These tower tubes were re-used from the previous Doppelmayr fixed-grip.View down the line.This lift was relocated from The Canyons under American Skiing Company ownership.Grip maintenance facility.Lift overview.Riding up the line.Arriving at the drive.Top station overview.
At The Canyons, this lift did not have foot rests. When it was moved here it got new safety bars that had foot rests. Also this was part of the last batch of lift projects completed by ASC. The same year they installed the Tombstone 6-pack on this lift’s towers and built an expansion lift Dreamcatcher. The next year’s project, the Christie Peak Express was the first lift project at Steamboat under Intrawest.
This lift is arguably one where I’d say in-line loading would be preferable to a 90 degree load, so that those coming from runs east of the lift don’t have to shoot past the lift then make a 180 degree turn to backtrack. The parking rail might have to be adjusted a bit…
Sunshine Express is a 2,800 pph lift. And its length and vertical distance numbers are the same as the triple: 1280 foot vertical rise, 5647 horizontal feet.
I’m guessing they are for the lift ops inside the terminal so they can see to check on parts and fix problems but I may be wrong. Can someone confirm what this is for?
At The Canyons, Tombstone had in-line loading and the floating bottom-terminal depression sheaves that Poma seems to have moved away from. They also had the standard semi-circle maintenance rail without the garage. This and the now-Red Pine Gondola at the Canyons were the first two Poma lifts I ever saw in 1997 learning to ski in Utah in the ASC era.
Most detachables at Steamboat has full grip maintenance garages – for the mechanics reading this, how much does it help having that space (in terms of extending equipment life) and why don’t most other top-tier resorts have these?
I always imagine that the reason the detachable chairlifts have their own grip maintenance garages is because each detachable has a different grip design, except for the Storm Peak Express and Sundown Express, which both have DS-104s.
A grip bay isn’t so much for extending equipment lift, but it’s huge in terms of making work easier. We can NDT and rebuild our 20% grips without having to transport them elsewhere; we can use them for parts storage; and all of ours (and the ones I’ve hung out in at the ‘boat) have a tiny office space with lift blueprints, records, and so forth.
If this were to be replaced I am guessing a six pack because it is 2,800 pph and it would make sense for it to be replaced with a 3,000 pph 6 pack, it has long lines on busy days. and there will be added traffic with Wild Blue and Sunshine II.
I have a feeling that this will get replaced before Sundown now because Steamboat wants all the intermediate ski school on this lift once the Wild Blue gondola is fully built. They will either replace this with a six pack or build Sunshine II.
“Hunter presented several on-mountain updates, most notably the Wild Blue Gondola, which will begin construction next summer, as the longest and fastest 10-passenger gondola in North America, moving skiers and riders from the base to the top of the mountain in one trip. The gondola will also connect the new Greenhorn Ranch, where beginner skiers and riders will take lessons at midstation, to intermediate terrain at Sunshine Peak.”
I am a little surprised they didn’t sell old Doppelmayr triple to a ma and pa area, fixed grips seem to have more life in them than 20 years. The retrofitting of the poma cross arms onto the Doppelmayr uprights sounded like quite a challenge.
Hmm. I guess I’d be surprised if it went to Schweitzer. For openers, on what line? Wouldn’t make sense for the new entry portal that was recently delayed, as that is supposed to have a mid-way unload. Perhaps the Sunnyside replacement that’s planned in the MDP? Also not sure if a refurbished lift is on brand for that property, though I could be wrong.
My guess is that this is more likely to end up at one of the SoCal properties (take your pick of old/new lines) or perhaps a hill in the East (Tremblant/Snowshoe – no real opportunities at Sugarbush) or maybe even Solitude (replacement for Powderhorn or Sunrise)
Lift Blog 
At The Canyons, this lift did not have foot rests. When it was moved here it got new safety bars that had foot rests. Also this was part of the last batch of lift projects completed by ASC. The same year they installed the Tombstone 6-pack on this lift’s towers and built an expansion lift Dreamcatcher. The next year’s project, the Christie Peak Express was the first lift project at Steamboat under Intrawest.
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Nowadays, the only section of the mountain that isn’t accessible from a detachable is Morningside Park’s trails.
