Bottom terminal in a large building with automated cabin parking.The windows on the exposed top terminal say it could use a building too.Breakover towers and the upper part of the line.Top terminal with drive motors in the vault below.View down the line.Middle portion of the line.Tower 11.View up from tower 10.Lower lift line.Doppelmayr compression tower.Top terminal.Leaving the bottom station.Riding up.Arriving up top.Doppelmayr Worldbook entry.
High speed quad serving all this terrain would be a nightmare. This lift gets real busy on sunny days and powder days. Since it serves lots of terrain. Snowbasin will eventually add a high speed quad/six to the top of dans run. The gondola is exposed to wind and shuts down alot. One powder day the line was super big it went all the way to the end of last chance cat track.
The design capacity of this lift is 2400/hr, the same as a typical high speed quad. This is only achieved if the lift has a full line of cabins and runs at full speed. I don’t know if Snowbasin has full cabins or runs at full speed. On their similar gondola, Whiteface only has enough cabins for 1800/hr instead of 2000 as designed and runs it at about 4.5 m/s instead of 6.16 as designed so in reality the capacity is similar to a double chair.
They have all but one cabins on the line. The maintenance basket stays on the line for hauling trash bags. They dont run the gondola full speed. The highest speed possible 1200 FPM. They run it at like 1100.
I don’t know if they bought enough cabins for 2400 however. The cabin spacing looks too big for that. Whiteface does not have enough cabins for 2000/hr so they are stuck at 1800. They put all the cabins they have on the line and it’s still only 1800, but probably less as some have been damaged or destroyed over time.
My main point is that this gondola probably has lower capacity than a typical high speed quad and most definitely far less than a typical 6 pack.
That proposed alignment for the high speed quad would cover most of the northern section of the peak, offloading near where Elk Ridge splits off from Main Street. I think it’ll probably be best if it’s called the DeMoisey Express since that’s the peak that the terrain here is on. (Would probably be good if it had another lift to cover the upper section of the Strawberry gondola, like maybe a relocated Becker or Middle Bowl if one of them are due to be upgraded to a high speed quad)
Would it be possible to convert the existing Strawberry lift to a two stage gondola with the midstation at tower 16? Snowbasin really needs to do something with Strawberry, because when it’s down, 2/3 of Snowbasin is closed (I’m are not counting in and out). I don’t think Strawberry needs extra capacity. It just needs a way to close the top part on windy days and keep the terrain open. A two stage midstation would allow the bottom part to operate when the winds are bad on Strawberry.
I feel that might be more expensive than just building the proposed high speed quad (although maybe the quad should be built as a high speed six pack with 3,000 pph, using chairs with slatted backrests).
While it’s proposed as a high speed quad with 2,400 pph capacity, there’s a part of me that thinks it might end up instead being built as a high speed six pack with 3,000 pph capacity, so as to give the lift heavier chairs to provide more wind resistance.
I’m pretty sure that the only windy part of Strawberry is to top and the planned lift bypasses it altogether. I’m happy they don’t plan to put the top terminal on the top of the diamond.
I’m wondering if a two stage midsation would be cheaper than a long detachable quad that would basically be a back up lift only. I don’t think Strawberry needs any additional capacity. It just needs to be open regularly.
I don’t think the high speed quad would be considered a backup lift. It would be for those who want the option to do laps in this area without having to take their equipment off after each run.
Or, to look at it differently, you use the high speed quad for the blue runs, but you use the gondola to get to the black runs.
Right now Snowbasin is pretty conservative about opening Strawberry–if they think there’s a reasonable chance the weather might shut the gondola down, they proactively close the entire zone because it’s such a giant pain to evacuate the area by snowmobile. The HSQ in the approved alignment changes that dynamic completely–they’ll be able to be much more aggressive about opening the gondola. And the HSQ will serve a handful of black diamond runs as well as a lot of great intermediate terrain.
Im still concerned that they’ll run the high speed quad, have the gondola closed for a wind hold, and you’ll still get the quarter-mile long strawberry lift line.
They need a short connector lift that goes up ‘bear springs’ run to the top of becker lift. So that when the strawberry line is **** you can still escape without hiking up the hill.
I honestly avoid snowbasin because of the strawberry line. I dont see how this quad will fix that problem on windy days.
