The breakover – towers 20-21.View down from above Solitude Station.Top station unload area.Tower 9, just below the mid-station.Lower lift line.Lift overview.Return station maze and lift shack.View up the line.Riding up below Solitude Station.Drive station.Uni-G-Small station.Side view of the unload station.Top station overview.Breakover from below.Looking down the line from Casper Restaurant.Upper lift line view.Mid-station from above.Upper lift line from tower 13.Parking rail for future cabin storage/maintenance facility.Side view of Solitude Station.Another view of Solitude.Beginner learning area.Towers 1-3.Uni-G return station.Lower terminal from Teewinot.Solitude Station seen from below.CWA Omega-IV-8-LWI cabins.Tower 7.
The top terminal is the shortest version of the UNI-G. They only allow for 800 feet per minute on gondolas. Bridger used to also only go 800 feet per minute but was sped up to 1000 this year.
Pretty sure Crystal springs ran lookers left (skiers right) of the gondola. Considering Bridger was put in when Crystal was removed, this line ending at the bottom of Bridger makes sense.
Honestly, I don’t like these gondolas for beginners, when I was a kid I hated having to take my skis off to ride a gondola. If I had the choice this would have been a chondola so the really early beginners can get to the top learning area and the people who might be higher level beginners can ride a chair.
I could be wrong, don’t chondolas require more staff to load the gondola maze and the chairlift maze? With 3 stations, I would think that a chondola would need way too many people to help with the loading in two different areas.
I’d be willing to bet temperature plays more of a factor than you realize on this lift being a gondola. The gondola is a novelty in CO/CA but is a game changer when it’s -10 degrees out further north. As for bubbles, it’s just not worth trying to mix absolute beginners with bubbles. Better to just tell anyone who prefers a chair to use Teewinot instead.
Jackson Hole is one of those ski areas that needs a gondola for temperature rather than just for marketing. I’d rather take my skis off and be warm than leaving them on while riding an exposed chairlift.
Sure, you have to take the scenic route to reach Casper if you have an aversion to gondolas, and it means taking two or three lifts (Teewinot and Apres Vous, and possibly Teton if you’d rather not do the Togwotee Pass traverse), but I’d say that’s worth it.
You guys complaining about this being slow are funny. 4 m/s (800 FPM) is pretty quick compared to a lot of lifts. Sure, many detaches go faster but I bet this doesn’t stop. This is a beginner lift, so….
Well, 4 m/s is pretty slow for a gondola, can’t think of one that is slower offhand. Not that I’m complaining – entering through Sweetwater in the Morning still seems the best option these days. And the closest open ski resort to me runs their 8pack at 3/ms when not busy (like this whole season), so who am I to complain..
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Why the different terminal skin on the bottom station?
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To mimic the shape of Teewinot and Bridger next door.
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Cool!
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Why is the top station so short?
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Probably the cost.
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Any parking barn pictures yet?
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https://liftblog.com/2018/01/27/inside-the-sweetest-parking-around/
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Why is this gondola so slow?
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The top terminal is the shortest version of the UNI-G. They only allow for 800 feet per minute on gondolas. Bridger used to also only go 800 feet per minute but was sped up to 1000 this year.
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The Sweetwater Gondola follows the alignment that the Crystal Springs double took until 1997
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Pretty sure Crystal springs ran lookers left (skiers right) of the gondola. Considering Bridger was put in when Crystal was removed, this line ending at the bottom of Bridger makes sense.
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Honestly, I don’t like these gondolas for beginners, when I was a kid I hated having to take my skis off to ride a gondola. If I had the choice this would have been a chondola so the really early beginners can get to the top learning area and the people who might be higher level beginners can ride a chair.
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I could be wrong, don’t chondolas require more staff to load the gondola maze and the chairlift maze? With 3 stations, I would think that a chondola would need way too many people to help with the loading in two different areas.
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I guess it would but I feel like the actual skier experience would be a lot better.
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I’d be willing to bet temperature plays more of a factor than you realize on this lift being a gondola. The gondola is a novelty in CO/CA but is a game changer when it’s -10 degrees out further north. As for bubbles, it’s just not worth trying to mix absolute beginners with bubbles. Better to just tell anyone who prefers a chair to use Teewinot instead.
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Jackson Hole is one of those ski areas that needs a gondola for temperature rather than just for marketing. I’d rather take my skis off and be warm than leaving them on while riding an exposed chairlift.
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Sure, you have to take the scenic route to reach Casper if you have an aversion to gondolas, and it means taking two or three lifts (Teewinot and Apres Vous, and possibly Teton if you’d rather not do the Togwotee Pass traverse), but I’d say that’s worth it.
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This is probably my favorite gondola in the US, minus the slowness.
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You guys complaining about this being slow are funny. 4 m/s (800 FPM) is pretty quick compared to a lot of lifts. Sure, many detaches go faster but I bet this doesn’t stop. This is a beginner lift, so….
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Well, 4 m/s is pretty slow for a gondola, can’t think of one that is slower offhand. Not that I’m complaining – entering through Sweetwater in the Morning still seems the best option these days. And the closest open ski resort to me runs their 8pack at 3/ms when not busy (like this whole season), so who am I to complain..
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Buckaroo Express (or whatever it’s called these days) at Beaver Creek is always run pretty slow too. Short line, really just for beginners.
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Any bike carrier pictures?
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Does this Gondola use six pack line gauge?
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No.
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The bottom terminal looks so cool!
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