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This lift is arguably one where I’d say in-line loading would be preferable to a 90 degree load, so that those coming from runs east of the lift don’t have to shoot past the lift then make a 180 degree turn to backtrack. The parking rail might have to be adjusted a bit…
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very true, the would probably need to expand the leveled area to make more room for queues though
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Sunshine Express is a 2,800 pph lift. And its length and vertical distance numbers are the same as the triple: 1280 foot vertical rise, 5647 horizontal feet.
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What is the speed of this lift? 1,100 fpm?
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That’s what it’s listed at on the Park City spreadsheet.
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It runs at 1,000 fpm in normal operations.
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That’s what I guess it is always running about that speed. Does anyone know what is Sundown’s normal operation speed?
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Also 1,000 fpm
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Does anyone know what these lights are inside the terminal?
I’m guessing they are for the lift ops inside the terminal so they can see to check on parts and fix problems but I may be wrong. Can someone confirm what this is for?
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I’m not seeing any lights through the tinted windows, but any lighting inside is for us mechanics to inspect and repair by.
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At The Canyons, Tombstone had in-line loading and the floating bottom-terminal depression sheaves that Poma seems to have moved away from. They also had the standard semi-circle maintenance rail without the garage. This and the now-Red Pine Gondola at the Canyons were the first two Poma lifts I ever saw in 1997 learning to ski in Utah in the ASC era.
Most detachables at Steamboat has full grip maintenance garages – for the mechanics reading this, how much does it help having that space (in terms of extending equipment life) and why don’t most other top-tier resorts have these?
LikeLike
I always imagine that the reason the detachable chairlifts have their own grip maintenance garages is because each detachable has a different grip design, except for the Storm Peak Express and Sundown Express, which both have DS-104s.
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A grip bay isn’t so much for extending equipment lift, but it’s huge in terms of making work easier. We can NDT and rebuild our 20% grips without having to transport them elsewhere; we can use them for parts storage; and all of ours (and the ones I’ve hung out in at the ‘boat) have a tiny office space with lift blueprints, records, and so forth.
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If this were to be replaced I am guessing a six pack because it is 2,800 pph and it would make sense for it to be replaced with a 3,000 pph 6 pack, it has long lines on busy days. and there will be added traffic with Wild Blue and Sunshine II.
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This is a lift that is probably at least a decade away from being replaced.
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I have a feeling that this will get replaced before Sundown now because Steamboat wants all the intermediate ski school on this lift once the Wild Blue gondola is fully built. They will either replace this with a six pack or build Sunshine II.
“Hunter presented several on-mountain updates, most notably the Wild Blue Gondola, which will begin construction next summer, as the longest and fastest 10-passenger gondola in North America, moving skiers and riders from the base to the top of the mountain in one trip. The gondola will also connect the new Greenhorn Ranch, where beginner skiers and riders will take lessons at midstation, to intermediate terrain at Sunshine Peak.”
Taken from a Steamboat Pilot article.
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Lift is down today due to some sort of mechanical trouble.
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Steamboat just announced it is going to be closed all week due to a broken motor they are repairing.
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Bummer. This is a very important lift.
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I am a little surprised they didn’t sell old Doppelmayr triple to a ma and pa area, fixed grips seem to have more life in them than 20 years. The retrofitting of the poma cross arms onto the Doppelmayr uprights sounded like quite a challenge.
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A year late on the reply, but they moved the carriers/grips and sheave assemblies to other lifts to replace problematic and/or worn-out components.
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Where did the terminals go?
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A 6-Pack replacement is on the ‘25 New Lifts list now.
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I saw that but I don’t think that it has been formally announced. Still excited to see if it does come to be.
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It will be interesting to see if Alterra decides to give this lift a second life. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets relocated to Schweitzer.
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Hmm. I guess I’d be surprised if it went to Schweitzer. For openers, on what line? Wouldn’t make sense for the new entry portal that was recently delayed, as that is supposed to have a mid-way unload. Perhaps the Sunnyside replacement that’s planned in the MDP? Also not sure if a refurbished lift is on brand for that property, though I could be wrong.
My guess is that this is more likely to end up at one of the SoCal properties (take your pick of old/new lines) or perhaps a hill in the East (Tremblant/Snowshoe – no real opportunities at Sugarbush) or maybe even Solitude (replacement for Powderhorn or Sunrise)
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It has already been in 2 locations including Steamboat so it would be interesting if it were to be relocated again.
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Does anyone know the Ride Time?
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Right about 5 min at 1000FPM
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