Superstar chair

[jimmywilson69]

especially when 6 people get off and have to hike up over the glacier for half the season.

[newpylong1]

The comments on air are correct. On the older fixed grips there is literally a manual level that you pump up the service brake to release it.

I think if you did a true capacity study the Superstar pod would support a 6 pack but could also remain a quad.

[snoloco]

If Snowdon can support a 6 pack, then Superstar can too. The trails are much wider. The unloading area only feels small because it's uphill to get anywhere. If the top terminal is built higher, then it will be much better. At the bottom, it should have a side load and rotate the opposite direction to eliminate the awkward 180 degree turn. This would also mean less snow is required to keep the runout to the lift skiable. Side loading works better for 6 packs because the chairs are spaced further apart, and the wider terminals allow for more space. The trail is more than wide enough for a 6 pack without any additional tree clearing. Fewer chairs also make it much easier to build a parking rail so that the chairs can be removed during bad weather or snowmaking. No reason not to upgrade.

[Mister Moose]

If Snowdon can support a 6 pack, then Superstar can too. The trails are much wider. The unloading area only feels small because it's uphill to get anywhere. If the top terminal is built higher, then it will be much better. At the bottom, it should have a side load and rotate the opposite direction to eliminate the awkward 180 degree turn. This would also mean less snow is required to keep the runout to the lift skiable. Side loading works better for 6 packs because the chairs are spaced further apart, and the wider terminals allow for more space. The trail is more than wide enough for a 6 pack without any additional tree clearing. Fewer chairs also make it much easier to build a parking rail so that the chairs can be removed during bad weather or snowmaking. No reason not to upgrade.

Nowhere near the same situation as Snowdon. Snowdon has no other lift feeding the top half, Skyelark, Gateway et al and Bittersweet already get fed by Superstar Quad, Skyeship and Skye Peak quad. And Bittersweet gets further fed by the NEQ.

Second consideration is cost. If the towers get re-used, the cost would be even less to keep it a quad. Lift lines at Superstar don't warrant a 6 pack either. If you don't have a frequent long lift line (Like at Ramshead) why would you spend the $$ on a 6 pack?

[G-smashed]

Just curious... How do other Yan / Poma conversions hold up after 20 years+ of use? I'd like to hear from someone who knows something about this, not trolls like Downdraft and Bay Five. What about the 2 at Pico?

[newpylong1]

I think it should be assumed they aren't going to reinstall another quad and it will be a 6. If capacity is a concern, it can be installed at or near current capacity but engineered to grow.

Don't think the towers will be re-used regardless if they kept it a quad. Skye Peak towers were re-used because it was 16 years ago and there is no notion of a World Cup on Skye Burst. Even if they don't want an entirely different alignment, they will likely want to tweak tower locations.

[snoloco]

The Yan to Poma conversions have lasted far longer than I think anyone thought they would, but at this point they've all far overstayed their welcome. They can't run as fast, have frequent breakdowns, and use a lot of parts that aren't on any other lifts.

There's zero chance the towers get reused. It was done with the Skye Peak Express, but that was only a 24 year old lift when it was replaced. Superstar will be 38 years old if it's replaced in 2025, and no one builds lifts with profiles like that anymore. They usually have taller but fewer towers, and no new detachable has that sudden of a breakover.

[Skid Mark]

The Superstar chair is fine the way it is. Just fix the brake issue.

[daytripper]

I can't see why supe chair is the priority, skyeship should be at least refurbished and ramshead should be replaced with a 6 pack before supe gets touched, they just want a shiny new toy on TV for thanksgiving.

[easyrider16]

From K's perspective, seems to me Superstar is the obvious choice by process of elimination. They probably don't want to replace the Ramshead or Snowshed lifts because the village construction. As discussed in other threads, I really don't see them investing much in the Skyship because the ROI is not great. On the other hand, apart from K1, Superstar is probably the most important lift on the mountain right now and ROI for that one is probably much better.

[newpylong1]

I can't see why supe chair is the priority, skyeship should be at least refurbished and ramshead should be replaced with a 6 pack before supe gets touched, they just want a shiny new toy on TV for thanksgiving.

I think from an outside perspective this is 100% true, but from what I have heard SS is only reliable because of the TLC it gets before and during the season. Like a mechanic needing to be available through daily operations dedicated to it whereas other lifts have floaters between them. If that is indeed the case, then the replacement requirement leans more towards SS's favor. RH needs more capacity, but it also is reliable as is, and the layout may change with the Village.

At this point Skyeship needs new cabins regardless of what they do with any other lift, and it needed them yesterday.

[jimmywilson69]

I was told when I was there in March by someone who claimed to used to work there that the SS replaced was scheduled for this year, until the party who was going to by the lift backed out.

AS has been said on here somewhere, FIS hates Tower 3 location and the lift crossing. I can't see them really realigning it, but a complete span seems pretty easy.

Also I didn't realize the tires in the stations were solid. LOL It makes sense. I have solid tires for my wheel barrow and that's a lot less critical than a detachable lift.

[snoloco]

Zero chance Superstar finds a buyer. When it's replaced, it's getting scrapped, just like the old Barker lift at Sunday River.

Not surprised it needs constant attention from lift maintenance. It needed to be replaced years ago, but Powdr/Killington has a long history of keeping lifts long past the end of their useful lives.

As for Skyeship, I don't think it's as bad as some people on here say it is. Its issues are highlighted by the fact that it has no redundancy. Many times the bubble or K1 is delayed, but people don't notice because you can just take one of the many other lifts that you can ski to. If Skyeship breaks down, even for only 15 minutes, then they have to shuttle people to other base areas.

The cabins are the biggest issue, and actually cause a lot of the stops. Every gondola stops automatically if a door doesn't close properly. That might happen multiple times with a particular cabin before they realize the mechanism is faulty and the cabin gets tagged out. Each time it happens, the lift will stop.

The problem with a cabin replacement is of course the cost. It's about 40k per cabin, and Skyeship has over 100. While there isn't any ROI, it will ensure that the lift can continue to operate for many years to come.

[skiadikt]

From K's perspective, seems to me Superstar is the obvious choice by process of elimination. They probably don't want to replace the Ramshead or Snowshed lifts because the village construction. As discussed in other threads, I really don't see them investing much in the Skyship because the ROI is not great. On the other hand, apart from K1, Superstar is probably the most important lift on the mountain right now and ROI for that one is probably much better.

regarding the skyeship, from what i've "heard", a stumbling block is it would be a a major expenditure for a very short season - barely 3 months for stage 1. obviously something needs to be done at some point, even if it's only cabin replacement. but as loco points out, that alone is $4 mil.

as others have said, after skyeship, a ramshead 6 should be next but that's probably beholden to the village. supe is probably ready and that will jump to the head of the line because of F.I.S. demands. thought i saw diagrams where the bottom terminal would be in the vicinity of the ubar. certainly would make for easier loading for folks leaving the base lodge.

[newpylong1]

They got the acreage banked for a new lift line for sure... thinking something like this?

Untitled.png (1.33 MiB) Viewed 282 times