72 thoughts on “Snowmass, CO

  1. maxwellthesnowsurfer's avatar Maxwell Uguccioni May 14, 2019 / 4:21 pm

    Why can’t Dopplemayr lifts run at 1100 fpm?

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      • Mishers's avatar Mishers January 14, 2025 / 4:32 pm

        There used to be a dopp platter on buttermilk.

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    • Kaden K (nedakalTNT)'s avatar Kaden K (nedakalTNT) August 12, 2019 / 7:52 am

      Wrong place, but there are dopps that can run at 1100. Timberline at Copper Mountain is an example, although it doesn’t go that fast very much anymore.

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      • Myles Svec's avatar powderforever45 September 25, 2019 / 5:46 pm

        Also Summit Express at Keystone

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        • Myles Svec's avatar powderforever45 October 3, 2019 / 8:40 pm

          To add on to the list Gem Lake Express at Big White.

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      • Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif September 25, 2019 / 7:42 pm

        I bet many of Snowmass’s HSQs run at 1,100 fpm due to their long distances. (Sheer Bliss is a mid-mountain lift, and it covers a distance almost as long as Keystone’s Summit Express. Two Creeks is longer than almost any other high speed quad in the state except for, I think, Sunshine at Telluride)

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        • Myles Svec's avatar powderforever45 September 25, 2019 / 8:38 pm

          Sheer Bliss is rated for 1200

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        • AO's avatar AO January 17, 2023 / 3:00 pm

          None of Snowmass’ HS lifts normally run at 1100 fps. Most are rated for 1000, but run between 850-950 fps

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    • Mishers's avatar Mishers December 14, 2025 / 12:11 pm

      It be better asking this question at Big Sky. Last time I have been here, the poma quads have been not running at full speed.

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  2. Myles Svec's avatar powderforever45 October 1, 2019 / 8:06 pm

    Why is Sheer Blisses design speed so fast? Lengh?

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    • Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif October 1, 2019 / 11:49 pm

      Sheer Bliss covers a distance that’s akin to that of the Beaver Run SuperChair, as in more than 9,000 feet.

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    • AO's avatar AO January 17, 2023 / 2:51 pm

      Full speed on Sheer Bliss is 1,000 fpm

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      • ShangRei Garrett's avatar ShangRei Garrett January 17, 2023 / 4:20 pm

        1000 is probably the max speed they run it at, but I definitely trust the spreadsheet, which says that it is capable of 1200 should they want/need it to run that fast

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        • AO's avatar AO January 17, 2023 / 5:52 pm

          It’s on the internet, so it must be true! I’ll grab a sharpie and correct the data sheet in my maintenance manual for that lift tomorrow…

          Question I have is: where did Peter get the 1200 fpm figure?

          Liked by 3 people

        • Peter Landsman's avatar Peter Landsman January 17, 2023 / 6:19 pm

          From the manufacturer at the time of construction. They sometimes make mistakes reporting and lifts sometimes get modified over time.

          Liked by 4 people

        • AO's avatar AO January 17, 2023 / 7:15 pm

          Interesting! I’m pretty sure my data sheet is the original as-built; maybe you got an early design parameter that didn’t pan out. I can say with the lift speed potentiometer turned all the way up we see speed peak at about 1025 and then settle at 1000. Thanks for answering, Peter.

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        • ShangRei Garrett's avatar ShangRei Garrett January 17, 2023 / 7:27 pm

          AO, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you worked at Snowmass

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        • AO's avatar AO January 17, 2023 / 7:39 pm

          No worries, I really hadn’t been clear about that

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        • Waltysalamander's avatar Waltysalamander January 1, 2024 / 4:04 pm

          I watch your youtube videos.

          Liked by 1 person

  3. Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif December 30, 2019 / 10:21 am

    Snowmass must really pride itself on having ultra-long detachables, as the only one on the mountain that’s shorter than 5,000 feet is Sam’s Knob at 3,970 feet. The second shortest is Coney Glade (5,056), then High Alpine (5,256), Alpine Springs (7,200), Elk Camp (7,605), Big Burn (7,910), Sheer Bliss (9,242), Two Creeks (9,835) and the Village Express (10,074). The only places in Colorado that could rival Snowmass in having a detachable lift fleet made almost entirely of lifts that are at least a mile long are Breck (where the only detachable shorter than a mile in length is Imperial) and Beaver Creek (where the shortest high speed quad is 4,600 feet long).

