This center pole quad was one of the first Riblet built in 1969.Top terminal with vault drive and operator shack on the roof.The lift has a total of 28 towers.View down the line.Middle part of the line.Lower lift line.Towers are closely-spaced due to the weight of full quad chairs.Looking up the line.Bottom terminal with counterweight behind.Loading area.Top station overview.These chairs have two Riblet clips to support the weight of four riders.
Voyagers has only been open a handful of times in the last decade, a few years ago it still ran on holiday weekends, more recently I heard they run it a day or two a season just to run it. Not sure what the reasoning is, Chippewa double gets busy enough on weekends where it could be used.
News Flash: Today I spoke with the ski patrol and I asked about what the status of the quad was, and I received disappointing news. They have officially decommissioned the quad. The reasoning is 1, it was a bigger, and harder to operate machine than say, the Chippewa double. 2: It rarely ever ran, so it always was sitting and collecting dust. and up about 2016, they stopped running the lift for good. as the components were really old, (which confuses me cause the Chippewa double was built 8 years before the quad was) and it was always really slow so it always was a long, boring ride. and now that the lifts components have been sitting still for 6 years, they decided to abandon the lift altogether. so far they have no plans of removal, relocation or recommissioning due to big snow being up for sale. but when a new buyer comes in, things will go from there. I don’t know what will happen, but it will probably be one of these 3, 1: recommissioning, 2: removal, 3: leaving it to rot. I hope its recommissioning, but it will need some work done to it to be safe, and for it to be reliable. it will probably need a new drive motor, reducer, gearbox, and drive shaft, and maybe new controls? but so far, it seems like its time has come, and they say it will probably never run again. but who knows what will happen in the future, maybe potential recommissioning? well, we don’t know, but so far its future is unknown. but it would make a great backup or reliever for the Chippewa double chair, as that’s aging too.
And, if you want to sell the place it probably would entice buyers into putting in an offer if all your lifts are in operating condition. and its also too bad cause it has historic value to it as it was one of the first center pole quads riblet built.
Update: Its not looking good for this old beast. I went to take a look at it today and I saw that almost all the chairs on the load side have been removed. I’m assuming that the light side is next. After seeing this, I think its days are numbered.
Sad news for sure, but not too surprised after how long it has sat. Extra/reliever lifts are becoming a thing of the past at most ski areas. Owners are more willing to take the chance of a lift being down than maintaining and having extra staff for multiple lifts. In this case they still also have the Triple. Always thought a new lift in the Triples footprint and some grading and reorganizing at the top of the mountain would do wonders for this place.
new voyagers new (DISCLAMER: this is just speculation but its quite possible it could be true) apparently during the summer, the chairs were still on this lift in 2021, a 4th of the chairs were removed during the 2021-2022 season, so i speculate that there was possible NDT going on. based on the skycams, unfortunately i cant tell if the chairs are back on, but i know i will check the first time i go this year. with new funding from skinner, they could get it running, and regarding the removal of this lift in 2023, im sceptical if they actually remove it, why? because the image in the news article showing the path of the new lift, it also showed the lifts that were getting removed, which were marked in gray, and i saw that the winnebago lift was in red and that one wasnt slated to be replaced. and ironically voyagers was in red.so maybe she will stay. lets hope!
hey Brandon I have been checking and it seems like they aren’t running the triple as often anymore as of decline in skiers there and I think what happened last year also. and apparently the quad was yellow at some point? but i dont know what will happen. frankly if i was them back in 69 I would have moved Chippewa over to voyagers and then install a quad in the spot where the main double is. as for better uphill capacity. and at cascade mountain WI their Mogul Monster triple is the reliever for the mountain top express and it almost runs every day. so reliever/backup lifts aren’t completely dead yet.
UPDATE: today i was there and i went over to the east side with the east t bar (Hiawatha) and i saw some metal poles. so i went over there in the deep powder, and i saw that those were the quads chairs that have been taken off. so they have kept the chairs. they were buried in snow so i couldn’t see anything but the poles. but its a relief that they kept the chairs, as in case of a new owner (if they ever get one) they could make plans to bring it back. but as aaron rodgers said, everything is on the table.