The lines on Strawberry have been pretty bad this year. If they want to avoid that problem with the wind closing Strawberry, I would think a 3000 pph six pack capable of 3600 pph for the alternate lift in Strawberry. Running it up Bear Springs does sound like a good idea in that it takes pressure off Dan’s. That could get Snowbasin to open Willow Springs to the public… Strawberry is currently capable of 2400 pph just to put it in perspective.
Yes, it’s a ski run off Becker that can handle high capacity. There’s always a race going on there, which makes only 1 groomed run off the top of Becker that can get you to the base area. The other way would get you into Bear Hollow, which is already a bottleneck area. Willow Springs can only be accessed from the top of Becker and it would really help keep pressure off Bear Hollow at the end of the day with an alternative to riding up Strawberry and cutting over to Dan’s.
I like this layout a lot especially the two lifts you put over by where Strawberry Gondola is, would really help congestion over by the Strawberry Gondola a ton.
Oddly, DeMoisy looks to have higher uphill capacity than Strawberry probably for this very reason (ensuring that there’s a high capacity lift to get people out of the basin / lap most of the intermediate trails if the gondola is down).
There needs to be a lift from the base to Becker. I Think this all makes sense as a high speed sixes. If any fixed grip went from becker to the gondola and the new lift we want we want there it would be similar to Nordic Valley’s double to get to high speed six thing they did.
I honestly think that a six person chairlift heading up to dans run will be enough. There is no need for 3 chairlifts in strawberry base area. The 8 person gondola and six person chairlift will be fine in my opinion.
Utah Lost Ski Area ProjectOctober 15, 2021 / 5:33 pm
Great idea, dump even more people on a run that’s already very crowded and skied out. If this six pack is to be built, there has to be another way for skiers to go other than Dan’s. Possibly a modified Penny Lane leading to a surface lift below Willow Springs up to Snowshoe?
Snowbasin could shorten the top terminal of this lift and have it end right below the ridgeline, and install a short chairlift providing access to the ridge to help with wind related problems. This gondola closes down all the time due to high winds.
The addition of DeMoisey this year ought to mitigate things enough, because it will provide chairlift access to the vast majority of the blue trails in this area.
Snowbasin will be constructing a high speed six pack called the DeMoisey Express for the 2023-2024 season to supplement the Strawberry Gondola. I’m guessing it’s going to be a Leitner-Poma lift since they went with LPA for Middle Bowl.
Introducing… DeMoisy Express! 🌞 – We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring a new lift to Snowbasin! This highly anticipated six-person lift will enhance the skier experience and provide additional lift capacity in the Strawberry area! pic.twitter.com/HBm5utLlVM
In current operations, I’d say the general principle of skiing Strawberry Basin is that for all terrain below tower 16 of the gondola, use the DeMoisy Express.
For everything above tower 16, continue to use the gondola.
There’s not really any reason to be using the gondola other than to access upper Elk Ridge and Main Street, the hike-to-chutes on upper DeMoisy Peak, and Sister’s Bowl. The DeMoisy Express serves everything else, so you’ll be better off mostly sticking to using that lift to lap this area.
Yup. It’s essentially the same setup at Needles. It’s a nice setup as well. I got a nice tour of the vault room and top terminal catwalk by a kind mechanic when I went there to pick up one of the old Littlecat chairs. Not very common to see a vault drive High Speed lift these days. Doppie did a great job installing the lifts there way back when.
Thats awesome, i’ve only gotten a tour of the underground parking area for john paul and needles. Never got a tour of inside of the terminals tho. I just took some pictures through the windows. The only other detachable chairlift that has a vault drive i can think of is Peruvian at Snowbird.
River Run Gondola, Steamboat Gondola, Eagle Bahn Gondola all have vault drives. The Steamboat Gondola has a 3 motor drive line, 3 electric motors built around one high speed shaft. It’s super cool.
Lift Blog 
This lift line looks like it’d be more suited to a high speed quad or bubble six pack than a gondola.
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High speed quad serving all this terrain would be a nightmare. This lift gets real busy on sunny days and powder days. Since it serves lots of terrain. Snowbasin will eventually add a high speed quad/six to the top of dans run. The gondola is exposed to wind and shuts down alot. One powder day the line was super big it went all the way to the end of last chance cat track.
