This lift services some of the newest terrain at Lutsen and will service more trails if an expansion into the Superior National Forest is approved.The lift came used from Colorado.Vault drive.Breakover towers.Another look at the top station.Upper part of the lift line.Lower lift line.Side view of the return-tension station.Counterweight.Another view of the loading area.Lift line.
Utah Lost Ski Area ProjectJanuary 5, 2023 / 9:25 am
Looking at the paint schemes, I would say one of the old Riblets at Breckenridge. I would guess it’s the former B lift which was removed in 1997 due to the lift having a vault drive (Breckenridge’s other Riblets removed in the late 90s most likely had overhead drives). This also fits the timeline well with Timberwolf having been installed between 2002 and 2005.
You’re probably right. The only other Riblets that were removed in that time frame are the ones at Aspen Highlands, but it’s only an educated guess whether they had vault drives or not. They were all ’60s vintage, so maybe.
B-lift ran clockwise. Perhaps there’s a mixture of equipment from several lifts, but I don’t see any of the deep gray paint scheme from when it was removed from Breck.
I’ve definitely spun Riblet centre-pole baskets around when I needed a spare for a different lift, but I imagine they probably wouldn’t have done that for an entire line. I didn’t think of the paint either.
Plus you’d have to flip the backstop, the motor direction, the input bevel set, and the E-brake band (at a minimum). Not that it couldn’t be done, but that’s a lot.
Could this actually have come from Terry Peak SD? They had a light blue Riblet that was parallel to their main Miner Denver, both were removed around 99 I believe for their first detach.
I’ve skied at Lutsen for40 years, and Bridge Chair has been there the entire time. I can’t argue with Lutsen’s plans to expand, but the must do something with Bridge. A high speed quad would fit there nicely.
Either that or they install a detachable where the old Eagle Lift Used to be. One obstacle with the Bridge is that the alpine sliders get on halfway. But if they ran it slow enough they could probably get on
Lift Blog 
This should become a high speed quad if the expansion is approved
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Unfortunately it was denied, this will probably stay the way it is for a long time.
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where in CO did this lift come from
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Looking at the paint schemes, I would say one of the old Riblets at Breckenridge. I would guess it’s the former B lift which was removed in 1997 due to the lift having a vault drive (Breckenridge’s other Riblets removed in the late 90s most likely had overhead drives). This also fits the timeline well with Timberwolf having been installed between 2002 and 2005.
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You’re probably right. The only other Riblets that were removed in that time frame are the ones at Aspen Highlands, but it’s only an educated guess whether they had vault drives or not. They were all ’60s vintage, so maybe.
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I had to ask around, B-lift was removed by Snowy Range.
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B-lift ran clockwise. Perhaps there’s a mixture of equipment from several lifts, but I don’t see any of the deep gray paint scheme from when it was removed from Breck.
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I’ve definitely spun Riblet centre-pole baskets around when I needed a spare for a different lift, but I imagine they probably wouldn’t have done that for an entire line. I didn’t think of the paint either.
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Plus you’d have to flip the backstop, the motor direction, the input bevel set, and the E-brake band (at a minimum). Not that it couldn’t be done, but that’s a lot.
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Could this actually have come from Terry Peak SD? They had a light blue Riblet that was parallel to their main Miner Denver, both were removed around 99 I believe for their first detach.
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I agree with the detachable replacement but a bridge lift replacement is more important right now.
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I think Bridge and Ullr would be priorities over Timberwolf. If they have the money, they probably would replace all three.
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Timberwolf would be the last lift to get replaced, as most skiers just ski down to the 6 pack detach.
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I’ve skied at Lutsen for40 years, and Bridge Chair has been there the entire time. I can’t argue with Lutsen’s plans to expand, but the must do something with Bridge. A high speed quad would fit there nicely.
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I agree, when they do expand hopefully the longer of the new lifts are built as detachables.
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Either that or they install a detachable where the old Eagle Lift Used to be. One obstacle with the Bridge is that the alpine sliders get on halfway. But if they ran it slow enough they could probably get on
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Filling in missing data: I timed this out at 8.0 minutes and 702 feet of vertical rise last week.
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