- Arapahoe Basin
- Aspen Highlands
- Aspen Mountain
- Beaver Creek
- Breckenridge
- Buttermilk
- Chapman Hill
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- Copper Mountain
- Cranor Hill
- Crested Butte
- Cuchara
- Echo Mountain
- Eldora
- Estes Park Tramway
- Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
- Granby Ranch
- Hesperus
- Howelsen Hill
- Kendall Mountain
- Keystone
- Lake City
- Loveland
- Monarch Crest
- Monarch Mountain
- Powderhorn
- Purgatory
- Royal Gorge
- Santa’s Workshop
- Silverton Mountain
- Ski Cooper
- Steamboat
- Snowmass
- Sunlight
- Telluride
- Vail
- Water World
- Winter Park
- Wolf Creek
Lift Blog
Just curious, do you know where the lift at Silverton Mountain came from?
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Chair 15 at Mammoth, I believe. I know I still need to add Silverton to the database along with Crested Butte, Monarch, Monarch Crest and Royal Gorge.
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You’ll enjoy Crested Butte, I’ve been there a couple times before. They have this cool old Riblet Center Pole Double called Teocalli too that still regularly runs.
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Hey, Allertorsiren05 are you on ARS?
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Chair 15? Boy, that’s quite the change in pitch.
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Can’t be chair 15 because chair 15 had non-bullwheel loading just like 12, 13, and 14.
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The lift’s original configuration means very little. We took a remote-drive non-bullwheel-loading bottom drive lift and turned it into a fixed top drive bullwheel unloading lift. I don’t know much about Mammoth’s original lifts, or even their new ones, but once a lift is removed and re-engineered you can build what you want with it.
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It came from Mammoth. It’s to my belief that he got the lift for free too since he was an employee there for a number of years before starting up Silverton.
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I heard that he found it in the dump from the newspaper, and then installed it by hand
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I see you added Crested Butte, so you’re only 2 away from finishing Colorado. One small error I noticed in the Crested Butte page is that the Red Lady Express actually replaced a Poma triple which became East River, till it was replaced with another high speed quad. The page for that lift says it replaced a Riblet double.
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The new American Flyer lift opened today!
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Cranor ski area poma?
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I went by there when I skied Crested Butte and it was closed with no trespassing signs everywhere. Also need to get Silverton still.
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I was able to ski Cranor today. Just two Colorado lift left to get…the Lake City Poma and Silverton double chair.
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Peter, any trips planned to Marble or Stagecoach?
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Don’t forget Chapman Hill in Durango.
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Chapman currently only has a ropetow. They are looking to build a double or triple though. https://skimap.org/data/3296/3096/1521834668.jpeg
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They added a platter in the 2024-25 ski season
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Does anyone know why Rendezvous and Sierra are Yan lifts with Doppymyer chairs?
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Chair replacement. The old chairs probably failed NDT.
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Both R & S lifts have not only Doppelmayr chairs but also sheave assemblies. The 82 & 83 Yans had the S-2 Sheave assemblies that were succeptible to sheave flange failure. The chairs with the plastic seats ( that we named “The flying couches”) were very comefortable but thought to be unsafe after the Teller lift accident at Keystone- thus the chairs were also replaced.
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R & S had the all steel yan chairs when I first started at Copper, those chairs went to loveland for chair 2 when the D-CTEC chairs replaced them in 2006 so the new chairs must be the 3rd set on the lifts.
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I’d be curious to hear the details on old Geneva Basin’s chairs if anyone has the info.
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They had a ‘high-speed’ Pomalift, which was most likely like the old H-90 at Loveland or similar to our old Storm King. There was a Heron centre-pole double, much like old chairs 1, 2, 3, and 4 at Loveland aside from the chairs. The last owners were in the process of building a Borvig triple but never completed it due to financial constraints. More info at coloradoskihistory.com
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Once again a lost area looks to reopen only to disappear back into darkness. I’m guessing they gave up on Stagecoach?
