Summit Express – Pico, VT

This Yan detachable opened in 1988 and received many upgrades from Poma in the 1990s.
Looking up at the top station.
The line seen from the base of the lift.
Side view of the bottom terminal.
Awesome Lift Engineering-designed operator house.
The drive station.
Sheaves integrated into the lower station.
View up the middle part of the line.
Upper part of the lift line seen from the base area.
Lower half of the lift line.
Top terminal on Pico Peak.
Yan terminal modified by Poma.
Upper station overview.
Upper lift line kept low to minimize wind closures.
Yan tower and chairs.
Upper lift line.
View up near the base of the lift.

23 thoughts on “Summit Express – Pico, VT

  1. skier72's avatar skier72 October 18, 2019 / 11:17 am

    I love Lift Engineering HSQ operator houses. I wish more of them were built.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Joe Blake's avatar Joe Blake December 30, 2019 / 7:24 am

      Painted like this, I’d agree. The all-white versions at Sun Valley just look skeezy. The gold-mirror glass at least suggests–if not fully shouts–coke den or porn shoot.

      Like

  2. Somebody's avatar Somebody February 20, 2020 / 4:55 pm

    Interestingly when poma retrofitted this lift they dropped it below the trees and Pico advertised it on their 1997 trail map. Even more interestingly, it was implied that this was an entirely new lift (when it clearly wasn’t).

    Like

    • Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif February 20, 2020 / 5:59 pm

      20 years later, still waiting on that Pico-Killington interconnect to be built…

      Like

      • skitheeast's avatar skitheeast February 20, 2020 / 8:01 pm

        Unfortunately, looks like we will have to wait another twenty…

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      • sullivanq's avatar sullivanq March 9, 2020 / 10:40 am

        there is a trail from pico peak to killington i believe. Only natural snow, and lots of hiking

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        • skitheeast's avatar skitheeast March 9, 2020 / 11:02 am

          There is an abandoned, out of bounds trail from the summit of Pico to the Killington access road about half a mile down from Ramshead. I do not believe there is any hiking, but it is sloped like a green trail, so with no grooming, it could be a pain to get down. There is a peak in between Ramshead and Pico and they would need to install a lift or two to ever properly connect the two mountains.

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        • carletongebhardt's avatar carletongebhardt July 7, 2022 / 6:52 pm

          Killington uses that trail to move snow equipment between it and Pico

          Like

  3. skier's avatar skier February 24, 2022 / 6:20 pm

    Is the backup motor for this lift in the back of the operator house? Or is that exhaust and fuel tank for a different purpose on the mountain? If it’s for the lift, is it hydraulically connected or generating electricity?

    Like

    • pbropetech's avatar pbropetech February 24, 2022 / 10:32 pm

      Yan detaches often had a backup generator, as opposed to a more conventional direct-coupled IC engine, as their APU. Not knowing how much of Yan’s equipment Poma replaced I’d guess it’s for that purpose.

      Like

      • Calvin's avatar Calvin July 7, 2022 / 8:03 pm

        The tank has a UN 1993 placard meaning diesel inside.

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      • Mishers's avatar Mishers April 1, 2025 / 6:45 pm

        I think they replaced terminals and controls. The drive and motor are the same. The Aux is in the shack and it is hydrostatic.

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  4. yanlover69's avatar yanlover69 July 24, 2023 / 9:09 pm

    Why is no one commenting on the literal household broom bolted above the opening rail… That is very well the most Yan thing I’ve ever seen. (Pic 9)

    Like

  5. Ryanvt's avatar Ryanvt October 28, 2023 / 1:20 pm

    Looks like they load tested it this week:

    Like

  6. zp19102's avatar zp19102 January 11, 2024 / 6:39 pm

    Anyone have any pictures of the old summit poma? I’m curious to see how that thing worked because it looks ridiculously steep for a surface lift

    Like

    • Jack Costantino's avatar Jack Costantino January 15, 2024 / 7:41 pm

      I too have been interested in what it looked like during operation, but have never seen a picture of it from the time it was operational.

      Like

    • snipefarmer's avatar snipefarmer March 31, 2024 / 12:23 pm

      That was such an insane lift. Not only was it steep, it was Diesel-hydraulic powered. There was a big straight-6 engine in a shed which drove a hydraulic pump, and a hydraulic motor on the lower bullwheel. The exhaust manifold on the engine would glow cherry red during operation.

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  7. WH2Oshredder's avatar WH2Oshredder March 31, 2024 / 2:53 pm

    Why did Pico choose to keep the teardrop chairs? Lots of resorts changed the chair designs to EJ or Poma ones?

    Like

  8. BB17's avatar BB17 May 3, 2025 / 2:20 pm

    This lift is marked as a top-drive on the Pico spreadsheet but is actually a bottom drive, as acknowledged by one of the photo captions. If you ride this lift or watch a recording, the bottom terminal is noticeably louder than the top.

    Like

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