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That's my #1 for sure. No question. I would give my left nut that I don't have to be on that thing right now with a few feet of fresh underneath...Quote:
Originally Posted by truth
http://elizabethrs.smugmug.com/photos/15042399-M.jpg
#2, Jackson.
#3, Pali.
And this one is pretty cool too: Glacier 3000, CH:
http://elizabethrs.smugmug.com/photos/15042342-M.jpg
And best of all, where the only lines are the ones you leave behind:
http://elizabethrs.smugmug.com/photos/15042133-M.jpg
Exactly what I was gonna say, awesome EC steeps at MRG, plus you get the solitude of being by yourself I love the Bird Tram, but that has style.Quote:
Originally Posted by extreeski
I'm going to have to add the A-star!
My skiing is limited to western north america, but I would toss in the Loge lift at Aspen Highlands.
so many quality options from it to hike up, travers out, or just turn and go.
1) Silver Queen Gondola - Aspen (sentimental favorite)
2) JH Tram
3) Mont Gele - Verbier
4) Marte
5) KT-22
*6) Peak Chair - Whistler
*7) Rocca Jack (sp?) Portillo
*8) Kicking Horse Gondy
http://francie.fik.cz/picture/pic_blanc_cabin.jpg
This is the second stage of the Vaujany tram. The amount of off piste this erves off to lookers left is just astonishing. 5500ft of vert served including all of this. Always untracked.
http://monkeyfoo.free.fr/images/vaujany/DSC02522.jpg
Just let you into the most outrageous untapped Euro secret. Sssshh!
Oh, and good routefinding skills are recommended...Quote:
Originally Posted by bad_roo
Unless you have a fetish for fucking in the bushes and being cliffed out.
Rothorn............Lenzerheide.............Schweiz
I'm still learning a lot of the routes. Huge open alpine up top with some great cliff bands lower down. Nobody goes there. Vast lift-seved bowls and chutes with nobody there. It's almost unreal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meathelmet
I go there! Much fun to be had off the Dome des Rousses (and the Pic Blanc of course)Quote:
Originally Posted by bad_roo
Personally i prefer chairs where you can yell at people from them, so trams and gondolas are out. Chairs over a bump run, where you can holler at people rippin' a sweet line. I know these aren't the most well known, but they are blast, some that come to mind are thaynes at Park City and the highline(chair 10) at Vail. nothing is better than getting cheered on by the folks in chairs as you tear down a bump run.
I can think of at least one thing better: not being on a bump run in the first place.Quote:
Originally Posted by BRUTAH
Sorry, as much as I love the Midi I gotta correct any misconceptions here. It's not the highest in the world, or even in Europe, but it can claim to be the highest in France. And it is in the top ten in the world. :) It comes in at number 9 at 12,605ft. (You just knew I was gonna do that SuPu) ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Superstar Punani
The Top Ten
1. Chacaltaya, Bolivia
Top lift height 17,785 feet / 5,421m
Mountains: Andes
Closest lift to the equator
Highest surface lift (of any kind) in the world
Oldest lift in South America
2. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, China
Top lift height: 14,816ft / 4,516m
Mountains: Himalayas
Highest lift in Asia
Highest gondola lift in the world
25 six-seater gondolas on a 2900 metre long cable
Area is often skied but is not an official ski resort
Snow cover is year round
3. Mérida, Venezuela
Top lift height: 13,779ft / 4,200m
Mountains: Andes
Highest cable car (tram) lift in the world
Longest cable car (aerial tramway) distance in the world
Not skiable to the bottom (ski run ends at sheer cliff)
4. Gulmarg, Kashmir, India
Top lift height: 13,576ft / 4,138m
Mountains: Himalayas
Highest lift-served resort skiing in the world
Highest chairlift in the world
5. Tochal, Iran
Top lift height: 13,008ft / 3,965m
Mountains: Alborz
Second-highest chair in the world