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The design capacity of this lift is 2400/hr, the same as a typical high speed quad. This is only achieved if the lift has a full line of cabins and runs at full speed. I don’t know if Snowbasin has full cabins or runs at full speed. On their similar gondola, Whiteface only has enough cabins for 1800/hr instead of 2000 as designed and runs it at about 4.5 m/s instead of 6.16 as designed so in reality the capacity is similar to a double chair.
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They have all but one cabins on the line. The maintenance basket stays on the line for hauling trash bags. They dont run the gondola full speed. The highest speed possible 1200 FPM. They run it at like 1100.
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I don’t know if they bought enough cabins for 2400 however. The cabin spacing looks too big for that. Whiteface does not have enough cabins for 2000/hr so they are stuck at 1800. They put all the cabins they have on the line and it’s still only 1800, but probably less as some have been damaged or destroyed over time.
My main point is that this gondola probably has lower capacity than a typical high speed quad and most definitely far less than a typical 6 pack.
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Here’s a map on which the proposed detachable chairlift has been marked:
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That proposed alignment for the high speed quad would cover most of the northern section of the peak, offloading near where Elk Ridge splits off from Main Street. I think it’ll probably be best if it’s called the DeMoisey Express since that’s the peak that the terrain here is on. (Would probably be good if it had another lift to cover the upper section of the Strawberry gondola, like maybe a relocated Becker or Middle Bowl if one of them are due to be upgraded to a high speed quad)
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Would it be possible to convert the existing Strawberry lift to a two stage gondola with the midstation at tower 16? Snowbasin really needs to do something with Strawberry, because when it’s down, 2/3 of Snowbasin is closed (I’m are not counting in and out). I don’t think Strawberry needs extra capacity. It just needs a way to close the top part on windy days and keep the terrain open. A two stage midstation would allow the bottom part to operate when the winds are bad on Strawberry.
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I feel that might be more expensive than just building the proposed high speed quad (although maybe the quad should be built as a high speed six pack with 3,000 pph, using chairs with slatted backrests).
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So believe the plan is (hopefully still is?) to install a HSQ that parallels the Gondola but stops short of the ridge. More info at the links below
Click to access stelprdb5072886.pdf
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While it’s proposed as a high speed quad with 2,400 pph capacity, there’s a part of me that thinks it might end up instead being built as a high speed six pack with 3,000 pph capacity, so as to give the lift heavier chairs to provide more wind resistance.
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I’m pretty sure that the only windy part of Strawberry is to top and the planned lift bypasses it altogether. I’m happy they don’t plan to put the top terminal on the top of the diamond.
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I’m wondering if a two stage midsation would be cheaper than a long detachable quad that would basically be a back up lift only. I don’t think Strawberry needs any additional capacity. It just needs to be open regularly.
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I don’t think the high speed quad would be considered a backup lift. It would be for those who want the option to do laps in this area without having to take their equipment off after each run.
Or, to look at it differently, you use the high speed quad for the blue runs, but you use the gondola to get to the black runs.
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Right now Snowbasin is pretty conservative about opening Strawberry–if they think there’s a reasonable chance the weather might shut the gondola down, they proactively close the entire zone because it’s such a giant pain to evacuate the area by snowmobile. The HSQ in the approved alignment changes that dynamic completely–they’ll be able to be much more aggressive about opening the gondola. And the HSQ will serve a handful of black diamond runs as well as a lot of great intermediate terrain.
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The HSQ would also guarantee there’s a secondary way out if the gondola is down for anything other than weather.
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Days like today are the thing that the DeMoisy Express was built for.
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Im still concerned that they’ll run the high speed quad, have the gondola closed for a wind hold, and you’ll still get the quarter-mile long strawberry lift line.
They need a short connector lift that goes up ‘bear springs’ run to the top of becker lift. So that when the strawberry line is **** you can still escape without hiking up the hill.
I honestly avoid snowbasin because of the strawberry line. I dont see how this quad will fix that problem on windy days.
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But at least there will be a lift to get people out of that area.
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The lines on Strawberry have been pretty bad this year. If they want to avoid that problem with the wind closing Strawberry, I would think a 3000 pph six pack capable of 3600 pph for the alternate lift in Strawberry. Running it up Bear Springs does sound like a good idea in that it takes pressure off Dan’s. That could get Snowbasin to open Willow Springs to the public… Strawberry is currently capable of 2400 pph just to put it in perspective.
