This Leitner-Poma six pack replaced the older Pioneer Express but with an added mid-station about a third of the way up the line.Same bottom station location as the old lift but with fewer riders.New chair maintenance facility.Automatic gates keep every other chair empty for the mid-station.Side view of the bottom station.View leaving the return.Riding toward the mid-station.Split tower 8.Chairs jog out and back in at the mid load.Automatic gates open only for empty chairs.Tower 12 above the mid-station.LPA 6 chair.View down at tower 15.Upper part of the lift line.View back down near the summit.Nearing the summit.Arriving at the drive terminal.Unloading area and top operator building.Upper station overview.Side view of the upper station.View from the summit.Tower 22.T21.Middle part of the line.A chair on the way up.Lift line above the middle station.Tower 14.T12.The mid load seen from above.Middle station with light side flyover.Half tower 10.Unusual tower configurations above the mid.Side view of the long LPA half station.The bubble.Loading area at the mid.Flat lower section of the line.Mid overview.Tower 9 and the mid-station.Tower 5.Lift line overview.View riding into the mid.Split tower 11.View back down at tower 15.Breakover towers 23 and 24.View from the top.Upper station with drive.Side view of two support towers.LPA terminal with wood under cover.
Very cool new LPA, and interesting mid-station design. I was somewhat surprised to find out this lift sends every other chair empty for the mid-station, as I know the Peak 8 SuperConnect at Breck gets the same job done with only a third of the chairs sent empty for the mid, and it seems like it would be a busier lift overall (But I could be wrong, Colorado is not my home territory).
On Wild Spur and the Peak 8 SuperConnect, it’s up to the operators to adjust a sensor at the base terminal to decide the interval of empty chairs. It’s always every other or third chair that’s sent through empty, and another series of sensors at midway are programmed to open the gates when they detect an empty chair.
Apon entering the mid-station, there is a photo eye that looks for legs. If no legs detected, the gates will open to allow skiers to get on. This happens to every chair, not just the empty ones being sent up from the bottom.
Why is this relatively new lift designed with no leg rests, but just a cross-lap safety bar? Sunnyside also has no leg rests and was built recently. Is there any practical / engineering reason for this on modern high speed 4 and 6 packs where leg rests have been standard for decades. I can’t believe that the cost savings would be significant (maybe 1 or 2% if even that), unless it drastically changes the design of the terminals.
It’s probably the opposite of the SuperConnect as far as passenger flow, although it’s been years since I’ve skied Winter Park. I used to lap the old chairlift quite often, so the mid-station would be great for that, whereas the bottom would probably only be used for people to ski over initially. The bottom section is so flat, I don’t see many people trying to lap it to the bottom.
If you’re coming in from Shootout, Stagecoach, Quickdraw or Sundance, or you’re entering the Vasquez Ridge area from Eagle Wind’s pod, go to the mid-station.
The only trail within the pod where returning to the bottom is required is Buckaroo. (Also true of Gambler, Aces & Eights, and Chuckwagon, but I figure most people skiing those trails are doing so to get back to the Olympia Express.)
I’m guessing you are referring to the quad this one replaced, but I’m honestly not surprised it was scrapped if it was. It was quite old for a detachable lift. Still had a chain drive the last time I rode it, plus it was an Alpha-Falcon terminal. It’d be good in a museum, but that’s about it.
So why does Leitner-Poma have the jog/bubble design on their detachable chair mid stations, but Doppelmayr models usually go straight through? Is there an advantage to this design?
it appears to me that it would allowed a more straight on load and thus creating a situation where passengers will have less trouble and cutting down on misleads
Can you provide an example Doppelmayr? The only ones I know of that feature mid-station loading either have a turn at the mid-station, or the dog leg. For instance, the Collins lift at Alta doesn’t have the dog leg, but it turns anyway, so you still get straight loading for the most part. I’m guessing the ones that go straight through are for unloading, rather than loading, in which case you’ll quickly match and surpass the speed of the chairs as you get off, rather than trying to shuffle between chairs like you would getting on.
Most of the examples I know are Orange Bubble at Park City, Palmer at Timberline, Outlaw at Sundance, which I think are all mid-unloads. Collins is a mid-load but also an angle station to change direction.
I wouldn’t think it would be required for unloading, as you drop down and away rather quickly. You were right about Palmer and Maillard though. I noticed the mid-stations on both are designed to be bypassed, so I’m not sure if that has something to do with the lack of dog leg. Palmer also loads from the wrong side, so that might have something to do with it as well. It could just come down to ski area preference. Both lifts also lack gates as well, and rely on the lifties to prevent loading on an occupied chair. There are definitely Doppelmayr mids with a dog leg though, and I think they are typically the rule, rather than the exception.
The Rosskarbahn quad in Obergurgl, Austria had a dog leg both at the mid-station AND at the bottom. It was replaced by a gondola in 2021. One of the more unique installations I’ve seen is the Väst 6 pack in Idre Fjäll, Sweden. It’s midstation is basically comprised of 3 Uni-G structures in a ‘Y’ configuration, rather than simply a small dogleg, and this allows for both loading and unloading at the mid-station.