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  4. Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif November 10, 2020 / 12:50 pm

    The Village Express’s missing stats are 34 towers and 169 chairs.

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  5. Alex's avatar Alex December 27, 2020 / 9:41 pm

    Now that the Big Burn HSS has been installed I wonder what is next for Snowmass. Feels like they will need to replace Coney Glade in next few years – likely with a low capacity HSQ (1200 PPH). Long range plan is to eventually install a very long HSQ on Burnt Mountain. Personally I would like to see them reinstall Naked Lady as a low capacity HSQ to complement Alpine Springs.

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    • Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif December 27, 2020 / 10:31 pm

      I wonder if Burnt Mountain getting a HSQ will necessitate a capacity upgrade for Two Creeks.

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      • Myles Svec's avatar Myles Svec December 28, 2020 / 9:03 am

        What would be the lift line of the Burnt mountain HSQ?

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      • pbropetech's avatar pbropetech December 10, 2021 / 11:37 pm

        Maybe, but I kinda doubt it. Two Creeks isn’t a major access point; most folks go through the village via the Elk Camp Gondola.

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    • Myles Svec's avatar Myles Svec March 13, 2021 / 11:22 am

      Also just wanted to note that before the Burnt mountain HSQ goes in there will be a fixed grip lift called Naked Man that will go from Bull Run to the summit of burnt mountain until the HSQ is installed. It will service the trail pod for the HSQ which will be cut before the HSQ goes in. It will have a vertical rise of 235 feet and a capacity of 1,200. It could either be a surface lift on the same alignment with a vertical rise of 235 feet and a capacity of 500.

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    • skitheeast's avatar skitheeast March 13, 2021 / 11:44 am

      I am hoping they replace Campground with a detachable quad going up to Sam’s like the original alignment. However, I do not think there are plans for that.

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      • Myles Svec's avatar Myles Svec December 11, 2021 / 9:51 am

        Not enough space for a top terminal up there.

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  6. Myles Svec's avatar Myles Svec March 14, 2021 / 12:39 pm

    By Two Creeks on East Branch there is another platter. It is for real estate use so I’m not sure if Peter would take pictures of it.

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  7. OIRNOIR's avatar oirnoir November 4, 2021 / 1:51 pm

    Hey, I found the missing tower counts just by looking at the existing photos.
    (I had to zoom in really far for the Elk Camp chairlift so that one might be incorrect)

    Cirque – 14
    Coney Glade – 17
    Elk Camp – 25
    Elk Camp Gondola – 33
    High Alpine – 15
    Sky Cab – 7

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  8. Bluebirdbluesky's avatar Bluebirdbluesky March 23, 2022 / 7:15 pm

    Just spent a few days skiing here. Amazing mountain with a really impressive lift fleet! Some impressions:

    – Elk Camp and Alpine Springs could stand capacity upgrades. They seem to be the only lifts that generate lines regularly. Given the varied ability levels utilizing these lifts, and their age, HSS replacements with wider spacing seems appropriate.

    – Coney Glade, though very old, seems redundant and not a replacement priority. Perhaps in an adjusted alignment, but as currently built I found no real reason to use it.

    – High Alpine and Big Burn are a couple of beautiful new LPA machines, really nicely engineered and very comfortable rides. Noticed the new safety bar model removes the rear bar (that lift attendants could use to lower the restraint bar for kids if they wanted to). Anyone know the reasoning behind this evolved model?

    – Any conceivable way to speed up the lift line at Cirque? Between wind exposure and the unique properties of this lift, there may be no reasonable options, but the long and slow moving queue is a real turnoff when there is so much easily accessible terrain elsewhere.

    – 3:30pm closing time at some key lifts including Alpine Springs (often necessary for east-west and west-east late day transit), Sheer Bliss, Sam’s, and High Alpine seems a little aggressive in late March afternoon daylight. Would like to see at least an extra 15 minutes to wrap the day up and get back to base.

    What a great mountain.

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    • Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif March 23, 2022 / 8:12 pm

      I wouldn’t consider Coney Glade redundant considering that it laps the terrain park and provides intermediates a way to transit west from Alpine Springs / Big Burn / Sheer Bliss to Sam’s Knob without going down to the Village Express.

      Elk Camp could definitely use more chairs at minimum, although a capacity upgrade wouldn’t be out of the question.