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Does any one know what happened to the lift at Heritage Square in Golden? It’s a hall double.
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most of heritage square shut down and they took out the alpine slide and the lift. I dont know what they did with the lift i just know that it isnt there anymore
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I found a video of the lift:
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here are some more photos http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/areapictures/other.html
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Anyone know where the Poma triple at Pike’s Peak went? It was only a few years old when removed.
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It went to Franz’s at whistler.
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It also currently has Omega chairs and the drive terminal was converted from bottom to top. Also has some Doppelmayr towers, sheaves, and grips.
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Unless I missed something, it does not have any Doppelmayr grips. They wouldn’t fit in Poma chair heads in any case. It once had first-generation Arceaux carriers like Gold Link at the Butte or my L-lift, but at some point WB replaced them with the current Omega ones. Rob would know more.
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Heh, never knew that. Although the grips did look oddly suspicious…
Gold Link at the Butte has a pretty nice drive motor sound. Lumberjack with the unique chairs, Old Poma triples in Colorado were quite unusual.
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That triple was moved to Whistler as the peak chair and was relocated to what is now the Franz’s triple
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Does anyone know what happens to the broadmoor ski area
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Ski Broadmoor in Colorado (closed 1991)
http://coloradoskihistory.com/lost/broadmoor.html
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Here’s my prediction for 2022 lift projects in Colorado.
Epic
Vail:
Replace Game Creek with a 3,200 pph 6 pack. This lift has some long lines and its old built in 1985.
Replace Orient Express with a 2,800 pph high speed quad or a HSS. Orient is also getting old also being a CLD-260
Beaver Creek:
Replace Arrowhead with a new HSQ at the same capacity. This lift needs to be replaced due to age.
Ikon
Steamboat:
Put in Pioneer Express which would be as 1,200 pph HSQ. Trails for pioneer are being cut this summer but no lift yet. It appears the lift line is also being cut so I would not be surprised to see a Pioneer express in 2022.
I can’t think of anything else for Ikon or Epic in Colorado so what do you guys think of what else will be put in?
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I could see Breck doing a high speed quad upgrade to one of their Riblets before the decade is over (likely Lift 5 or C).
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Also I could see Copper upgrade and extend Alpine and upgrade Lumberjack to a HSQ
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No and maybe. I have not heard of any plans to replace A-lift; we’re doing a drive and control upgrade this summer so that’ll probably put the lie to my statement. As for L, it’s been planned for a couple years but no word on when. I’m trying to throw money at it because historically that’s how lifts get replaced here :)
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Page 12 of the 2011 master plan says “Upgrade the Alpine Lift to a detachable lift and extend the top terminal up-mountain.” Later on they describe it as the longest ride on the mountain (by time) and over their acceptable limit of 10 minutes. That report was drafted 9 years ago, so granted things change.
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A-lift stops like five times a season, so the long ride time isn’t bad. Plus everyone who rides it isn’t looking for a high-speed lift. Yes, it’s on the master plan, but it’ll be a while until it happens and only because it’s at the end of its lifespan and not for any other reason.
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I doubt Vail gets two lifts when there is more needed elsewhere in the empire. Game Creek really needs to become a six-pack, and it has been rumored/planned for years, so perhaps 2022 will be the year it gets done. I also doubt Beaver Creek gets anything in 2022 after two lifts in McCoy Park in 2021. Vail is giving Colorado is five new lifts in 2021 (Peru 2.0 at Keystone, infill at Breck, McCoy I and II at Beaver Creek, Peachtree at Crested Butte), and I feel like that is a lot. Perhaps three is a better number for the state. Given that as the target number, I would guess Bergman Bowl at Keystone, Game Creek at Vail, and something at Crested Butte (their master plan has a lot of fun lifts to choose from).
It is too soon to judge for Alterra. If they go the Vail route and simply execute all of their lift projects from last year during 2021, then Pioneer at Steamboat would make a lot of sense. Winter Park could also get something in their endless pursuit to have it compete against Vail’s Summit County titans.
