Lower lift line in the town of Park City.Top drive-tension station.Bullwheel loading.Bottom terminal on Main Street.Riding up.Looking back down the line.Crossing over Payday Express.Looking back at the upper lift line.Arriving at the top terminal.Another view of the drive station.
In the summer, this lift operates somewhat like a pulse lift. They slow the entire lift down to load/unload passengers, then speed it back up to 500FPM. There is an optical gate at the top and bottom arrival sides that automatically slows the lift down. Prior to Vail installing restraint bars on every chair, Powdr would install restraint bars on ~30% of the chairs during the summer, and they also had bike carry hooks on some other chairs.
Recently this lift got new drive control electronics. I believe it’s Skytrac, but I’m not entirely sure. The CTEC control pedestals are still there, I didn’t see any Skytrac branded controls, but I didn’t look inside the lift shacks either. A lift maintenance tech said “It’s like a whole new lift, just in time to get replaced!”. From a rider’s perspective, the acceleration from 200FPM to 500FPM is quite a lot faster than it used to be.
This lift really should go detachable due to its length and year round usage. If they are already operating it like a pulse in the summer, it shows they could really use the slow load/unload speed that comes with a detachable. Also think this lift should end next to Payday so it can better access the Payday area trails while still providing access to Bonanza.
A high speed quad would certainly suffice, although to realign it to end at the top of Payday might mean having to worry about getting close to existing private property. (The old lattice towers from the gondola would have to go)
Honestly I would prefer a gondola that goes to a mid station at the very top of that mountain, kind of where Payday lets off, then continues on to Summit House.
The reason it ends where it does is to allow downloading from the side of the runs ending towards Bonanza without making downloaders ride up Payday. You can already access the bottom half of the Payday runs from the Drift cattrack that begins at the top of Town lift. Having it end where it does there makes it much more useful in a low snow year when the (intermediate) runs down into Main Street are closed, and Payday isn’t crowded after the early morning.
No chance they take out the historic tram towers – the visual impact of Town lift from Main Street is already debated. It made the front page of the Park Record when Vail painted the towers visible from town from black to silver a few years ago.
I’m still holding onto the dream of a city-financed gondola that would run on the existing Town line, with a midstation at the current top, and then a left turn over to somewhere at Deer Valley. I think I’m the only one who thinks that.
Park City is my favorite ski resort. I have gone to many and Park City has GREAT snow, awesome lifts and fun terrain. This is one of my favorite lifts in the world because it has a great view of the town and has a long ride. (I like long chairlifts) So… ya.
Town Lift used to have a mid-loading station just across the road from the bottom terminal, which was removed when the Town Bridge opened around 2000
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In the summer, this lift operates somewhat like a pulse lift. They slow the entire lift down to load/unload passengers, then speed it back up to 500FPM. There is an optical gate at the top and bottom arrival sides that automatically slows the lift down. Prior to Vail installing restraint bars on every chair, Powdr would install restraint bars on ~30% of the chairs during the summer, and they also had bike carry hooks on some other chairs.
Recently this lift got new drive control electronics. I believe it’s Skytrac, but I’m not entirely sure. The CTEC control pedestals are still there, I didn’t see any Skytrac branded controls, but I didn’t look inside the lift shacks either. A lift maintenance tech said “It’s like a whole new lift, just in time to get replaced!”. From a rider’s perspective, the acceleration from 200FPM to 500FPM is quite a lot faster than it used to be.
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This lift really should go detachable due to its length and year round usage. If they are already operating it like a pulse in the summer, it shows they could really use the slow load/unload speed that comes with a detachable. Also think this lift should end next to Payday so it can better access the Payday area trails while still providing access to Bonanza.
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A high speed quad would certainly suffice, although to realign it to end at the top of Payday might mean having to worry about getting close to existing private property. (The old lattice towers from the gondola would have to go)
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Honestly I would prefer a gondola that goes to a mid station at the very top of that mountain, kind of where Payday lets off, then continues on to Summit House.
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True, a gondola might be more practical given the downhill descent at the upper end of the line .
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The reason it ends where it does is to allow downloading from the side of the runs ending towards Bonanza without making downloaders ride up Payday. You can already access the bottom half of the Payday runs from the Drift cattrack that begins at the top of Town lift. Having it end where it does there makes it much more useful in a low snow year when the (intermediate) runs down into Main Street are closed, and Payday isn’t crowded after the early morning.
No chance they take out the historic tram towers – the visual impact of Town lift from Main Street is already debated. It made the front page of the Park Record when Vail painted the towers visible from town from black to silver a few years ago.
I’m still holding onto the dream of a city-financed gondola that would run on the existing Town line, with a midstation at the current top, and then a left turn over to somewhere at Deer Valley. I think I’m the only one who thinks that.
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That’ll be decades away.
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Park City is my favorite ski resort. I have gone to many and Park City has GREAT snow, awesome lifts and fun terrain. This is one of my favorite lifts in the world because it has a great view of the town and has a long ride. (I like long chairlifts) So… ya.
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