Leitner-Poma built four different lifts on Spruce Peak as part of its renewal between 2004 and 2006.Looking up at tower 2.The lower terminal and tower 1.Outside pedestal controls.90 degree loading.The lift line.Steep section.View down the lower part of the line.A depress assembly.Middle part of the lift.Another section of the line.The top/return terminal.View down from the summit.Breakover towers.The top station turnaround.Lift line seen from Toll House.
The lift this replaced, Big Spruce, ran in a slightly different alignment up Main Street to the true Spruce Peak. The wind was cited as the reason for the change, although there is some suspicion that Stowe wanted to stop skiers from leaving and heading along Long Trail over to Smuggs.
Technically yes. Long Trail is still around, as it is maintained by the Green Mountain Club, but it now requires a bit more of a hike/traverse to reach it from the top terminal of Sensation. It goes right by Sterling Pond and ends up right at the top of Sterling at Smuggs. It is a bit harder to return to Stowe, as it is more uphill.
The connection wasn’t successful due to an “uphill” return. But instead due to what the return crossed. Check out this map from 1997: https://skimap.org/data/212/7/1244236134.jpg
Snuffy’s was the trail to Smuggs. It more or less followed the Long Trail until it diverged left to access Smuggs. This was wide enough for a cat and occasionally had a pass by one. The trail back required traversing Sterling Pond, one of the most fragile alpine ponds in the state. Not only was it needed for the pond to freeze, but VT prohibited snow cats to cross. Thereafter it went down the creek bed draining Sterling Pond a bit before bearing to the right back to Spruce Peak. That creek also had to be frozen over to ski. Eventually it emptied out at the second right hand bend following the top esses on Sterling Trail. I forget the name of the return trail and it’s cropped from the posted map.
it’s a light alarm, not a button. It was tied into the smoke alarm system in the lift so that the operator would see it from outside at the loading point. In 2022 the podiums where cleaned up and painted resulting in the removal of the fire alarm light as it no longer functioned.
Lift Blog 
Sensation has 112 chairs on it.
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The lift this replaced, Big Spruce, ran in a slightly different alignment up Main Street to the true Spruce Peak. The wind was cited as the reason for the change, although there is some suspicion that Stowe wanted to stop skiers from leaving and heading along Long Trail over to Smuggs.
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Is that connection still open? I just read a Steve Cohen blurb from the 90s about it.
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Technically yes. Long Trail is still around, as it is maintained by the Green Mountain Club, but it now requires a bit more of a hike/traverse to reach it from the top terminal of Sensation. It goes right by Sterling Pond and ends up right at the top of Sterling at Smuggs. It is a bit harder to return to Stowe, as it is more uphill.
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The connection wasn’t successful due to an “uphill” return. But instead due to what the return crossed. Check out this map from 1997: https://skimap.org/data/212/7/1244236134.jpg
Snuffy’s was the trail to Smuggs. It more or less followed the Long Trail until it diverged left to access Smuggs. This was wide enough for a cat and occasionally had a pass by one. The trail back required traversing Sterling Pond, one of the most fragile alpine ponds in the state. Not only was it needed for the pond to freeze, but VT prohibited snow cats to cross. Thereafter it went down the creek bed draining Sterling Pond a bit before bearing to the right back to Spruce Peak. That creek also had to be frozen over to ski. Eventually it emptied out at the second right hand bend following the top esses on Sterling Trail. I forget the name of the return trail and it’s cropped from the posted map.
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This is by far my favorite lift in Vermont.
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This lift has mechanical problems quite often.
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This lift has ski racer problems quite often
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On the control panel there is an orange button that says fire—–. can someone tell me what that does.
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it’s a light alarm, not a button. It was tied into the smoke alarm system in the lift so that the operator would see it from outside at the loading point. In 2022 the podiums where cleaned up and painted resulting in the removal of the fire alarm light as it no longer functioned.
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