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Update: Pioneer won’t be built until everything else on the master plan is done.
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I could see Winter Park updating Pioneer Express to a Speedy Six in the following 1-2 years
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What do you mean by a “Speedy Six?”
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Does anyone still build super high capacity quads? I though they have been pretty much replaced by six packs entirely for new builds.
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I think the shifts have been to reduce misloads.
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I was looking on Google earth and one of the lifts at Stagecoach is still standing. Not sure which lift it is or if the land is opened to the public but it is there.
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Coordinates of bottom bull wheel are 40°15’08’’N 106°51’25’’W
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Actually, 2 out of their 3 lifts are still standing. The main lift was removed a while ago, probably when the area first closed.
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The main lift went to Granby Ranch then to Winter park as the old timberline chair
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Does Lee’s Ski Hill count as a ski resort? I know it has like one rope tow but still.
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I don’t think it does here because Peter dosent count rope tows as lifts. Supposedly Lee’s ski hill is the smallest ski area in USA.
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Peter, you should get stagecoach because some of the lifts are still standing there.
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Probably wouldn’t be able to get permission to go onto the property. Here ya go.
http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/stagecoach.html
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I am surprised there aren’t more ski areas in Northwest Colorado. There are plenty of good mountains there and good amounts of snow. Could it be lack of visitation behind not many resorts being there?
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If you’ve ever been to northwest CO you’ll know that there are many factors behind this. The area is remote, practically roadless, and very thinly populated. Once you get west of Craig and north of Rifle there just isn’t much to support a ski area. There are a couple of small ranching towns in the Rio Blanco/White River valley and that’s about it.
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There’s not a whole lot of population between Steamboat and Vernal. We all know that Vernal couldn’t handle a ski area of any size. It’s too far from Denver and Salt Lake to see any sort of tourism.
Lost ski areas near Vernal:
Lost ski areas in Northwest Colorado:
http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/index_nws.html
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I can testify to the remoteness of that are because I went on a road trip along US 40 through that area about 11 years ago.
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Your correct on it being too remote, I have been up there and there is practically nothing around. There have been a few proposals north of Clark on Sand Mountain and Meaden Peak but Steamboat probably gets all of those visitors already.
Info about proposals and lost ski areas near steamboat
https://www.steamboatpilot.com/explore-steamboat/lost-ski-resorts-of-routt-county/
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I went to Colorado in late June 2018 and would’ve definitely tried to ski the limited patches of snow left but I made the mistake of leaving my skis in NH, either this winter or the next I’ll get a chance to go out West
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When will he get the pics of the new lifts at beaver creek
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Soon!
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Hey Peter, could you maybe get some pictures of the two sled tows at the Fraser tubing hill near Winter Park?
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Pretty sure he doesn’t count tows like that. That’s why there’s no rope tows in the whole database. Has to be a platter or bigger, and although it’s been a while since I’ve been there, my assumption is that they’re more of modified rope tows than anything.
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Yay I’m exited for that
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I know this is off-topic,but in Westcliffe,Colorado there is a camp called Sky Ranch Horn Creek. There is a year-round tubing hill there. It used to be accessed by a chairlift or Poma lift. It sits dismantled and mostly abandoned. I don’t have a photo but it looked cool.
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An article outlining some of the changes at the various ski mountains here in Colorado for this season.
https://kdvr.com/news/local/ski-resort-changes-you-can-expect-in-colorado/
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Granby Ranch added safety bars to its 2 chairlifts that didn’t have them before…per their Facebook page.
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I wonder if they are ever planning to open up Cuchara? It looked like it could get a lot of business from the locals.
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They ran a ski sled up the mountain this pass weekend for skiers to get up the slopes and plan to do it again next weekend if conditions permit. Latest on chair 4 opening. https://www.cucharamountainpark.org/progress
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It is nice to see that they are revamping the lifts to make them more enjoyable and safer for future guests.
