Snowshoe
As part of a three-year expansion project, Snowshoe Mountain, W.V., crews knocked down the Timberline Lodge to clear the way for the $14 million Highland House. Timberline Lodge stood for 21 years and served more than 250,000 guests. The new lodge, to be opened in the summer of 2000, will include 77 ski-in, ski-out units and 13,000 square feet for retail shops and restaurants. The two buildings of the new Rimfire Lodge, which is scheduled to open this season, will house 142 condo units and 9,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The three buildings represent the first three phases of the planned $100 million mountaintop village envisioned by Intrawest Corporation at Snowshoe. Once completed, the village will be home to 600 homes and a total 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
Alpine Valley
Alpine Valley, Wis., replaced a Riblet triple this summer with a new Poma high-speed detachable quad that will carry skiers 1,426 linear feet and climb 290 vertical feet. With a design capacity for 30 chairs, the lift can run at 2,100 pph, for a VTFH of 609. General Manager Connie Schulte said the new “Valley Flyer” would be run “pretty close to that” in order to give advanced skiers the chance to ski more runs because the total trip time has been shortened to 1.6 minutes, bottom to top. At the same time, beginners and intermediates will have an easier time both getting on and off the lift.
Jay Peak
Ever the promoters of eastern tree skiing, operators of Jay Peak, Vt., will be opening a vast 800-acre gladed playground for advanced skiers that will be accessible from points along Ulir’s Ridge beyond the Beaver Pond area. And to help skiers get up to the ridge, crews installed the first Leitner high-speed detachable quad in the east this past summer, replacing the Green Mountain double, an old Hall. The new Green Mountain Flyer climbs 40 percent higher to within 200 vertical feet of the summit for a total vertical climb of 1,620 feet in just 6.9 minutes. The new quad extends 7,400 linear feet to the shoulder of the peak and will go into service with a capacity of 2,400 pph for a VTFH of 3,888 using 138 chairs. Operators will have the option of speeding the lift up to 1,100 feet per minute to reach its design capacity of 2,600 pph. The Green Mountain Flyer will also provide additional access to 95 percent of the terrain served by Jay Peak’s tram and help relieve much of the congestion at its base.
Jackson Hole
Complementing the 1997 installation of the Bridger Bowl gondola at Jackson Hole, Wyo., is this year’s project of installing a new Poma high-speed quad on Apres Vous mountain to provide access to much of the resort’s intermediate terrain. The quad rises 1,748.5 vertical feet over a span of 5,100 linear feet and, with an initial capacity of 2,000 pph using 89 chairs, it has a VTFH of 3,497. With a design capacity of 2,800 pph, the new lift is expected to cut the time it takes to reach the summit in half from 10 minutes to five.
Deer Valley
Construction crews at Deer Valley, Utah, have been busy over the summer installing three new lifts, cutting three new trails and building a new day lodge at the base of the Empire Express and Ruby chairs. The resort also purchased four new Bombardier grooming vehicles (two BR400s and two BR2000s) for this coming season as part of a $5 million improvement plan. One of the resort’s three new runs is an expert trail in the Deer Crest real estate area and the other two are beginner slopes to be accessed by a new triple constructed on Flagstaff Mountain. The triple, a new high-speed detachable quad and a new fixed-grip quad were all manufactured by Garaventa CTEC. The Little Chief triple stretches for 850 linear feet and climbs 300 vertical feet to access the resort’s new family ski area. It will go into service at its design capacity of 1,200 pph with 60 chairs, for a VTFH of 360. The Silver Lake Express detachable quad replaces the Clipper triple with a bottom terminal immediately adjacent to The Carpenter Express bottom terminal at the base area. To keep the two load areas aligned and level, the Carpenter Express bottom terminal was raised two feet and its load area regraded. The new quad climbs 1,134 vertical feet from the resort base before descending 229 feet to Silver Lake Village. It is 6,424 feet long and will open at its design capacity of 2,800 pph with 138 chairs, for a VTFH of 3,175.2. The Homestake fixed-grip quad replaces the Homestake triple and stretches 1,745 feet. It climbs 263 vertical feet with an initial capacity of 2,400 for a VTFH of 613.2. Its design capacity is 2,560 pph with 92 chairs.
Welch Village
Continuing with its five-year, $5 million capital improvement program begun last year, crews at Welch Village Ski and Snowboard Area, Minn., cut a new advanced slope and created some tree skiing. A terrain park and two new halfpipes will also be added to the west ridge. To help with grooming the expanded terrain, Welch purchased a new Pisten Bully 200 as well as a reconditioned pull-type Pipe Dragon. And to access the new terrain as well as existing slopes, Welch installed a new Riblet fixed-grip quad to replace a Hall double chair built in 1969. The quad will climb 290.5 vertical feet over 1,680 linear feet. It’s expected to run at its design capacity of 2,000 pph for a VTFH of 581, running 66 chairs.
Gore Mountain
Gore Mountain Ski Center, NY., added a new gondola over the summer as part of the Olympic Regional Development Authority’s plan to expand the Bear Mountain section of the mountain. The Poma eight-passenger heated gondola, expected to open December 3, will travel 7,156 linear feet and climb 1,693 vertical feet, making the trip in about seven minutes. With an initial capacity of 2,400 passengers per hour (using 73 cabins), the “Northwoods Gondola” will have a VTFH of 4,063. It is designed to carry 85 cabins for a final capacity of 2,800 pph and will give skiers access to all areas of the resort, including four new trails. The path cleared for the gondola route, which was opened to skiers and snowboarders last season, will be converted to a terrain park this season. Further plans at Gore include a summit lodge, a children’s center and an additional lift for Bear Mountain.
