Gore Mountain Adirondack Express Replacement.

Sno, your argument doesn't make sense. Amtrak going to congress for 70 new locos is like ORDA going to NYS and asking for the money for a a fix grip chair from Wilmington Town Center to the top of Ester where there are no ski trails. Why - because Amtrak has no rails (think trails) and no high speed rail (think HSQ), they have to share with freight and if you have ever ridden Amtrak, your ride can take hours longer than scheduled and no locos will help that - unless you are not worried about getting anywhere on a schedule and paying more money for the privilege Amtrak is fine. If Amtrak were to "do it right" they would be also going for dedicated track built specifically for high speed rail like has been done in Europe and Asia.

Now if you switch the argument to say that ORDA making incremental improvements to implement it's long term vision is like Amtrak making incremental improvements to get to it's vision of high speed rail in the US - now that is an argument that holds up. You may not like the two visions, but the parallels are stronger.

And good for you on those 20. Now go do some planks...

PeeTex wrote

Amtrak has no rails (think trails) and no high speed rail (think HSQ), they have to share with freight

Amtrak owns 80% of the 450-mile Northeast Corridor between Washington DC and Boston: its big moneymaker. Other than that, you're more or less correct.

Scroll down here for the nuts and bolts about what they own and which routes are bankrolled by state governments (really frightening).

Jamesdeluxe wrote

Amtrak owns 80% of the 450-mile Northeast Corridor between Washington DC and Boston: its big moneymaker. Other than that, you're more or less correct.

Scroll down here for the nuts and bolts about what they own and which routes are bankrolled by state governments (really frightening).

Yes, thanks for the correction - I think they own about 750 miles of a nationwide system. But I think the point was adequately made.

WOW. I guess I shouldn't have asked about the facebook post about the new glades!

Sno, you are perhaps a little young to appreciate long term planning since you haven't lived long term yet.  The Bowl is part a larger vision to turn Gore from a neighborhood ski area to a destination ski area.  3-4 years between A happening then B happening is not really such a big deal.  And its working.  They have been breaking attendance records every season since the interconnect was completed.  

From my part of the state (western NY) Gore was an unknown entity.  Now it is on the lips of everybody, and there are a mountain load of skiers out my way.  Last season I recognized a woman from my children's school waiting for the gondola.  There was a group several families, all told 20+, that had rented a house in North River, ate Pizza in North Creek, had lunch in the lodge and drank and bought beer in town.  They said they heard about Gore from another family last year and had to check it out.  They loved it, sadly they were gapers, and they will be back again for a family ski trip.  i am sure most of the people in this forum are right now cringing at the thought, but that's the buisness side.  

Gore is becoming a well know place in WNY and our closest mountain.  Most people my way just went go to killington, no one even knew Gore existed.  In fact I rented my place to a guy from Cleveland.  He had been going every winter for 5 days to Killington with his family for about 15 years and decided to check out Gore because he had been hearing good things about it.  (Actually, he said he didn't even know it existed until a few years ago)

I mean come on, they're removing that huge hill between the ski bowl and 28 to increase visibility by travelers.  Should they have taken out that hill first?  The scope of the expansion is HUGE. I mean they literally are adding a ski area to the ski area!  Yes, it will take time.

I also think Gore and ORDA have a bit of a mission that no one really talks about... they keep the sport of skiing alive in the way it "used to be".  Personally, I LOVE skiing the bowl when I can.  Its natural snow.  Its NARROW trails, and its tons of trees.  You can't see the bottom till your there.  You can't ski 9 people wide.  There are bumps.  There are rocks.  It is hard skiing.  It is skiing that most resorts won't put in because you can't make a ton of money doing it.  Mad River Glen does this same model... along with Hickory.  These runs are cheap to maintain and are a joy to ski.    

And being a person who works in this state system for an agency like ORDA, when you get the money you take it and run.  We all have capital improvement lists going, the second you can check something, anything off, you do.  It does not matter if the project is only half done.  In this world you don't get to decide to just hold the money you get because if you do it might not be there on the next administration.  

-Sno... next winter after we get a dump, grab your dad and go to Hickory.  Ride the T-Bar.  Be one of 50 people on the hill.  Then, come back and tell us why they need to cut wider trails, put a HS 6 pack up, and install snow making.  Yes, they need to install some snow making to open more, but until they get their water rights that won't happen.  

We need to thank Snoloco for creating a new comparison idiom - "It is like comparing locomotives and ski areas".

We do not have to use the "apples and oranges" version anymore.