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Amazing upgrade! Totally worth it! It was so fun hiking up all summer to see the progress!
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I believe this is the first lift built by Leitner-Poma to have that half station in the LPA style terminal.
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Yes, it is. The operators can also adjust the system so more chairs load/don’t load at the base or mid depending on how busy both are.
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Truly beautiful lift.
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Very cool new LPA, and interesting mid-station design. I was somewhat surprised to find out this lift sends every other chair empty for the mid-station, as I know the Peak 8 SuperConnect at Breck gets the same job done with only a third of the chairs sent empty for the mid, and it seems like it would be a busier lift overall (But I could be wrong, Colorado is not my home territory).
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I was there yesterday and they seemed to be doing every third chair. I believe it does vary on lift lines at the base and midstation.
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On Wild Spur and the Peak 8 SuperConnect, it’s up to the operators to adjust a sensor at the base terminal to decide the interval of empty chairs. It’s always every other or third chair that’s sent through empty, and another series of sensors at midway are programmed to open the gates when they detect an empty chair.
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How does the system know if a chair is empty? The weight of the chair?
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@TXSKIER
Apon entering the mid-station, there is a photo eye that looks for legs. If no legs detected, the gates will open to allow skiers to get on. This happens to every chair, not just the empty ones being sent up from the bottom.
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Yes this is the same system as the Peak 8 SuperConnect.
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same system at okemo to determine which bubbles close and which stay open. Works great until a novice operator walks in front of the sensors!
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Why is this relatively new lift designed with no leg rests, but just a cross-lap safety bar? Sunnyside also has no leg rests and was built recently. Is there any practical / engineering reason for this on modern high speed 4 and 6 packs where leg rests have been standard for decades. I can’t believe that the cost savings would be significant (maybe 1 or 2% if even that), unless it drastically changes the design of the terminals.
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It’s probably the opposite of the SuperConnect as far as passenger flow, although it’s been years since I’ve skied Winter Park. I used to lap the old chairlift quite often, so the mid-station would be great for that, whereas the bottom would probably only be used for people to ski over initially. The bottom section is so flat, I don’t see many people trying to lap it to the bottom.
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If you’re coming in from Shootout, Stagecoach, Quickdraw or Sundance, or you’re entering the Vasquez Ridge area from Eagle Wind’s pod, go to the mid-station.
The only trail within the pod where returning to the bottom is required is Buckaroo. (Also true of Gambler, Aces & Eights, and Chuckwagon, but I figure most people skiing those trails are doing so to get back to the Olympia Express.)
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It is hard to see, but tower 9 is facing uphill, or towards the midstation, just a few degrees.
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Unfortunatly scrapped I believe :(
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I’m guessing you are referring to the quad this one replaced, but I’m honestly not surprised it was scrapped if it was. It was quite old for a detachable lift. Still had a chain drive the last time I rode it, plus it was an Alpha-Falcon terminal. It’d be good in a museum, but that’s about it.
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So why does Leitner-Poma have the jog/bubble design on their detachable chair mid stations, but Doppelmayr models usually go straight through? Is there an advantage to this design?
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it appears to me that it would allowed a more straight on load and thus creating a situation where passengers will have less trouble and cutting down on misleads
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Can you provide an example Doppelmayr? The only ones I know of that feature mid-station loading either have a turn at the mid-station, or the dog leg. For instance, the Collins lift at Alta doesn’t have the dog leg, but it turns anyway, so you still get straight loading for the most part. I’m guessing the ones that go straight through are for unloading, rather than loading, in which case you’ll quickly match and surpass the speed of the chairs as you get off, rather than trying to shuffle between chairs like you would getting on.
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Most of the examples I know are Orange Bubble at Park City, Palmer at Timberline, Outlaw at Sundance, which I think are all mid-unloads. Collins is a mid-load but also an angle station to change direction.
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Maillard Express at Le Massif has a straight midstation with loading.
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I wouldn’t think it would be required for unloading, as you drop down and away rather quickly. You were right about Palmer and Maillard though. I noticed the mid-stations on both are designed to be bypassed, so I’m not sure if that has something to do with the lack of dog leg. Palmer also loads from the wrong side, so that might have something to do with it as well. It could just come down to ski area preference. Both lifts also lack gates as well, and rely on the lifties to prevent loading on an occupied chair. There are definitely Doppelmayr mids with a dog leg though, and I think they are typically the rule, rather than the exception.
The Rosskarbahn quad in Obergurgl, Austria had a dog leg both at the mid-station AND at the bottom. It was replaced by a gondola in 2021. One of the more unique installations I’ve seen is the Väst 6 pack in Idre Fjäll, Sweden. It’s midstation is basically comprised of 3 Uni-G structures in a ‘Y’ configuration, rather than simply a small dogleg, and this allows for both loading and unloading at the mid-station.
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Palmer Express at Timberline is a mid-station with loading and no turn.
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What is the benefit/need of the midstation? Never skied Winter Park but couldn’t this lift have just gone w/o one?
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The midstation eliminated the need to ski a long flat catwalk down to the base terminal. From what I see it also boosted capacity.
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That “bubble” on the midstation sticks out like a sore thumb!
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