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I have heard that the Idaho Springs gondola will begin construction in what sounds like the summer of 2024 and finish in the spring of 2025. Last I heard it will be a Leitner-Poma 6-passenger gondola running at 600FPM like the Glenwood gondola. However, the video presented features Omega cabins with LPA terminals.
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According to the 2025 New lifts page, the Argo Mill gondola will be a D-line 8 person Gondola
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A gondola across the Platte River in Denver was proposed. It starts at Union Station and ends in a neighborhood.
Click to access denver-moves-downtown-platte-gondola.pdf
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we don’t need that here in Denver. The place is already a death trap and crime infested and blah.
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Public transportation is usually shown to help poverty and accessibility, therefore reducing crime rates.
Also, Denver isn’t even that bad what are you talking about? Especially these two areas, I’ve been to both Union Station and Highland areas multiple times the last couple months and have yet to have a bad experience. There was even a park in Highland that felt totally safe at like 11pm without a single sighting of homeless or tweakers, a pretty rare thing for all but the safest cities.
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They had to shut down union station for awhile because of the druggies and crap down there. Every time I go downtown it smells like crap. weed, marijuana, call it what you want, but it smells like shit. No thank you. Denver PD is working hard to try to fix things but like most law enforcement in major cities, they are under funded, underappreciated, and have way too much to try to tackle. No thanks.
https://denverite.com/2022/05/13/denver-union-station-arrests-tickets-numbers-violent-crime-drugs-addiction-treatment-homelessness-mayor-michael-hancock/
https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/05/15/union-station-denver-arrests-crime/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/unsafe-union-station-denver-crime-drugs-bus-terminal-rtd/
Decide for yourself.
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Really great article about shuttered ski area called Ski Broadmoor, which was run for awhile by the Broadmoor hotel. Shows a few photos of the Riblet lift that had been there. Vail tried to run it for a season or two but couldn’t make it work out.
https://www.denver7.com/skibroadmoor
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A proposed Gondola here in Downtown Denver. A terrible idea, I think.
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/denver-businessman-proposes-a-gondola-for-downtown-denvers-future
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Why do you think it’s a terrible idea?
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Idaho Springs Argo Gondola (Being called Mighty Argo Cable Car) update:
https://kdvr.com/news/local/idaho-springs-gondola-project-underway-expected-to-open-march-2026/
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Another story about Argo from another news site
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/argo-gondola-idaho-springs-mill-tunnel-cable-car-colorado-construction/
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There is a defunct ski area called Berthoud Pass that people still ski at. The forest service removed both the lifts (A Borvig quad and a Borvig triple) and the lodge, but it’s still skiable! It actually had one of the first chairlifts and ropetows in Colorado, which were both replaced.
https://oceanhero.today/images?q=beethoud+pass+lift&id=8C1268D064006A8D0808C9515B3BCBFA1E93CCD0
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Wrong link:
https://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/bpass.html
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Apparently, the Yan (Lift Engineering) plastic chair seats (“flying couches,” Michael, 10 Feb 2019) were affected by the sun’s UV rays. It likely made them brittle, particularly in their cold environment. The Teller lift accident may have been a contributing factor. In 1983 Steamboat had two of these Yan triple-chairs installed, Storm Peak and Sundown. (They both had “bullwheel catchers” installed in the aftermath of the Teller accident.) In 1992 the Storm Peak and Sundown triple chairlifts were replaced by high-speed detachable quads by Doppelmayr. Sundown is removed, sold to Killington, VT. (I can’t speak for the fate of its plastic chairs.) The Four Points lift is removed, eliminating a crossover by the Storm Peak triple, which is shortened and renamed Four Points. Its plastic chairs were replaced. The old Four Points lift (Miner-Denver, 1968) is bought by Eldora Ski Area, CO, now the Little Hawk beginner’s lift. The vacated lift-line is named Nelson’s Run.
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I’ve seen that UV damage. I have one of the old couches from our S-lift (still need to build a frame for it) and the underside is jet black while the top is a muted grey and you can see the beginnings of brittle failure.
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