The Tahoe Zephyr Express is one of only four chondolas in North America as of 2017.Bottom return station.Top terminal arrival side.Uni-G-L terminal.Bottom terminal, tower 1 and tower 2.Side view of the loading station.Gondola loading up top.Top terminal seen from below.Upper section of the line.Top few towers.European-style tower head.Gondola passing the chair load ramp.Chairs in the gondola loading area.Riding up the line.There are only four gondola cabins.Compression tower 8.View down from tower 10.Nearing the summit.Top station load platform.Chair unloading.Lift overview.Top station from below.Omega cabin and EJ chairs.Doppelmayr Worldbook entry.
11 thoughts on “Tahoe Zephyr Express – Northstar, CA”
Billy B.September 15, 2017 / 11:22 am
Do you know why there are so few gondola cabins on this lift? I was curious as to why Tahoe Zephyr was built as a chondola with so few cabins rather than just a traditional six pack.
The cabins are accessible only to members of Tahoe Mountain Club, which operates a members-only lodge at the top of the lift, not to be confused with the resort-owned Zephyr Lodge that is also at the top of the lift. Even four cabins is excessive for the demand most of the time.
False, anyone can load into the gondola cabins not just the Tahoe Mountain Club peeps. Sometimes can be a loophole if the normal lift line is quite long.
At the top, there is a platform that begins when the chairs/cabins circulate to return to the bottom. The platform is kinda visible behind the top terminal in that picture (note the wood railing).
Lift Blog 
Do you know why there are so few gondola cabins on this lift? I was curious as to why Tahoe Zephyr was built as a chondola with so few cabins rather than just a traditional six pack.
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They do dinners at the Zephyr Lodge.
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Are the gondola cabins VIP ones? or just regular leather seats.
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The cabins are accessible only to members of Tahoe Mountain Club, which operates a members-only lodge at the top of the lift, not to be confused with the resort-owned Zephyr Lodge that is also at the top of the lift. Even four cabins is excessive for the demand most of the time.
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False, anyone can load into the gondola cabins not just the Tahoe Mountain Club peeps. Sometimes can be a loophole if the normal lift line is quite long.
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Anyone can ride down using the cabins, not just members.
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were the footrests taken off when the chairs got delivered
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how do you unload the gondola though
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At the top, there is a platform that begins when the chairs/cabins circulate to return to the bottom. The platform is kinda visible behind the top terminal in that picture (note the wood railing).
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During summer ops, a platform is installed over the chair unload ramp and mountain bikers go down a long ramp
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