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      • Bluebirdbluesky's avatar Bluebirdbluesky March 24, 2022 / 9:16 am

        I guess I shouldn’t say Coney Glade is 100% redundant, rather my point was that upgrades to Alpine Springs and Elk Camp should be higher priority than replacing Coney Glade. The lower portion of Village Express decently serves the terrain parks and transit needs, even if Coney is a little more convenient.

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        • Bluebirdbluesky's avatar Bluebirdbluesky March 24, 2022 / 9:33 am

          And any conceivable expansions to Burnt Mountain should also be priority.

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    • pbropetech's avatar pbropetech March 23, 2022 / 9:28 pm

      I’ll speak directly to your comment about the comfort bar (it does not restrain anything). The current LPA design eliminates the counterweight they used to have in favour of springs that make raising the bar easier. While I did not see any maintenance-related failures of the older design, the new one is definitely more user-friendly and I’ll support it in that regard. It’s not any more difficult for the lifties to lower the bar on kids, I’ve seen them do it (and they usually do so with a flourish as they would have with the older style).

      As for the Cirque- you’ve neatly explained why they can’t speed up the queue. Since I can’t turn off my inner lift mechanic even when skiing other areas, I thought about this the last time I was there and I don’t see anything else they could do.

      I agree that Snowmass is a great mountain. I deal with the three-hour drive from my place (only an hour in the summer, but whatever) to ski there.

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    • skitheeast's avatar skitheeast March 24, 2022 / 11:14 am

      I agree that Coney Glade is pretty useless in its existing alignment. I think lowering the bottom terminal downhill to where Banzai and Dawdler intersect to allow that whole lower pod to be lapped is a good idea.

      Donald: Intermediates are not the main demographic at Sam’s Knob, as it is mostly an advanced pod. However, if they want to go over without going all the way down, they can access Lunchline from the top of Sheer Bliss/Big Burn and avoid both the bottom and Coney Glade.

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      • awconrad's avatar awconrad March 24, 2022 / 5:16 pm

        Would replacing both Sam’s Knob and Campground with one lift be feasible? It seems like that area is all one big pod, and if there’s only room for two detachables on top of Sam’s Knob that seems like it would work?

        I haven’t been to Snowmass so idk what makes the most sense, just playing armchair architect

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        • vons3's avatar vons3 March 24, 2022 / 5:45 pm

          I think this area is split because the low elevation of the campground base area causing snow coverage issues and Sams being a pretty solid pod on its own.

          Liked by 1 person

        • JV617's avatar JV617 December 5, 2022 / 1:05 pm

          The mid-station of Village Express is unload only. The current setup takes pressure off the Village Express by allowing skiers to transit from Big Burn to the top of Sam’s Knob (lunchline to the Sam’s Knob lift) or simply lap that terrain without having to ski all the way to the bottom of Village Express.

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  9. Nolan's avatar Nolan January 5, 2024 / 8:40 am

    I believe every detach lift at Snowmass except Big Burn, High Alpine, and Alpine Springs has a new black paint scheme on the terminals to match the new Hero’s lift at Ajax.

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    • AO's avatar AO January 5, 2024 / 5:47 pm

      Terminals have been getting painted over the past three summers. I’d say Hero’s is factory dark grey to match the recent (three years ago) rebrand.

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  10. Mishers's avatar Mishers May 3, 2024 / 3:50 pm

    What happened to coney glade?

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  11. Quiksilver The Fox's avatar chairliftworld October 26, 2024 / 7:46 pm

    If anyone’s wondering what happened to the Funnel double chair, it was sold to a town in Pakistan, where it operates as a scenic chairlift. It’s currently Pakistan’s longest chairlift. It’s operating as an up-and-over lift

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  12. Coloradoskilifts's avatar Coloradoskilifts November 5, 2024 / 4:39 pm

    So cool to see the new Coney Express Operating! Hope you get good pictures!

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  13. AO's avatar AO November 5, 2024 / 8:50 pm

    To fill out the spreadsheet, Coney Express has 119 chairs, 28 towers, top drive, dual tension. Fun fact: hold-down tower 7 sheave assemblies are canted about 7 degrees to provide about a 1 degree turn. This design element was the primary reason for the “comfort chair” specification.

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  14. skibum's avatar skibum January 13, 2025 / 3:17 pm

    Does anyone know why the Wood Run lift was removed? Seems as though the direct access from the base to the Alpine Springs pod would have been something worth preserving.

