Gore Mountain Adirondack Express Replacement.

Footer wrote

If they could arrange it so it would be easier to get to the high peaks chair then up, that would be great.   Hell, I would love a way to get to the top without taking off my skis... over the last few years that has annoyed me more and more.

What's wrong with taking wood in to the HP chair?  If you have enough speed you can get over there without much poling.  It isn't something I would do on a snowboard but I've done it quite a few times this year in avoiding the gondi.  I think the ADK express is pretty good right where it is.  I wouldn't want it to go to the top of bear mtn.  If you are a snowboarder it is the only way to ride the front of the mountain when it is running.  You can avoid ruby/fairview and still get to the north side, twister and showcase.

Wish they could move the topridge chair to replace high peaks chair and put a high speed lift on topridge.  Then also add the final trail over there on the other side of the lift.  I don't think the topridge chair is long enough though especially to get all the way to the summit.

I know there has been lots of discussion about why the heck they shortened the HP chair since it used to go to the summit.  I was told by an instructor earlier this year that the HP chair was too low when they cut in Rumor and Lies so they had to shorten it.  Not sure if its true but if so it makes sense.

"I know there has been lots of discussion about why the heck they shortened the HP chair since it used to go to the summit.  I was told by an instructor earlier this year that the HP chair was too low when they cut in Rumor and Lies so they had to shorten it.  Not sure if its true but if so it makes sense."

The High Peaks Chair doesn't cross rumor and the clearance at Lies was not an issue. The reason for shortening the chair was to eliminate a bottleneck that resulted in the unloading right on the summit. There used to be skier traffic coming from the old gondola, the Straightbrook and the Summit chair intersecting. At the unloading point, overhead clearance was an issue back when we got real snowstorms. The locations of the most recent lifts have all been planned to spread skiers around the mountain to minimize congestion.

adkskier wrote

"I know there has been lots of discussion about why the heck they shortened the HP chair since it used to go to the summit.  I was told by an instructor earlier this year that the HP chair was too low when they cut in Rumor and Lies so they had to shorten it.  Not sure if its true but if so it makes sense."

The High Peaks Chair doesn't cross rumor and the clearance at Lies was not an issue. The reason for shortening the chair was to eliminate a bottleneck that resulted in the unloading right on the summit. There used to be skier traffic coming from the old gondola, the Straightbrook and the Summit chair intersecting. At the unloading point, overhead clearance was an issue back when we got real snowstorms. The locations of the most recent lifts have all been planned to spread skiers around the mountain to minimize congestion.

I heard 2 other reasons for the shortening of the High Peaks Chair.
In the early 1990s the Straightbrook broke a year before it was due to be replaced by the Quad. They could only find a double to install to get through the next year. This double was then taken over to the High Peaks and since the SB is only about 2700 feet long, that is the reason for the current length of the HP double.
The other reason was there was a plan to have a new 2 stage gondola to the top like the original gondola. The top terminal was going to be near the warming hut and this would have interfered with the original top terminal of the HP chair. These 2 reasons might be related.

I do not ever remember any traffic issues or bottlenecks at the top as the old gondola was delivering about 800/hr and so was each double chair at the time they shortened the HP chair. Those three lifts were up to the top from the late 1960s.

evantful wrote

x10003q wrote

1. The Ad Express is almost 30 years old. It needs to be replaced. HS lifts  from the 1980s have a shelf life.
2. I have never seen the gondola run at 1100 ft/min. It runs at roughly the same speed as the HS3. I have checked at various times over the years.

 I hear you on that, Its def not running at 1100ft/min even though thats what its rated for. Its pretty slow compared to the cloud splitter at whiteface. Im not sure why its never running at its potential. A few friends of mine have commented (who havent been to gore before) how slow it seems to be moving.

It sucks when they run on desiel mid week sometimes to burn down the fuel tank.

I timed it pretty recently and it was running at about 900 fpm.  K1 at Killington and Cloudsplitter at Whiteface run at 1000 fpm and Skyeship at Killington runs at 1200 fpm.  There are also many chairlifts that run faster e.g. Kaatskill flyer at Hunter (1000 fpm) East Peak Express at Windham (1000 fpm), and South Peak Express at Mountain Creek (1100) fpm.

The couldsplitter is rated for 1,200 fpm and I would say its running very close to this rate. It takes a little shorter than 7 1/2 minutes to get to the top of little whiteface and I believe the line length of the lift is about 8500ish ft. Its what makes me notice how slow the Gore gondola runs comparatively, though it does have narrower cab cars which Im sure helps

CONTENTS DELETED

dobermann wrote

Was on high peaks chair yesterday and my nephew and I slammed into the first lift tower (my skis and bottom of chair hit tower).  Lift op did slow chair but after we already hit pretty hard.  HP chair swings and bobs so much on approach to first tower it at times make me nauseous.  HP must be over 40 years old and seems like a very logical replacement to me.

That's just one of the quaint charms of Gore! You probably never experienced the big bounce (vertical and horizontal) on the original gondola.

