 5-10 years of black) or is declared a safety hazard in some other way (like the original castlerock chair). I’d say it has 10-15 years.
LikeLike
While the Poma is a different type of lift and receives plenty of love from Killington, Red will stick around. The mountain won’t need more capacity once Black Line is done, and I doubt they would remove it without a good reason, given that virtually everything Magic Corporate says or does concerning that lift is focused on giving it a long and prosperous life. As for its reliability, the recent breakdown is the only one I can think of in recent history. It’s generally a pretty reliable lift, and there’s plenty of spare parts out there (Unlike Black 1.0).
LikeLike
Red’s set to receive some pretty good upgrades, new primary motor, new haul rope and new summit bullwheel bearings all going in this summer. Also some stuff concerning a delay in the Black lift but I’m not shocked
https://mailchi.mp/magicmtn/already-working-on-1718-ski-season-2691938
LikeLike