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    • AO's avatar AO January 13, 2025 / 3:51 pm

      When it was removed in 2005, it was a 32 year old Riblet that almost exclusively served the Wood Road homeowners. Snowmass was going through major changes at that time with the development of Base Village. The VX and SkyCab went in in 2005, and the Elk Camp Gondola went in the following year. Many of the operational facilities had to move from the old Fanny Hill base to other areas on the mountain. The vehicle maintenance facility and snowcat ops moved to the top of Two Creeks (you can see it off to the right as you get off the lift, or from the gondola as you fly by), and the boneyard/year-round outdoor storage for most departments moved to the area where the Wood Run unload terminal was.

      Today, you can access Alpine Springs with one lift ride from any point on the mountain except from the Campground pod.

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      • skibum's avatar skibum January 13, 2025 / 4:17 pm

        Thanks for the reply. Looking at old Google Earth images, it appears as though the bottom terminal was about where One Snowmass is now.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Mishers's avatar Mishers January 13, 2025 / 6:04 pm

      What happened to wood run? most other lifts removed were sold.

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  15. Mishers's avatar Mishers January 21, 2025 / 3:23 pm

    Possible lift numbers:

    1 Sky cab

    2 Coney Express

    3 Sams Knob

    4 Big Burn

    5 Campground

    6 Assay Hill

    7 Elk Camp Gondola

    8 Alpine Springs

    9 Sheer Bliss

    10 Elk Camp

    11 Scooper

    12 High Alpine

    13 Treehouse carpet

    14 Burlingame carpet

    15 Meadows

    16 Two Creeks

    17 Meadows carpet

    18 Village Express

    19 Cirque

    20 Bear Bottom /Tubing Carpet

    Bonus:

    21Pines upper

    22 Pines lower

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    • AO's avatar AO January 21, 2025 / 3:35 pm

      close. CX is 19, Meadows is 14, cirque is 0 (or 28, but we call it 0), and we don’t use numbers for carpets, scooper, or pines platters. Also, the Burlingame carpet has been moved to assay hill, extended, covered, and now called assay carpet

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    • AO's avatar AO February 18, 2025 / 12:14 pm

      Here are all the correct lift numbers – number that we call them and their CPTSB numbers, all of which are different. We call them by their historic/original numbers, even though they have all been replaced and some have been renamed/realigned from the original lift. CPTSB gives each new install a new designator

      Lift # – CPTSB # – Name

      0 – SM-028 – Cirque (to be replaced summer 2025 and will get a new CPTSB#)

      01 – SM-035 – Sky Cab

      03 – SM-023 – Sam’s Knob

      04 – SM-047 – Big Burn

      05 – SM-034 – Campground

      06 – SM-040 – Assay Hill Quad

      07 – SM-039 – Elk Camp Gondola

      08 – SM-024 – Alpine Springs

      09 – SM-044 – Sheer Bliss

      10 – SM-026 – Elk Camp Chair (to be replaced summer 2025 and will get a new CPTSB#)

      12 – SM-046 – High Alpine

      14 – SM-041 – Meadows 

      16 – SM-027 – Two Creeks

      18 – SM-036 – Village Express

      19 – SM-048 – Coney Glade  

      33 – SM-033 – Scooper 

      S3 – SM-038 – Assay Hill Carpet (formerly Burlingame)

      S4 – SM-042 – Base Village East / Treehouse Carpet

      S5 – SM-043 – Meadows South #5 Carpet

      S6 – SM-045 – Bear Bottom Carpet

      SLNW – SL-001 – Lower Pines Platter

      SLSE – SL-002 – Upper Pines Platter

      SLEL – SL-003 – Pines Elevator

      Liked by 1 person

      • Mishers's avatar Mishers February 18, 2025 / 7:01 pm

        Thanks for the real list! I did a similar lift on the other 3 mountains also. And what is the Pines Elevator?

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        • AO's avatar AO February 18, 2025 / 8:32 pm

          The Pines incline elevator goes from a point at the top of the upper Pines platter to a yet higher point that provides access to the 13 or so houses on Spruce Ridge Ln. You can see it in the background of one of Peter’s upper Pines platter photos. The Tom Blake Trail passes under it, so it’s pretty easy to check it out in the summer.

          An inclined elevator is much like a funicular, except it has only one car and track. The Shadow Mountain Condos, adjacent to lift 1A, also has a small incline elevator hidden on the west side of the property.

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  16. AO's avatar AO December 9, 2025 / 8:33 am

    @Peter, the new Elk Camp 6 is top drive, bottom tension, with 22 towers and 123 chairs

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