Uphill Capacity vs. Trail Acreage

What ski areas have the highest lift capacity to lowest acreage and vice versa?


Hunter has a combined capacity of 14,600 pph and 250 acres.  That forms a skiers per acre per hour ratio of 58.

Windham has a combined capacity of 13,200 pph and 270 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 48.  

Belleayre has a combined capacity of 9,000 pph and 170 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 53.

Plattekill has a combined capacity of 3,000 pph and 130 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 23.

Mount Snow has a combined capacity of 27,700 pph and 530 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 52.

Gore has a combined capacity of 17,600 pph and 460 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 38.

Whiteface has a combined capacity of 14,200 pph and 300 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 47.

Mountain Creek has a combined capacity of 13,980 pph and 160 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 87.

Killington has a combined capacity of 36,200 pph and 800 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 45.

Okemo has a combined capacity of 28,100 pph and 600 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 47.

Steamboat has a combined capacity of 32,000 pph and 3,500 acres.  Skier per acre per hour ratio is 9.


Not surprisingly, Mountain Creek has by far the highest skier density.  Steamboat was included as a western example.  Even Plattekill puts a number of people on the trails that is 3 times as dense.  With the Catskill mountains, Hunter definitely has the most, and Belleayre and Windham are similar.  They're also similar to the Vermont mountains I included.

Hey
Nice work
That Mountain Creek number blew my mind. I admit I expected Hunter to be higher in comparison to some of the others. I'm not a Hunter-hater but subjectively it always seemed more crowded. I'm glad Plattekill still has room to add lifts if a line ever forms.

Greater capacity = greater density. Not always a good combination also I like to rest!

Cool analysis Sno. You certainly have a passion for this industry.

Some of MC's competitors in the Poconos are just as bad in terms of skier density.  Have only skied in the Poconos twice and don't have plans to in the future.  You'd be hard pressed to see me drive 2 hours south to ski a small, crowded mountain when I can drive 20 minutes to ski one, or drive 2 hours north to ski a much bigger and better mountain.

These numbers are only accurate if every chair on every lift is full. And then it presumes that every skier/rider takes a marked trail as opposed to unmarked, off-map glades or sidecountry.

And at Hunter, Windham, and Belleayre, this is the case on most mid-season weekends. That's why we ski Platekill Marc. Plattekill seems like more than 130 acres.  Sno, is that the slope acreage, or the total mountain acreage?

That's true. Numbers only tell part of the story and where the lift capacity at a resort is concentrated will affect things too, especially at a big place. At Killington there's a huge difference between skiing the canyon and skiing snowshed. I think it's useful as a rough measure. I wouldn't make decisions based on these statistics over my own experience and judgement though.

Brownski wrote

That's true. Numbers only tell part of the story and where the lift capacity at a resort is concentrated will affect things too, especially at a big place. At Killington there's a huge difference between skiing the canyon and skiing snowshed. I think it's useful as a rough measure. I wouldn't make decisions based on these statistics over my own experience and judgement though.

Agreed, it's a useful place to start but it doesn't tell the whole story.

Look, I can't factor in ever single variable.  These numbers still pretty accurately reflect the skier density, meaning Plattekill is way lower than Hunter and Hunter is way lower than Mountain Creek.

Nobody's knocking your work, Sno. This was definitely a positive contribution. Numbers never tell the whole story but its useful to have a measuring stick. I liked your stats on lappable vert from a while back also. You take the metrics, put it together with your own experience, budget etc and make a decision. To me, Platty and Gore are the clear winners though.

Like Sno, I have wondered what these numbers are like and how they compare.    At my tiny knoll, we put in a new (quad) lift which replaced two double chairs.    When that was occurring, we were hoping for a HS quad and got a fixed grip.   More recently they installed the moving skier belt which assists in not slowing or stopping the lift speed due to skier/boarder error.    On big days, the lift still stops a bunch due to inexperienced riders falling on the unload side.    12-15 minutes to rise 600 vert.     Kills us.    

The point:  Mgmt advised the would have loved to put in a HS, but "due to skier density" they had to run a fixed grip.   Viewing neighboring resorts I always doubted this.     Because of the long lift ride (long lines too) and short vertical, we have two black slopes that go effectively unused.  

Sno--I sent you a PM asking if you could help me run numbers for our mtn.  But wanted to ask the group if you have heard skier capacity as some of the reason for purchase of a fixed or HS.    According to the wide variance in ratios of the 10 resorts Sno calculated, it does not seem to be an issue.    

I agree ... interesting.  I always wonder about the consistency of acreage measurement.

Looks to me like Steamboat need more highspeed lifts and better marketing.

These numbers will be helpful to determine if another lift is warranted...  And what the effect on the skiing experience is when the capacity is utilized.  Would you rather wait in line or have crowded hills.

Also... would you rather wait while sitting in the chair or standing in line.

I:)skiing wrote

L

The point:  Mgmt advised the would have loved to put in a HS, but "due to skier density" they had to run a fixed grip.   Viewing neighboring resorts I always doubted this.     Because of the long lift ride (long lines too) and short vertical, we have two black slopes that go effectively unused.  

Haven't we had the discussion here that HSQ's have no greater uphill capacity than a fixed grip quad ?  I'd venture to say that your mountain's mgt didn't want to spend the extra cash for a HSQ as well as the having to spend the extra $$ for maintenance of a HSQ vs. a FGQ.  And, further, IMHO, I believe they made the correct decision since there isn't really a need for a high speed lift with only a 600 vertical gain.  Just MHO generally without knowing anything about your local hill.

A HSQ usually stops and slows less than a fixed grip, so it offers more capacity in that form.  Few fixed grips ever run their full design speed, while detachables do so more frequently.  Mount Snow's Bluebird Express typically runs 1,100 fpm which is as fast as any chairlift can go.

Another thing about Mount Snow is that when I first skied it in 08-09, they didn't have the Bluebird yet.  There were long waits for the Canyon and Grand Summit Express but few people on the trails.  When they added the Bluebird, they took down the Summit Local and increased capacity by 1,200 pph (Summit Local was 1,800, Bluebird is 3,000), but the SL typically ran empty cause no one liked a 17 minute ride.  Now, on a busy day, both Summit lifts will run full instead of there being a full maze at the GSE and no one on the SL.  It's sooooooo much better with the additional capacity.

Love it! Thanks Sno.

Take sno's numbers and add average wait time to get the skiers misery index.

Tom

Hehehe. ^^^ See, there's a practical application for Sno's work.