Snowbird
Construction crews at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Utah, spent part of the summer installing a new Garaventa CTEC high-speed detachable quad on their backside, Mineral Basin. The new lift, now the second of two in the basin, climbs 992 vertical feet along a line length of 3,781 feet. Its design capacity is 2,000 pph, but Snowbird is running it at 1,800 pph using 62 chairs for a VTFH of 1,785.6. The lift creates a link between the resort and its neighbor by depositing skiers at the top of a saddle that opens up into Alta Ski Area. The installation required the bottom terminal location to be graded significantly, which removed 7,000 cubic yards of waste rock left over from an old mine. After state environmental officials made sure it contained no contaminants, the rock was used to modify part of a slope and to smooth the approach to the loading area of the adjacent quad. Finally, it was all capped with topsoil.
At the top of the new lift, in order to comply with requests from Alta town residents who wanted the terminal to remain hidden from view, workers had to dig a 25-foot-deep shelf into the mountainside to keep the lift below the ridgeline. In all, the crew blasted close to 3,000 cubic yards of rock for the lift project. The top terminal placement also required a right-angle unload and Garaventa engineered a 2.8 degree bend in the middle of the lift so it would avoid a section of protected Forest Service land as well as a slide path near the top. The new lift provides more intermediate terrain as well as the interconnect with Alta. A daily ticket is available only to skiers because Alta does not allow snowboarding.
Whiteface Mountain
Whiteface Mountain, N.Y., cut a new slope, installed snowmaking, built a weir to monitor stream flows and put the finishing touches on its expanded base lodge this past summer. Bedrock had to be blasted and about six acres of trees were removed to create a new trail with the appropriate grade and width to pass International Ski Federation (FIS) muster. The trail was cut adjacent to a trail that was used for the 1980 Olympic giant slalom but is considered too steep and too narrow for current FIS standards. The new trail uses some existing parts of trails and adds a new section halfway down. It is designed to handle both GS and slalom with multiple starting locations, is a more visible venue from the parking area and has good spectator access from adjacent trails. It also means the old racing trail will be open to the public throughout the year, creating more intermediate terrain on the bottom half. Workers also installed 3,300 feet of 10-inch pipe and 3,000 feet of six-inch pipe to cover the trail with snow, according to engineering by Sno.matic. Management also added 12 new HKD Spectrum snow guns to the resort arsenal.
Other summer work included the installation of a weir on the west branch of the Ausable River as part of an ongoing plan to monitor stream flows. The weir is outfitted with a Parshall Flume and instrumentation that will automatically signal snowmakers to adjust withdrawals if flows drop below a certain level. Finally, additional lockers were added to the expanded and redesigned base lodge. The lodge was increased by 8,000 square feet (construction was completed last winter) and now contains rentals, ticket sales and group sales all on the same level as the gondola loading platform. Eventually, the ski school will also be moved to that level.
Bridger Bowl
To replace the Riblet double it removed and sold to Granite Peaks, Wis., Bridger Bowl, Mont., installed a new fixed-grip triple this past summer. The new Garaventa CTEC triple replaces the ski area’s most heavily used chair and will climb 1,182 vertical feet over the previous lift line of 4,385 feet. It has a design capacity of 1,800 pph, but will open with 146 chairs for an operating capacity of 1,500 pph. The lift’s VTFH will stand at 1,773. Part of the project involved regrading work at the top terminal to widen the unloading area. The lift will provide access to both intermediate and advanced terrain. Management at the community ski area contracted for the new lift to increase uphill capacity and install a lift capable of operating more reliably in high winds.
Granite Peaks
Granite Peaks, Wis., was a busy location this past summer season as workers installed two refurbished Riblet chairlifts, added snowmaking and increased lighting for night skiing operations as part of a three-year improvement plan. Mad River Lifts installed a 1985 Riblet monorail triple purchased from Brighton, Utah, that climbs 539 vertical feet over a line length of 3,084 feet. It is opening at its design capacity of 1,800 pph and will run 137 chairs for a total VTFH of 970.2. The lift engineering and construction company also installed a 1978 Riblet double purchased from Bridger Bowl, Mont., that climbs 487 vertical feet along a line length of 2,247 feet. It is going to open at its design capacity of 1,200 pph for a VTFH of 584.4. Rounding out summer construction, Granite Peaks increased snowmaking for the second year by adding 15,000 feet of snowmaking pipe, installing 80 custom-made air-water towers and purchasing 16 Areco Cub fan guns. They also installed 80 light towers to add 30 more trails to the area’s night skiing operation.
Sky Tavern
A crew at Reno-owned Sky Tavern, Nevada—home of the non-profit Sky Tavern Junior Ski Program—installed a refurbished 1984 Yan triple chair donated by Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe. The lift replaces a 1968 Poma platter lift and climbs 481 vertical feet over a length of 1,293 feet. It operates with 54 chairs at a capacity of 1,800 pph for a VTFH of 865.8. The donated lift was installed to provide better access to its more advanced trails and will specifically aid the program’s adaptive and snowboard students. Local donations and corporate sponsorships from the Reno-Sparks area helped pay for the engineering and a helicopter at the ski area, while the balance of installation was accomplished with donated labor.
Wintergreen
The summer saw two projects undertaken at Wintergreen, Va. Management spent an estimated $1.8 million on building a Poma detachable six-seater in place of a circa 1975 Borvig triple. Both terminal locations were regraded and the lift line was relocated to improve skier flow. The new lift, engineered by Poma in collaboration with Ericksen Associates, climbs 400 vertical feet over a length of 2,400 feet. It has 35 chairs and an initial capacity of 2,400 pph for a VTFH of 960. To provide an adequate unloading area for the six-pack, the top terminal of another triple was relocated 60 feet downhill from its previous location.
Crews also replaced existing tubing with a new 10-lane tubing hill that was expected to be completed at the end of December. The hill is being served by a Multi-Skilift double handle tow and will have a total 100 feet of vertical. Over its 900-foot total length, tubers will descend for 600 feet and then have a 300-foot runout. A total 13 acres of trees had to be cleared and 100,000 cubic yards of dirt was moved to create the hill. Despite numerous test digs, two underground springs were uncovered during construction, necessitating the creation of diversion drains.