DackerDan wrote

Yes - the ride can be harsh in the wind tunnel on a cold morning but so is TR3 and BRQ as well as a thousand other lifts around the country. I have ridden in bubble lifts, hate them - after a few years the plastic gets all scratch cracked and broken, a royal PITA for the mountain.

The reason that I think it should be a bubble lift that replaces the Adirondack Express is because I still find myself riding the gondola for every run on the front side, as the spot up at the saddle can be very cold and windy, even when there is not much wind.  Also, if there was another lift that you could ride to get out of the wind, the gondola line would be much shorter.  Maybe just running the gondola at its potential (1110 fpm) would be enough to shorten the line as there would be more capacity.  If the gondola ran at 1110 fpm the ride would be only 6.5 minutes and the capacity would increase by almost 25%.  I think that the best thing to do is leave the express alone, run the gondola at 1110 fpm, and spend the big bucks on other things such as more snowmaking at Burnt Ridge and the Ski Bowl.  This would spread out the crowd and, with the gondola running faster, when the line would normally be 5 minutes, the line would be just under 4 minutes.  This, or make the new express a bubble lift.  Keep in mind, most people who come to Gore aren't as hard core as the people who post on this blog, and I am thinking in terms of what would benefit the majority of the customers.  I agree with your point about how all the bubbles get scratched and it is a pain for the mountain.  I just think that the pros of a bubble lift for the new express outweigh the cons.

The bid specs are out for a detachable quad. No bubble.

adkskier wrote

The bid specs are out for a detachable quad. No bubble.

Just a few questions regarding this information.

Did they even think about making it less windy since all employees have probably ridden it and know how brutally cold it can get at the top?

If the answer to the question above is yes how will they make it less windy?

Following the same line with a lift with no bubble would be a huge mistake since the new lift will probably run at the same speed as the BRQ which feels like 900fpm, faster than the current speed which is 825fpm.  The spot up at the saddle is 10 times colder and windier than any other lift I have ever ridden and the extra speed will only make it worse.  I think that the line should be slightly further away from the gondola and end right up near where the intersection with twister is.  Yeah, it would mean that you would need to take the gondola to get to the saddle but you could still access all front side runs and access the north side, but the ride would be much more pleasant.  I will not ride the triple on a windy day under any circumstances and I'm sure that I'm not the only one making that decision.  If they followed a new line that was less windy, then more people would use it and the gondola line would be shorter.

snoloco wrote

Just a few questions regarding this information.

Did they even think about making it less windy since all employees have probably ridden it and know how brutally cold it can get at the top?

If the answer to the question above is yes how will they make it less windy?

Following the same line with a lift with no bubble would be a huge mistake since the new lift will probably run at the same speed as the BRQ which feels like 900fpm, faster than the current speed which is 825fpm.  The spot up at the saddle is 10 times colder and windier than any other lift I have ever ridden and the extra speed will only make it worse.  I think that the line should be slightly further away from the gondola and end right up near where the intersection with twister is.  Yeah, it would mean that you would need to take the gondola to get to the saddle but you could still access all front side runs and access the north side, but the ride would be much more pleasant.  I will not ride the triple on a windy day under any circumstances and I'm sure that I'm not the only one making that decision.  If they followed a new line that was less windy, then more people would use it and the gondola line would be shorter.

1. Wear warmer clothes. You are only in the windy section for a matter of seconds. I would rather suck it up for 30 seconds and not have to take my skis off and wait in a line for the gondola.
2. The Saddle area of the HS3 is no windier than many other exposed lifts in the East.
3. It will cost more money to develop a new lift line so that is not happening. The HS3 has been running since 1984. If there were real problems with the lift line it would have been changed sooner.
4. Since it will be a quad the chairs will be heavier and less affected by the wind.

I would have liked to see a bubble installed. Especially since we will be riding this lift for the next 30 years.

Does anybody have a link to the RFP for the new lift? I couldn't find it.

BTW, Ski Patrol says it's gonna be like the BR Quad. That's what they want and that's what they're gonna get.

"1. Wear warmer clothes. You are only in the windy section for a matter of seconds. I would rather suck it up for 30 seconds and not have to take my skis off and wait in a line for the gondola."

Damn skippy. It's winter, live it like you mean it.

Any truth to the rumor that the ADKE would replace the topridge triple?

That's a rumor I hadn't heard yet. That's wishful thinking by a cold skier on a windy day.  

If they are going to put an bubble anywhere, topridge is the first place!  Or put a mid station on that lift.  Either way.  

skiers complaining of cold and wind? what's going on?! it's winter for gods sake. dress warmer or go ski in Dubai's indoor ski rink.

Goreskimom wrote

Any truth to the rumor that the ADKE would replace the topridge triple?

Nope. Lift # 1 is worn out. They will recycle its towers for the High Peaks replacement.

Footer wrote

If they are going to put an bubble anywhere, topridge is the first place!  Or put a mid station on that lift.  Either way.

???  Mid station?  Limited trail selection from halfway up topridge.

Any news of the last day that it will be running?  I would love to be one of the last people to ride it.