This lift replaced a CTEC fixed grip quad in a new alignment for the 2021-22 ski season.It was built in house by Holiday Valley employees.The line is short with only 7 towers.Arriving at the top terminal next to the Mardi Gras Xpress.Unloading area.Uni-G return terminal.Upper station overview.Breakover towers 6 and 7.Underside of the top station.Looking down at the drive.Tower 1.Tower 3.Agamatic grip.Tower 5.View back down the lift line.Looking back at the base area.Tower 2.Chair 1 in gold paint scheme.Tower 6.Uphill end of the top station.Doppelmayr Connect control pedestal.Lift overview.
5 thoughts on “Yodeler Express – Holiday Valley, NY”
skitheeastDecember 11, 2021 / 12:10 pm
I get they wanted a high-speed lift out of Yodeler Lodge, but man this lift is short. It could be argued that no lift at Holiday Valley besides Mardi Gras really needs to be detachable for the ride time, but this one is so short. I feel as though Spruce would have made more sense.
They mainly did it for the easier loading and unloading, and like you said, to get a detachable out of Yodeler Lodge. The speed is only 800 fpm, because 1000 just isn’t needed with the lift being so short. The chairs are spaced closer than most detachables, so the capacity is 2400 at 800 fpm.
Just like the new Mardi Gras, I got to ride this one today too. The realignment of the lift so that the top terminal is adjacent to Mardi Gras is excellent, so that Tannenbaum and Morningstar can be skied from the top of Yodeler without hiking uphill, but honestly the old lift should have been aligned like that from the start. Otherwise, I would have argued that the detachable upgrade should have gone to Cindy’s rather than Yodeler. Just like the new MGX, speed is slower but chair spacing is too close to make loading “easier”, and this lift is still slowing and stopping too much. The only thing that I saw wrong with Yodeler, besides the alignment mentioned before, was that the chair spacing on the fixed grip was way too close as well, which could have been redone over the summer to simply make the existing lift easier to ride… it already moved at a solid 360 fpm…
Just to touch on why HV opted for Yodeler to go detachable, even though the old lift technically had a slightly higher capacity than this one, as you mentioned, the close chair spacing made the lift very difficult to load, and thus, the lift would often slow or stop. Additionally, despite being surrounded by mostly “expert” terrain, this lift serves as the only connector lift from the Tannenbaum and Spruce areas back to the rest of the resort. This means that you have skiers of all ability levels on this lift, and the old fixed grip with its short spacing was not exactly friendly to many beginners, which is what led to its frequent stops. I personally have noticed significantly fewer stoppages of the new lift compared to the old one. So, by making Yodeler detachable, loading is easier, as you mentioned but this lift is not as much of a chokepoint as the old lift due to easier loading, even despite the old lift having a slightly higher capacity.
No reason for this being here,. Should’ve installed it at Spruce or Cindy. Less capacity but it does access candy cane easier. Hate the bars since it always hits my helmet. It’s much faster and it accesses everything.
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I get they wanted a high-speed lift out of Yodeler Lodge, but man this lift is short. It could be argued that no lift at Holiday Valley besides Mardi Gras really needs to be detachable for the ride time, but this one is so short. I feel as though Spruce would have made more sense.
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They mainly did it for the easier loading and unloading, and like you said, to get a detachable out of Yodeler Lodge. The speed is only 800 fpm, because 1000 just isn’t needed with the lift being so short. The chairs are spaced closer than most detachables, so the capacity is 2400 at 800 fpm.
LikeLike
Just like the new Mardi Gras, I got to ride this one today too. The realignment of the lift so that the top terminal is adjacent to Mardi Gras is excellent, so that Tannenbaum and Morningstar can be skied from the top of Yodeler without hiking uphill, but honestly the old lift should have been aligned like that from the start. Otherwise, I would have argued that the detachable upgrade should have gone to Cindy’s rather than Yodeler. Just like the new MGX, speed is slower but chair spacing is too close to make loading “easier”, and this lift is still slowing and stopping too much. The only thing that I saw wrong with Yodeler, besides the alignment mentioned before, was that the chair spacing on the fixed grip was way too close as well, which could have been redone over the summer to simply make the existing lift easier to ride… it already moved at a solid 360 fpm…
LikeLike
Just to touch on why HV opted for Yodeler to go detachable, even though the old lift technically had a slightly higher capacity than this one, as you mentioned, the close chair spacing made the lift very difficult to load, and thus, the lift would often slow or stop. Additionally, despite being surrounded by mostly “expert” terrain, this lift serves as the only connector lift from the Tannenbaum and Spruce areas back to the rest of the resort. This means that you have skiers of all ability levels on this lift, and the old fixed grip with its short spacing was not exactly friendly to many beginners, which is what led to its frequent stops. I personally have noticed significantly fewer stoppages of the new lift compared to the old one. So, by making Yodeler detachable, loading is easier, as you mentioned but this lift is not as much of a chokepoint as the old lift due to easier loading, even despite the old lift having a slightly higher capacity.
LikeLike
No reason for this being here,. Should’ve installed it at Spruce or Cindy. Less capacity but it does access candy cane easier. Hate the bars since it always hits my helmet. It’s much faster and it accesses everything.
LikeLike