you be the WF area mgr - where should a new LWF lift go

It seems inevitable that the LWF lift will have to get replaced the more i hear about the problems with it.  The gearbox is shot and it dates from 1957 as the original lift 2.

I was skiing with my brother today who was in the ski area management game back in the 90's.  He said that the LWF lift is really in the wrong place - it should run from the top of the face lift up to the top of LWF.  That would be out of the west wind.  It would also be shorter than the existing lift and would not need a mid station.

That got me thinking that it would be a interesting topic for the forum to discuss where a new chair would be located and what it would be.  What do you all think?

Not sure of the APA issues of cutting a new lift line.  Any one know any thing about that?

The lift you are suggesting would not work because it would not serve enough of Little WF. Forcing people to go all the way to the bottom to ski LF is redundant - the Gondola already does this. The answer is to replace the 2 doubles with a HS chairlift. Maybe you start it lower or not. But the way the expert trails mostly end, the existing liftline seems to be the best palcement of a new lift.

I agree with x10003q.  I started to type a reply last night that suggested the same thing - 1 high speed lift in that area would be ideal. One of the nice things about the placement of that lift is the access to the mid-lodge, so you don't have to go all the way to the bottom to take a break.

I think the current location of the Little Whiteface lift is perfect. It enables you to do "laps" on Mountain Run, Wilderness, Lower Mackenzie, Upper Parkway and Upper Thruway and then return to the top of Little Whiteface, without having to ski down to the bottom. If the lift were moved further up the mountain, there'd be no way to get back up to the top of Little Whiteface without first skiing down to the bottom, at which point you could just get on the Gondola, or, you'd have to take the Face Lift and then the "new" Little Whiteface lift. Also, the current location provides a perfect way to take a break at the mid-lodge and then get right back to the top of Little Whiteface.

The only other point about the location is that it would be really nice if somehow, the mid-station could be moved just a little further up, so that you could get to Upper Mackenzie and Upper Wilderness from the mid-station. That would be awesome!!!

As for putting in a high-speed chair, given the wind conditions, if a standard chair could run on windy days when a high-speed chair couldn't, then I think it would make more sense to put in a standard chair.

Like the last 3 posts said...keep it where it is.

a high speed with a mid station is super expensive so that would not work for WF's budget issues

i tend use the mid station if i want to ski mt run. wilderness, lower mac, parkway etc.  To me approach is a waste of time.  Why go all the way to the top and then have to ski approach to the above trails.  I would leave the Mt Run chair alone where it currently is.  I go to the top of LWF to ski Northway, Empire, the glades etc.  You could do quicker laps of the above with the chair i'm proposing.  

the real benefit is to get it out of the west winds though

Since we're dreaming, 2 lifts, one in each location. Would be nice to have some option for windy or wind hold days.