The new South Ridge quad is the old Snowdon quad which was re-engineered and upgraded in 2018.An Alpha drive terminal with tensioning.Side view of the top terminal.View down from the summit, which is just below Killington Peak.The towers were modified to become quad towers back when they were at Snowdon.The new lift follows the alignment of the old Yan’s downhill line. That lift ran in a triangle alignment.Old tower with a new base plate welded on by Leitner-Poma.View up the line at tower 10.Middle part of the line.Tower 4.Looking up from T4.Another view up the lift line.Tower 1 just above the bottom station.This terminal is similar to the previous triple chair one that stood in this location but it came from Snowdon.Although this look like a tension terminal, the bottom bullwheel is welded into place.Tri leg terminal with Yan and Poma components.This is labelled tower 1 but so is the standalone tower above it.New Skytrac controls.Return bullwheel and loading area.
Though the Yan bottom returns are typically tensioned, this one is not. The tension carriage has been welded in place and the Alpha drive up top is where the tensioning is. Same configuration as on Snowdon.
Technically there are no welds connecting the carriage to the runway beam and the carriage would still roll if a ram were to be installed in place of the short link connecting the carriage to the rear mast and back stay.
The original South Ridge operated in a triangle format (sorta like on the Horseshoe Bowl T-Bar), with the downhill line traveling straight while the uphill line made a pair of turns via a pair of bullwheels. The current quad uses what was the downhill line.
Its got the Yan return because its the definition of a “frankenlift”. The towers date from when the original 1960s Poma double. Yan upgraded it at some point with the return and new chairs. Then Poma upgraded it to a quad with the alpha drive and new chairs, oddly with Yan hangers. Its an strange lift for sure.
I skied past this lift in December 2018 while it was still being installed and the bottom terminal still had the “Snowdon Quad” nameplate on it. That must have confused a few people.
I’m really surprised they kept the 60s poma tower tubes on this lift. Those towers could are already 60 years old and will probably be 80-100 years old by the time this lift gets replaced.
Why was the South Ridge triple removed 7 years before this lift was installed? It didn’t look like it had any of the faulty aluminum sheaves or plastic seats.
old age (officially) and low usage (every unofficial source) was cited. Killington skier visits declined like crazy in 90s and 00s (and didn’t start rebounding until recently) which is the same reason Northeast Passage was removed. The turn was also quite impractical and probably a pain for them to deal with.
South Ridge is actually quite similar to Kidderbrook at Stratton. Both service mainly natural, high elevation, advanced terrain that were served by fixed grips that were removed due to low usage, and require/d 2 lift rides to ski. Still waiting for that Kidderbrook replacement though.
Plain and simple, it was old and weird. It had 2 lift lines, and was in a triangle formation. Also, to reach most of the south ridge terrain, you dont need direct lift service
The reasoning behind the triangle alignment was due to there being a mid-load at the turn station, for early season skiing. The midstation was removed after only a few years, leaving behind a really iconic lift feature
I would not recommend South Ridge unless you love powder. They don’t groom the trails over here. I never see this lift open. It could be hard to access since its bottom terminal is in a canopy of trees. Would love to ride it but nothing exciting. It goes up the downhill side of the former triple. I guess a canopy of evergreens sounds nice
I know it is complicated due to there being restrictions in place with Vermont, but they really need to cut more trails by South Ridge to make it more worthwhile. The gradient over here is fantastic for intermediates, but there is only 1 lappable intermediate trail. There is easily room for another few trails from Solitude down to Sassafras, and it would really help make the area more popular.
Though the Yan bottom returns are typically tensioned, this one is not. The tension carriage has been welded in place and the Alpha drive up top is where the tensioning is. Same configuration as on Snowdon.
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Technically there are no welds connecting the carriage to the runway beam and the carriage would still roll if a ram were to be installed in place of the short link connecting the carriage to the rear mast and back stay.
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The original South Ridge operated in a triangle format (sorta like on the Horseshoe Bowl T-Bar), with the downhill line traveling straight while the uphill line made a pair of turns via a pair of bullwheels. The current quad uses what was the downhill line.
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How did this lift even end up with a Yan tension terminal that has been welded in place?
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Its got the Yan return because its the definition of a “frankenlift”. The towers date from when the original 1960s Poma double. Yan upgraded it at some point with the return and new chairs. Then Poma upgraded it to a quad with the alpha drive and new chairs, oddly with Yan hangers. Its an strange lift for sure.
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This lift shows perfectly how an old fixed grip can be re-installed and well utilized if ride time stays under 8 minutes and the terrain is fun.
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I skied past this lift in December 2018 while it was still being installed and the bottom terminal still had the “Snowdon Quad” nameplate on it. That must have confused a few people.
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I’m really surprised they kept the 60s poma tower tubes on this lift. Those towers could are already 60 years old and will probably be 80-100 years old by the time this lift gets replaced.
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Why was the South Ridge triple removed 7 years before this lift was installed? It didn’t look like it had any of the faulty aluminum sheaves or plastic seats.
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http://www.skilifts.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=9049
https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/skiareaexpansions/Vermont/killington/southridge.php
old age (officially) and low usage (every unofficial source) was cited. Killington skier visits declined like crazy in 90s and 00s (and didn’t start rebounding until recently) which is the same reason Northeast Passage was removed. The turn was also quite impractical and probably a pain for them to deal with.
South Ridge is actually quite similar to Kidderbrook at Stratton. Both service mainly natural, high elevation, advanced terrain that were served by fixed grips that were removed due to low usage, and require/d 2 lift rides to ski. Still waiting for that Kidderbrook replacement though.
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Plain and simple, it was old and weird. It had 2 lift lines, and was in a triangle formation. Also, to reach most of the south ridge terrain, you dont need direct lift service
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The reasoning behind the triangle alignment was due to there being a mid-load at the turn station, for early season skiing. The midstation was removed after only a few years, leaving behind a really iconic lift feature
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I would not recommend South Ridge unless you love powder. They don’t groom the trails over here. I never see this lift open. It could be hard to access since its bottom terminal is in a canopy of trees. Would love to ride it but nothing exciting. It goes up the downhill side of the former triple. I guess a canopy of evergreens sounds nice
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I know it is complicated due to there being restrictions in place with Vermont, but they really need to cut more trails by South Ridge to make it more worthwhile. The gradient over here is fantastic for intermediates, but there is only 1 lappable intermediate trail. There is easily room for another few trails from Solitude down to Sassafras, and it would really help make the area more popular.
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