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Six pack chairs with slatted backrests would be ideal for such a windy area. And yes, it should be built to 3,200 pph capacity.
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What do you mean by “open Willow springs to the public”? Is that a ski run or something because I have never heard of it.
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Yes, it’s a ski run off Becker that can handle high capacity. There’s always a race going on there, which makes only 1 groomed run off the top of Becker that can get you to the base area. The other way would get you into Bear Hollow, which is already a bottleneck area. Willow Springs can only be accessed from the top of Becker and it would really help keep pressure off Bear Hollow at the end of the day with an alternative to riding up Strawberry and cutting over to Dan’s.
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I’m thinking something like this would be more like it (if I were in charge of planning):
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1C1bLNCdHihueq8c_vUv4-c-zNWO-oa8k&usp=sharing
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I like this layout a lot especially the two lifts you put over by where Strawberry Gondola is, would really help congestion over by the Strawberry Gondola a ton.
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Oddly, DeMoisy looks to have higher uphill capacity than Strawberry probably for this very reason (ensuring that there’s a high capacity lift to get people out of the basin / lap most of the intermediate trails if the gondola is down).
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There needs to be a lift from the base to Becker. I Think this all makes sense as a high speed sixes. If any fixed grip went from becker to the gondola and the new lift we want we want there it would be similar to Nordic Valley’s double to get to high speed six thing they did.
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I honestly think that a six person chairlift heading up to dans run will be enough. There is no need for 3 chairlifts in strawberry base area. The 8 person gondola and six person chairlift will be fine in my opinion.
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Great idea, dump even more people on a run that’s already very crowded and skied out. If this six pack is to be built, there has to be another way for skiers to go other than Dan’s. Possibly a modified Penny Lane leading to a surface lift below Willow Springs up to Snowshoe?
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I was referring to the master plan, not directly ending the chairlift at the start of dans.
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Snowbasin could shorten the top terminal of this lift and have it end right below the ridgeline, and install a short chairlift providing access to the ridge to help with wind related problems. This gondola closes down all the time due to high winds.
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The addition of DeMoisey this year ought to mitigate things enough, because it will provide chairlift access to the vast majority of the blue trails in this area.
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Snowbasin will be constructing a high speed six pack called the DeMoisey Express for the 2023-2024 season to supplement the Strawberry Gondola. I’m guessing it’s going to be a Leitner-Poma lift since they went with LPA for Middle Bowl.
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In current operations, I’d say the general principle of skiing Strawberry Basin is that for all terrain below tower 16 of the gondola, use the DeMoisy Express.
For everything above tower 16, continue to use the gondola.
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The DeMoisy Express really helps with the crowding of the strawberry gondola. On powder days the gondola gets super crowded.
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There’s not really any reason to be using the gondola other than to access upper Elk Ridge and Main Street, the hike-to-chutes on upper DeMoisy Peak, and Sister’s Bowl. The DeMoisy Express serves everything else, so you’ll be better off mostly sticking to using that lift to lap this area.
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https://imgur.com/a/A1gsAnF
Vault drive at the top terminal at strawberry. Looks like they have a large 12 cylinder cummins qsk38 as a backup engine.
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Yup. It’s essentially the same setup at Needles. It’s a nice setup as well. I got a nice tour of the vault room and top terminal catwalk by a kind mechanic when I went there to pick up one of the old Littlecat chairs. Not very common to see a vault drive High Speed lift these days. Doppie did a great job installing the lifts there way back when.
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Thats awesome, i’ve only gotten a tour of the underground parking area for john paul and needles. Never got a tour of inside of the terminals tho. I just took some pictures through the windows. The only other detachable chairlift that has a vault drive i can think of is Peruvian at Snowbird.
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River Run Gondola, Steamboat Gondola, Eagle Bahn Gondola all have vault drives. The Steamboat Gondola has a 3 motor drive line, 3 electric motors built around one high speed shaft. It’s super cool.
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I forgot about River Run at Keystone and Steamboat Gondola
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Peak to Peak gondola at whistler blackcomb also is vault drive.
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That’s a really long Spacejet terminal!
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