This will probably be the last of quad news this season. this quad news will cover 2 things, status, and ownership. so today i went to Indianhead again but this time, I went down to the return of the quad. and i took a look around. I saw that in the operator shack, all the signs like “check for loose clothing” etc., were removed and put in the operator shack. I saw the control console, and it had inspection stickers on it. and the last inspection i saw was in 2020. so most likely it hasn’t been messed with since 2020. and regarding ownership, I saw that the listing was active and there was a offer on it. so who knows? maybe they will pull it, or maybe they will fix it up. but lets wait and see. signing off, Raidy.
Wow wow wow skinner bought IH! I am very scared for the quad but maybe skinner could fix it up as it has less hours than the other lifts. Fingers crossed!
darn… its sad that they renamed IH and BJ to black river basin and whatever IH is called. but its cool that they are going to build a lift connecting the two. KEEP VOYAGERS THO PLS!!!!
I wonder if they will run this lift for the 2021-2022 ski season. I hope they do, although it is rather unlikely. Maybe when the place is bought by a new guy, he will actually run the lift. But yet, unlikely. I hope that they run it though, as I’ve always wanted to ride it. keeping my fingers crossed.
The bar behind the chair makes it a lot easier to hit your head on it. But, yes, the old Riblet quads at both Boyne properties are that way rather than a genuine center pole.
I skied at Indianhead yesterday (3/14/22) and can confirm that many of the Quad chairs are gone from this lift. I would say maybe about 2/3 of the uphill side is empty. I took a picture but am not sure how to share it here.
Well the Quad is not on the new Snowriver trail map, I would say that is a pretty good indication it will come down along with the other two lifts in spring. There really will be no true reliever for the new Voyageurs Express, as Cloudfront Double (Winnebago) does not go all the way to the top.
I went today to get my new quad chair, and the vault was open so I took a look, unfortunately the motors have been taken but I got a white of what’s left
Lift Blog 
Voyagers has only been open a handful of times in the last decade, a few years ago it still ran on holiday weekends, more recently I heard they run it a day or two a season just to run it. Not sure what the reasoning is, Chippewa double gets busy enough on weekends where it could be used.
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News Flash: Today I spoke with the ski patrol and I asked about what the status of the quad was, and I received disappointing news. They have officially decommissioned the quad. The reasoning is 1, it was a bigger, and harder to operate machine than say, the Chippewa double. 2: It rarely ever ran, so it always was sitting and collecting dust. and up about 2016, they stopped running the lift for good. as the components were really old, (which confuses me cause the Chippewa double was built 8 years before the quad was) and it was always really slow so it always was a long, boring ride. and now that the lifts components have been sitting still for 6 years, they decided to abandon the lift altogether. so far they have no plans of removal, relocation or recommissioning due to big snow being up for sale. but when a new buyer comes in, things will go from there. I don’t know what will happen, but it will probably be one of these 3, 1: recommissioning, 2: removal, 3: leaving it to rot. I hope its recommissioning, but it will need some work done to it to be safe, and for it to be reliable. it will probably need a new drive motor, reducer, gearbox, and drive shaft, and maybe new controls? but so far, it seems like its time has come, and they say it will probably never run again. but who knows what will happen in the future, maybe potential recommissioning? well, we don’t know, but so far its future is unknown. but it would make a great backup or reliever for the Chippewa double chair, as that’s aging too.
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And, if you want to sell the place it probably would entice buyers into putting in an offer if all your lifts are in operating condition. and its also too bad cause it has historic value to it as it was one of the first center pole quads riblet built.
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Update: Its not looking good for this old beast. I went to take a look at it today and I saw that almost all the chairs on the load side have been removed. I’m assuming that the light side is next. After seeing this, I think its days are numbered.
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Sad news for sure, but not too surprised after how long it has sat. Extra/reliever lifts are becoming a thing of the past at most ski areas. Owners are more willing to take the chance of a lift being down than maintaining and having extra staff for multiple lifts. In this case they still also have the Triple. Always thought a new lift in the Triples footprint and some grading and reorganizing at the top of the mountain would do wonders for this place.
