Although from my perspective their placement is unfortunate:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index. ... e&sid=4551
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index. ... e&sid=4551
Solitude to get two new high-speed quads
- Thread starter Admin
- Start date
With regard to Honeycomb, admin is correct. You can't change the topography, and they already put a lift in to take you back to the top of Eagle and avoid about half of the long runout.
As I see it the 2 new lifts are both just to clear people out of the base areas and have no relevance IMHO in terms of access to the interesting skiing. They don't need high speed lifts in terms of crowd control. You can argue that Powderhorn is somewhat of a long ride by modern standards, but there is a tradeoff in powder preservation.
With regard to Sharon's comments, this is one of the virtues of having so many options in Utah. I wouldn't spend a high proportion of my time at Solitude either, but there are definitely days when it would be the area of choice. http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2870
As I see it the 2 new lifts are both just to clear people out of the base areas and have no relevance IMHO in terms of access to the interesting skiing. They don't need high speed lifts in terms of crowd control. You can argue that Powderhorn is somewhat of a long ride by modern standards, but there is a tradeoff in powder preservation.
With regard to Sharon's comments, this is one of the virtues of having so many options in Utah. I wouldn't spend a high proportion of my time at Solitude either, but there are definitely days when it would be the area of choice. http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2870
Sharon":20xf4ad6 said:
Solitude's two marketing differentiators are:
1. No crowds... ever
2. Honeycomb Canyon... untracked and unpopulated
You're asking them to eliminate one of the main reasons people go there.
ChrisC
Well-known member
I read this over at TGR in March - internal emails seem to show up there unsurprisingly. And did not quite believe it - because it seems really, really silly.
Solitude does have some interesting terrain, but it comes in smaller segments and is so marginally served by its lift system. Hence, I like skiing a lot of other places in Utah.
I can understand the beginner lift upgrade - given that is now the main day lodge and entry point. But less than 3 years? Seems like too short of a time frame not wto have done it right the first time.
The Apex lift is even more perplexing. It primarily just dumps people out on Main Street. (Like the beginner lift too). And most intermediate skiers can handle the groomer from Powderhorn to get to the same terrain. So now I see 2 HS lifts dumping a bunch of people on the most obvious run of Main Street.
On the TGR forum, the Powderhorn is slated to be the next HSQ. Overkill. Having both the Apex and Powderhorn both HSQ seems too much.
When skiing Solitude, I generally wind up just making circular laps around Solitude (Powder->Summit->Honeycomb->repeat). While I would not want a lift down Honeycomb Canyon, I thought an obvious upgrade were both the Powderhorn and Summit lifts to HSQs. This allows good access to the Powderhorn Bowl, fast laps on the groomers/trees off the Summit lift, and speeds access to Honeycomb. Yet Honeycomb would still be a 3 lift process - still limiting crowds.
One only has to look next door - Brighton - to see HSQs installed intelligently while keeping lift ticket prices within reason.
Solitude does have some interesting terrain, but it comes in smaller segments and is so marginally served by its lift system. Hence, I like skiing a lot of other places in Utah.
I can understand the beginner lift upgrade - given that is now the main day lodge and entry point. But less than 3 years? Seems like too short of a time frame not wto have done it right the first time.
The Apex lift is even more perplexing. It primarily just dumps people out on Main Street. (Like the beginner lift too). And most intermediate skiers can handle the groomer from Powderhorn to get to the same terrain. So now I see 2 HS lifts dumping a bunch of people on the most obvious run of Main Street.
On the TGR forum, the Powderhorn is slated to be the next HSQ. Overkill. Having both the Apex and Powderhorn both HSQ seems too much.
When skiing Solitude, I generally wind up just making circular laps around Solitude (Powder->Summit->Honeycomb->repeat). While I would not want a lift down Honeycomb Canyon, I thought an obvious upgrade were both the Powderhorn and Summit lifts to HSQs. This allows good access to the Powderhorn Bowl, fast laps on the groomers/trees off the Summit lift, and speeds access to Honeycomb. Yet Honeycomb would still be a 3 lift process - still limiting crowds.
One only has to look next door - Brighton - to see HSQs installed intelligently while keeping lift ticket prices within reason.
icelanticskier
New member
ChrisC":1vdeytte said:
that "obvious upgrade" would just make solitude ski more like other areas with more folks or faster lifts causing the untracked to go away at a faster rate. keep the lifts to the goods slow and of small capacity for the preservation that solitude is known for by it's devotees, i included. put the fast lifts in down low for the folks that have the cash and whos dollars and sense will help keep the place in financial good standing. i think their doing the right thing. my.02
rog
Can't believe no one has commented about this:
http://telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic ... 4dbac0f91e
http://telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic ... 4dbac0f91e
Marc_C
Active member
Agreed, but that's only if you're doing laps through HC. Accessing HC only requires 2 lifts at most. Yeah, a fine semantic distinction, but true.Admin":bwyz360i said:
However,
is why I agree with the others who feel that faster/easier access to HC is not in our best interests. Sharon (since she was the first to post about desiring faster access) has to get out of that east-coaster-visiting-Utah-on-vacation go-go-go mentality of racking up quantity at the expense of quality.
jamesdeluxe":1m5fzmwb said:
I knew there was survey work done this spring on Flagstaff. In fact I met one of the surveyors, who was mighty secretive about what they were doing (he'd only say "work"). However, assuming that it means an Alta ski lift is a mighty big stretch by that TTips poster.
icelanticskier
New member
Admin said:
which is why laps off of evergreen ridge or powderhorn through milk/middle/parachute area are so much more worth it. honeycomb is a slog for all of the lifts you need for access. i used to love honeycomb early season before it was open to the public. i'd check in with billy on patrol and head back in with my skins and lap the boundary chutes using an uptrack that i'd put in connected to the high traverse that patrol put in. untracked all day long. nice place to have to yerself. once the public get's at it, forget it unless of course it's snowin an inch or two an hour.
rog :lol:
I've been known to have that mentality once in a while. :wink: But this is the point of having diverse ski areas within a region. You can rack vertical with the best of them at Snowbird or Snowbasin. If the easy powder is gone you want a slower, less efficient layout like Solitude or Powder Mt.
On average I prefer the Snowbird type areas. But homogenizing ski areas, whether in terms of chasing the upscale $ or in lifts/grooming, is a bad idea IMHO. Solitude is never going to be Snowbird in terms of terrain. Therefore Solitude ought to hang onto its
icelanticskier
New member
agree
rog
rog
Sharon
New member
I don't think that is really my mentality. I don't mind slower lifts and less vertical if it is untracked and fewer crowds. I much prefer Powmow for that. Whenever I ski HC at Solitude, it is always, "wow, that was sweet untracked, but it was so short, now a long traverse and a couple of slow lift rides to get back to it...glad we are going to Snowbird tmrw" 8)
There are definitely some interesting and steep shots at Solitude and it is great for fresh snow when LCC is closed, but in the last few years that I've been going to Utah to ski, we've skipped Solitude altogether for all those reasons...plus, we can't easily get the bus up BCC without a 1 mile walk from Cottonwood Hts.