Plattekill Lifts

I'm always happy to see new lifts go in. I want to see the Double at Plattekill Replaced with a quad.

Ethan Snow wrote

I'm always happy to see new lifts go in. I want to see the Double at Plattekill Replaced with a quad.

Agree on both counts

Ethan Snow wrote

the Double at Plattekill Replaced with a quad.

Fixed or detachable.

Either way: Ugh. Please no.

Bring back the T-bar!

Ethan Snow wrote

I'm always happy to see new lifts go in. I want to see the Double at Plattekill Replaced with a quad.

Ethan, that would be one of the biggest travesties in skiing history. Please, retract this statement. I'd rather see the T-bar come back before I'd see even a triple chair, let alone a quad.

Uuugggh. I just lost my appetite.

I'd rather see more snow making than better chairs. Maybe some guns pointed to the woods.

Brownski wrote

Agree on both counts

Brownski agrees with me.

I would go with a fixed grip. Hunter West has a high speed quad and it's too fast IMO. You drop the restraint bar, get comfortable and before you know it you're at the top. You barely have time to say hello to your neighbor, and rest your legs. A fixed grip quad would do. Westway is actually a few hundred feet longer than Plunge.

Actually don't have a problem with the double, but I could see a quad there someday after Laszlo's vision of 100% snowmaking is completed.

Ethan Snow wrote

Brownski wrote

Agree on both counts

Brownski agrees with me.

I would go with a fixed grip. Hunter West has a high speed quad and it's too fast IMO. You drop the restraint bar, get comfortable and before you know it you're at the top. You barely have time to say hello to your neighbor, and rest your legs. A fixed grip quad would do. Westway is actually a few hundred feet longer than Plunge.

Actually don't have a problem with the double, but I could see a quad there someday after Laszlo's vision of 100% snowmaking is completed.

It's funny but I was just about to say the same thing. I'm sure Lasz will put snowmaking all over that side of the mountain before he upgrades that chair so we're talking way off in the future. Plus we're talking about replacing the double with a fixed grip quad so it's really just like adding another double, right? Platty is big enough for that. Putting a quad into teeny tiny mount Peter I'm not so sure about. There's very little room to expand terrain and it's already pretty crowded.

Well said Brownski. I agree snowmaking comes first. Once there is consistent snow to accommodate the skier traffic, then you can upgrade the lift. A Doppelmayr (formerly CTEC) quad like the Visions Express at Greek Peak, (which used to be a POS double) would be perfect.

Take a look at what that place looks like when the double side is 100% open. The line isn't necessarily long time wise, but it's chaotic due to the fact that there's no room for everyone to stand around at the base area. Sooner or later with Plattekill's growing fan base, they will need a way to get people out of that hole quicker.

I could add that when I look at Platty I see lots of options to expand terrain too: down to the valley floor below the snowmaking pond, off the backside etc... you could end up with lower skier density if you did that.

 At mount Peter, you'd have to do away with the tubing park (no big loss) move the magic carpets to the meadow beyond the parking lot and cut one narrow trail and a glade above where the tubing is now. Now that I think of it, that's a great idea. and if they put the quad where old Pete is you could enter right past the patrol building for some nice low-angle tree skiing. Thin the trees on the other side, past the expert trails, and youve just about maximized what's possible there.

I'm starting to lose respect for the both of you now, Ethan and Brownski.

It's blasphemy, I tell you!

What would be the point of a quad?  There is never a line more than a minute or two.

Jeez, I'm just saying down the road. I like the place like it is too. But some lift upgrades in the future are inevitable. If there was somebody manufacturing single chairs, I would say to add a single along blockbuster above the snow guns and a shorter one over in the woods someplace on the double side but that's not realistic..

Also, for good or ill, the word on Plattekill  is getting out. You guys haven't noticed more and more Hunter/Windham types showing up? Furry hoods on expensive jackets, European accents, multiple buses in the parking lot?  Parts of it are gonna suck but it's mostly good for the mountain.

I didn't know this was going to have my name on it. I guess it's ok, just don't want to be accused of trolling.

Harvey wrote

What would be the point of a quad?  There is never a line more than a minute or two.

Umm, no, you haven't been there on a busy day. That line can last 5 minutes or more. When it's back to the lodge. It's not even the time so much as it's the fact that there's not much room for people to stand around in an orderly fashion. It's chaotic when that entire base area fills in with people who don't know where the line actually starts. Brownski is right, the customer base is growing, and sooner or later they are going to need to be able to pick people up out of that little hole more quickly. Also, the double is still a good lift but it is getting old, and entropy is inevitable.

"One can't call themself an all out Plattekill supporter if they root against their success"

-- wise words from Snoloco.

Things change. I like quads for the social aspect. I also like fast lifts because I prefer to spend my day skiing over sitting. I really loved the t-bar though too back in the early 90's when I skied there. It was gritty and simple but as I already said, things change. I'm ok with that. Before we had snowmaking, our new chairlifts and other recent improvements there were so many locals saying bad things about Snowbowls plans. They didn't want fast lifts or a reliable snow making system! All of them have changed their tune now. I don't ever want to be one of those naysayers with a lack of vision.

raisingarizona wrote

Things change. I like quads for the social aspect. I also like fast lifts because I prefer to spend my day skiing over sitting. I really loved the t-bar though too back in the early 90's when I skied there. It was gritty and simple but as I already said, things change. I'm ok with that. Before we had snowmaking, our new chairlifts and other recent improvements there were so many locals saying bad things about Snowbowls plans. They didn't want fast lifts or a reliable snow making system! All of them have changed their tune now. I don't ever want to be one of those naysayers with a lack of vision.

Wise words indeed, although, like you, I think surface lifts are cool too. Unfortunately the only surface lifts getting installed nowadays are magic carpets.
Another thing to think about is that leaving things as they are is rarely an option. Just because we keep the lifts the way they are doesn't mean skier traffic won't double. The good news is that changes at Plattekill seem to happen slowly over a long time period so whatever happens, we'll all have plenty of time to get used to it.

There is zero reason to make the double a quad. Adding a corral to the double fixes the occasional line. If they are able to extend down to the farm, they would add a lift to serve that terrain. That would also reduce the occasional line on the double to ski right on. Also, the triple might need to be replaced before they add another lift. I would rather they expand snowmaking before they add/expand a lift.

i have a better idea. lets replace it with a high  speed 6 pack and raise it 20 feet above the tree line. it would be fast and on wind hold tomorrow. we can all drive down there tomorrow and pull our pud waiting for the wind hold to get lifted.  sometimes less is better, especially on the trails.

sig wrote

i have a better idea. lets replace it with a high  speed 6 pack and raise it 20 feet above the tree line. it would be fast and on wind hold tomorrow. we can all drive down there tomorrow and pull our pud waiting for the wind hold to get lifted.  sometimes less is better, especially on the trails.

The best thing about T-bars is that they don't get put on wind holds.

raisingarizona wrote

The best thing about T-bars is that they don't get put on wind holds.

the beauty of hickory hill