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hey i found another video with the quad turning in it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkEhEWLMDIg
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new voyagers new (DISCLAMER: this is just speculation but its quite possible it could be true) apparently during the summer, the chairs were still on this lift in 2021, a 4th of the chairs were removed during the 2021-2022 season, so i speculate that there was possible NDT going on. based on the skycams, unfortunately i cant tell if the chairs are back on, but i know i will check the first time i go this year. with new funding from skinner, they could get it running, and regarding the removal of this lift in 2023, im sceptical if they actually remove it, why? because the image in the news article showing the path of the new lift, it also showed the lifts that were getting removed, which were marked in gray, and i saw that the winnebago lift was in red and that one wasnt slated to be replaced. and ironically voyagers was in red.so maybe she will stay. lets hope!
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hey Brandon I have been checking and it seems like they aren’t running the triple as often anymore as of decline in skiers there and I think what happened last year also. and apparently the quad was yellow at some point? but i dont know what will happen. frankly if i was them back in 69 I would have moved Chippewa over to voyagers and then install a quad in the spot where the main double is. as for better uphill capacity. and at cascade mountain WI their Mogul Monster triple is the reliever for the mountain top express and it almost runs every day. so reliever/backup lifts aren’t completely dead yet.
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oh and here is the only known video of voyagers quad in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bruU4GhSBN8&t=161s
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UPDATE: today i was there and i went over to the east side with the east t bar (Hiawatha) and i saw some metal poles. so i went over there in the deep powder, and i saw that those were the quads chairs that have been taken off. so they have kept the chairs. they were buried in snow so i couldn’t see anything but the poles. but its a relief that they kept the chairs, as in case of a new owner (if they ever get one) they could make plans to bring it back. but as aaron rodgers said, everything is on the table.
LikeLike
This will probably be the last of quad news this season. this quad news will cover 2 things, status, and ownership. so today i went to Indianhead again but this time, I went down to the return of the quad. and i took a look around. I saw that in the operator shack, all the signs like “check for loose clothing” etc., were removed and put in the operator shack. I saw the control console, and it had inspection stickers on it. and the last inspection i saw was in 2020. so most likely it hasn’t been messed with since 2020. and regarding ownership, I saw that the listing was active and there was a offer on it. so who knows? maybe they will pull it, or maybe they will fix it up. but lets wait and see. signing off, Raidy.
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Wow wow wow skinner bought IH! I am very scared for the quad but maybe skinner could fix it up as it has less hours than the other lifts. Fingers crossed!
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darn… its sad that they renamed IH and BJ to black river basin and whatever IH is called. but its cool that they are going to build a lift connecting the two. KEEP VOYAGERS THO PLS!!!!
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The operator shack on the roof thing is kinda wild, no?
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Its out of place unless it works!
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I wonder if they will run this lift for the 2021-2022 ski season. I hope they do, although it is rather unlikely. Maybe when the place is bought by a new guy, he will actually run the lift. But yet, unlikely. I hope that they run it though, as I’ve always wanted to ride it. keeping my fingers crossed.
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There are at least 5 Riblet center pole quads between Boyne mtn and Highlands Raidy
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Well I looked at those and they aren’t the signature center pole design. Their bar goes behind the chair, not the middle.
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The bar behind the chair makes it a lot easier to hit your head on it. But, yes, the old Riblet quads at both Boyne properties are that way rather than a genuine center pole.
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I skied at Indianhead yesterday (3/14/22) and can confirm that many of the Quad chairs are gone from this lift. I would say maybe about 2/3 of the uphill side is empty. I took a picture but am not sure how to share it here.
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yes if you had seen my other post, the chairs are located in the hiawatha area
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Well the Quad is not on the new Snowriver trail map, I would say that is a pretty good indication it will come down along with the other two lifts in spring. There really will be no true reliever for the new Voyageurs Express, as Cloudfront Double (Winnebago) does not go all the way to the top.
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Another good indication would be simply that the new chairlift is taking over the Voyagers name.
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at least they are letting the quad live on through its new name as a tribute to the old one.
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I took photos on my trip to get my quad chair, so I got some pics of what is left inside the vault and around the old lift:
Old tower:
Old sheave assembly:
What’s left of the vault:
Old gearbox branding and info tag:
What’s left of the bottom terminal:
A bunch of chairs lined up:
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I went today to get my new quad chair, and the vault was open so I took a look, unfortunately the motors have been taken but I got a white of what’s left
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Also, the bottom terminal is still there.
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