Gotta love these "everything but the kitchen sink" threads...

If Barkeater Glade needs to be sacrificed (i.e. converted to a trail) in order to enhance connectivity between Burnt Ridge and the Ski Bowl, so be it.  And I say that as a glade lover.

I've said on a number of ocassions over the years that Gore's biggest areas for improvement are 1) improve connectivity between BR, Ski Bowl and the rest of the mountain, 2) snowmaking capacity and 3) mid-week terrain.  I think Gore's made tremendous improvements in all three of those over the past few years, and I see no reason why additional improvements shouldn't continue.  There's lots more that can - and I'm sure will - be done.  Getting everything accomplished all up front and all at once is just unrealistic.  Patience, grasshopper.

Regarding the question as to wait until fully funded before cutting trail or cut trail and continue work:

My son asks:  Dad, can I eat the whole bag of candy now?   I say No, without question.       He soon learns to ask for one piece at a time, first from me, then mom, then grandma....repeat.    Soon, he has digested the bag.    

Someone above aptly said:   Does not make sense, but it works.    Yes the State may get more bang for its buck if it did all the work at one time; and it would likely cost less.     But the reality is, it will never happen.  Be thankful for the money that comes Gore's way.  

Do you think Dinapoli would say anything if Teddy diverted a dollar of every ticket to the lotto, maybe then he could get enough cash to do it all at once?

PeeTex wrote

Do you think Dinapoli would say anything if Teddy diverted a dollar of every ticket to the lotto, maybe then he could ....

...... slide me 3 mill for the lake house !  

Adk Jeff wrote

Gotta love these "everything but the kitchen sink" threads...

If Barkeater Glade needs to be sacrificed (i.e. converted to a trail) in order to enhance connectivity between Burnt Ridge and the Ski Bowl, so be it.  And I say that as a glade lover.

I've said on a number of ocassions over the years that Gore's biggest areas for improvement are 1) improve connectivity between BR, Ski Bowl and the rest of the mountain, 2) snowmaking capacity and 3) mid-week terrain.  I think Gore's made tremendous improvements in all three of those over the past few years, and I see no reason why additional improvements shouldn't continue.  There's lots more that can - and I'm sure will - be done.  Getting everything accomplished all up front and all at once is just unrealistic.  Patience, grasshopper.

Thankfully we are done talking about trains
 
I agree with Jeff I love that glade but it will certainly make the connection easier.  I'd hope that they put some glades off the sides of the new trail.

Snowballs wrote

...... slide me 3 mill for the lake house !  

How you going to pay the taxes, insurance and upkeep?
There are better charities that need money before you, you can afford to ski...

Coach Z wrote

I agree with Jeff I love that glade but it will certainly make the connection easier.  I'd hope that they put some glades off the sides of the new trail.

Harvey wrote

News lines are planned for skiers left of Barkeater.

What about more glades to skier's right? Maybe connect with Boreas Glades?

Back on topic.  The chair frames have arrived.

Photo update on construction!





Unloading off of the new lift looks like it will be completely different from the old. It would appear as if all of the old lift foundations are being removed. All excess dirt is being taken to upper Foxlair to regrade the trail to the left turn to allow for an earlier and more efficient opening. All of the new parts for the chairs have arrived but aside from the chairs and some pieces of roofing for the bottom terminal, everything else has yet to come. New snowmaking pipe is also actively being laid on Twister.

Can you tell if it is a top or bottom drive yet?  That is the only variable that I don't know yet.

As long as it goes roundy round what difference does it make

Great shots nick. Guess it is time to head up there and take a hike from the bowl up.  Anything that involves that big of a truck is good in my book.  

Coach Z wrote

As long as it goes roundy round what difference does it make

I'm into the mechanics of the lifts.  I like to know this stuff.  Top drive is more efficient because it pulls directly up on the loaded line.  A bottom drive has to pull out all the tension from the non-loaded line before it moves the loaded one.  However, a top drive configuration requires electric to be run to the top which can cost a lot.  Since the North Quad and Saddle lodge are already up there, electric lines should already be in the proper place.  However, they may not be able to handle the power requirements of an HSQ which would mean that an upgrade would be needed.  If an upgrade of the North Quad is in the future, it may very well be a top drive because they would need electric up there then and it would be easy mechanically to have both drives in the same spot.

Also Coach, remember back in a different thread when you said you enjoyed talking engineering with me.  That was back before the snoloco fitness threads and constant.  Let's go back to those days.