View of the base terminal from the top of Wizard.View down to the base and Wizard top station.Riding up.In the summer, Wizard and Solar have bubbles on every other chair. In winter, they all go on Wizard.View down the line in summer.When the Peak 2 Peak Gondola was built, the top of Wizard was moved downhill and a new tower 21 added.Top drive station after being moved.Another look down line.Old drive location before Peak 2 Peak.Three of the five drive terminal legs.Top terminal with drive.Winter line view with no bubble chairs.Bottom station.Because chairs change between Wizard and Solar Coaster each season, their parking rails are connected.View up the line from the base.
There’s a part of me that thinks that Solar Coaster should be resurrected as a high speed six pack starting next to Excelerator, ending at the top of Jersey Cream. This would make it so those coming out of Whistler Village would only have to take one lift to get to Rendezvous and Seventh Heaven after getting off Excalibur, rather than have to take Excelerator to Jersey Cream.
That’s a good idea for when the Whistler mountain has bad snow and Blackcomb mountain has good snow and everyone is going up Excalibur and Blackcomb Gondola and everyone loads onto Excelerator to go to Jersey Cream and Glacier. I would say a 3,200 pph 6 pack on your alignment would suffice.
Even pre the replacement of Wizard and Solar Coaster, that was a gap in the Blackcomb lift system.
This hypothetical lift would also supplement the proposed high speed quad in the master plan that would start at Base II near Excalibur’s midstation and the top of the Magic Chair, and end at the top of Gear Jammer, with guests then using Catskinner or this hypothetical Stoker Express to continue up to Rendezvous.
The proposed lift in the master plan actually ends at the bottom of Catskinner Express just wanted to point that out. Also I think if your hypothetical lift was built Jersey Cream would be replaced with a 3,200 pph 6 pack also.
I just thought of the same idea! I thought I would come on and post that, but then I noticed your comment. I personally think this would actually be a better alignment for the Fitzimmons 8 pack, if it would fit on that alignment. You could then use the Excelerator express lift for the Franz’s tbar replacement.
According to the article on Whistler Blackcomb’s website in 2018 regarding the new Blackcomb Gondola, Catskinner Express and Emerald Express six pack, apparently they tried to look for a way to keep Solar Coaster Express even with the new Blackcomb Gondola going in, but they couldn’t find an alignment for the Blackcomb Gondola that would work.
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Are you sure it was moved downhill and not uphill? It looks like it actually got moved upward so that it ended right by the end of Catskinner.
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Never mind.
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I really miss this lift, may she rest in peace.
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There’s a part of me that thinks that Solar Coaster should be resurrected as a high speed six pack starting next to Excelerator, ending at the top of Jersey Cream. This would make it so those coming out of Whistler Village would only have to take one lift to get to Rendezvous and Seventh Heaven after getting off Excalibur, rather than have to take Excelerator to Jersey Cream.
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That’s a good idea for when the Whistler mountain has bad snow and Blackcomb mountain has good snow and everyone is going up Excalibur and Blackcomb Gondola and everyone loads onto Excelerator to go to Jersey Cream and Glacier. I would say a 3,200 pph 6 pack on your alignment would suffice.
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Even pre the replacement of Wizard and Solar Coaster, that was a gap in the Blackcomb lift system.
This hypothetical lift would also supplement the proposed high speed quad in the master plan that would start at Base II near Excalibur’s midstation and the top of the Magic Chair, and end at the top of Gear Jammer, with guests then using Catskinner or this hypothetical Stoker Express to continue up to Rendezvous.
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The proposed lift in the master plan actually ends at the bottom of Catskinner Express just wanted to point that out. Also I think if your hypothetical lift was built Jersey Cream would be replaced with a 3,200 pph 6 pack also.
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I just thought of the same idea! I thought I would come on and post that, but then I noticed your comment. I personally think this would actually be a better alignment for the Fitzimmons 8 pack, if it would fit on that alignment. You could then use the Excelerator express lift for the Franz’s tbar replacement.
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I meant Fitzimmons Express. Excelerator should probably stay how it is.
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According to the article on Whistler Blackcomb’s website in 2018 regarding the new Blackcomb Gondola, Catskinner Express and Emerald Express six pack, apparently they tried to look for a way to keep Solar Coaster Express even with the new Blackcomb Gondola going in, but they couldn’t find an alignment for the Blackcomb Gondola that would work.
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Did they keep this lift and leave it in a pile, or did they demolish it and put it in a landfill?
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Anything that could be reused for parts was set aside and saved, the rest was sold off or sent to be recycled.
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Some of my favorite memories skiing came from these old CLD-260s. Miss the days of seventh, heaven solar coaster, and the wizard
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You still have Seventh Heaven
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Not for long…
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How do you “move” a lift downward or upward without completely destroying the terminal? Isn’t the terminal built into the ground?
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The terminal is connected to its foundations by screws, and you would just put a large truck under the lift and then move it.
This documentary shows the moving of the terminal (watch 8:09 to 10:14)
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Sometimes they had alternating bubbles in the winter.
https://skiingbc.info/pages/photos3-40769
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