6. V2 Tow, Gobba di Rollin, Zermatt, Switzerland
Top lift height: 12,850ft / 3,917m
Mountains: Alps
Highest lift in Europe
2nd most lift-served vertical drop in the world at 7,276ft
7. Klein Matterhorn, Zermatt, Switzerland
Top tram height: 12,792ft / 3,899m
Mountains: Alps
Highest lift in Europe
3nd most lift-served vertical drop in the world at 7,218ft
8. Loveland Ski Area, Colorado, USA
Top lift height: 12,700ft / 3,871m
Mountains: Rocky Mountains
Highest "quad" chair in the world
Highest lift in North America
3rd highest chairlift in the world
9. Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix, France
Top lift height: 12,605ft / 3,842m
Mountains: Alps
Highest lift in France
Biggest lift-served vertical in the world at 9,209ft
10. Snowmass, Colorado, USA
Top lift height: 12,510ft / 3,813m
Mountains: Rocky Mountains
Top lift height is reached by cable tow
Biggest lift-served vertical in USA (4,406vf) when top surface lift is open
_______________________________
VerticalFeet.com/highest-lifts.html
The new lift at Breck is really dumb in my opinion, but it does technically come in 7th once it opens this winter.
Imperial Express Facts:
Summit of Lift: 12,840 ft.
Base of Lift: 11,901 ft.
Vertical Rise: 939 ft.
2.7 minute ride time
2,714.8 ft. in length
Tell that to Stumpy! It's in Blizzard so it must be true :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Endlessseason
I just watched Sleeping Giants :cool: .
Lotsa shots of the tram in there..... ;)
He probably asked some French Guy:Quote:
Originally Posted by Superstar Punani
Stump: Is this the highest lift in the world?
French guy: (long hit on unfiltered ciggy) But of course...France is le mond...everything else is merde. Now go away you nosee americain. I wrinkle my nose in your general direccion.
Sorry, no experience in Yurp yet...
I guess I'm seconding all of these, with one exception:
Edelweiss - Alpental (chair 2)
Alberta - Wolf Creek
Silverton
Peak Chair - Whist
Bethoud Pass chair - replaced by quad (muscles)
Peter's Pride - Boston Mills, OH....for the hours and days, really, I spent on it or in it's lift line growing up. Classic midwest shitty ski area lift perfect for freezing, heckling, throwing snowballs, and everything else that goes with a ski area except for skiing.
Peak chair IMHO was way more epic when it was a two person tired beat down chair you weren't sure wasn't going to break...I actually rode up it one time and had the safety bar come loose (yeah, I had the safety bar down)...Quote:
Originally Posted by nesta
Number one for the tram, telepherique, and chair categories =
Aguille du Midi (tram)
La Gravy (telepherique)
Marte (chair) No chair I have seen even comes close.
#1 LaGrave... but the construction bucket lift below Pt Indren has gotta be the most sketchy.
KT-22 on a powder day. Vibe+Lift+Fingers=#1 in my life.
I always liked a couple of lifts on the Zugspitze:
http://ipa-reutte.com/fotos/berge/zugspitze2.jpg
There's the tram running from the clearing in the trees with the buildings mid-left edge of the photo up to the highest point on the peak. Only a few towers and pretty hairy on a windy day. There's also a chair that runs in the bowl on the other side of the mountain. It starts near the middle of the col just left of centre of the pic and runs up to the right along the ridge. There's a point where it overhangs towards the camera, maybe where the shadow is. You look down between your feet and there's 1000m vertical of rock face, then another 1000m vert of trees down to the village below. Pretty scary on a rickety old double chair on a windy day. The skiing is nothing special, but the lifts are.
two things that, while probably not the best in the world, definitly deserve a mention here is Silverton's little chair (although i've never ridden there, but hey the HYPE!) and big sky's tram, especially now that you can ride moonlight too.
Auguille du Midi, absolument!