Aspen Highlands new lift is the goods

[AjaxWSP]

Deep Temerity nearly locked and loaded





By Nate Peterson
October 21, 2005

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Twelve lift towers. Around 7,300 feet of cable. A 55,000-pound terminal powering the chairlift from up top, a smaller terminal at the bottom.

On paper, Aspen Highlands' new Deep Temerity lift looks similar to other top-grip three-person chairs cable-transportation giant Poma-Leitner has installed. But installing Deep Temerity on the steep face of Loge Peak has been anything but ordinary. The same goes for the clearing of new trails below the old Grand Traverse, as well as clearing a new cat track called the Grand Reverse, which will take skiers and riders back to the base of the new chairlift.

Highlands' mountain manager, Ron Chauner, said the Deep Temerity chair will be one of the steepest in the world, servicing some of the steepest terrain in Colorado.

"I can't verify that it is the steepest [in the world], but any lift with an average cable grade of 52 percent - and that's what this one is - is right up there," Chauner said. "I don't know, as far as the Poma installation, where there is a steeper lift."

The good news for the crews that have worked on Deep Temerity and the trail extension process since late March is that the project is nearing completion.

A crew of cable-splicing specialists is completing the delicate process of connecting the two ends of the 7,300-foot cable. Workers will make sure all the electrical connections to the cable are working properly when it is rigged up. Chairs will be attached shortly thereafter, then the lift will be ready for a rigorous load-testing certification process by the state tram board.

The cable-splicing process conjures images of weaving together a 7,300-foot rope.

A crew of around 10 men, headed by Poma-Leitner cable splicing specialist R.J. McKnight, will unravel the ends of the cable, then weave the cable back into itself, Chauner said.

"There's no welding anything together. It's like one of those Chinese finger puzzles," Chauner said. "When the cable is tensioned after it's spliced, it becomes a very strong unit. A trained eye can see where the splice is, but a normal person wouldn't be able to guess where it is."

Chauner's remarks on the cable-splicing effort could speak to the entire Deep Temerity project in general.

When the lift and the new terrain open this December, the normal person probably won't be able to guess how much effort went into expanding the expert inbounds skiing experience at Highlands.

All the holes for the 12 lift towers were dug by hand because the terrain was too steep to access with heavy machinery. The process of pulling the 55,000-pound top terminal up to the summit of Loge Peak with a huge tractor was a hairy one, to say the least.

"I wasn't there [when the terminal was installed], and I'm probably glad I wasn't," said Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman Jeff Hanle. "I guess it's routine stuff for the guys who install lifts."

Chauner also said the clearing of trails below the old Grand Traverse and the old Highland Bowl catwalk was a careful process done with the intent of making the new terrain have a different feel from the existing terrain above.

The Aspen Skiing Co. crews that helped clear the new trails consisted of ski patrollers or expert local skiers and snowboarders with a passion for the project, Chauner said.

"Some of the runs are naturally cleared because of avalanche chutes," Chauner said. "The parts that weren't cleared, we didn't want to do a wall-to-wall clear. ... There was a real sense of accomplishment present throughout the project. You build the Grand Reverse, the new Highland Bowl catwalk, and see some of the new runs, and it's hard not to get excited. To see the scope of that project and know that people are going to be skiing and boarding down this stuff, that's what it's all about. This new lift is going to open up a whole new world of terrain."

[Cutty]

Feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

[Yossarian]

totally stoked. as if it weren't sweet enough there already.

[freshie247]

Can't wait to ski it for myself

[summit]

AVERAGE PITCH 52DEG!

Ski the liftline

[Buster Highmen]

AVERAGE PITCH 52DEG!

Ski the liftline

Bzzzzt. Wrong again.

[cmsummit]

AVERAGE PITCH 52DEG!

Ski the liftline

It says it's an average grade of 52%, not degrees. By definition a 100% slope is 45 deg., simple equation of vert. rise divided by horiz. run. A 52% slope is 27.5deg., which possibly for an average of a liftline, could be considered steep.

[EastCoast2835]

I must get out there. Sounds incredible.

[Karl Stall]

licking my chops. Shredhead, see you in line 12/10!

[jump]

Woohoo!!!!!!

[Knockneed Man]

FKNA...

[RawkFingrl]

sounds awesome, cant have too much steep lift accessed terrain here thats for sure.

[The AD]

"I can't verify that it is the steepest [in the world], but any lift with an average cable grade of 52 percent - and that's what this one is - is right up there," Chauner said. "I don't know, as far as the Poma installation, where there is a steeper lift."

Just off the top of my head I'll bet the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix is steeper. In fact I'll bet there are plenty of trams that are steeper, but this guy might be thinking "chairlift" when he says "lift."

In any event I hope to try out the new lift at Highland in February

[Ireallyliketoski2]

Holy crap, average steepness of 52 degrees, that has to in at least the top 5 steepest chairs in the world. I think the steepest run at A-Basin is around 52 degrees. Most of the backcountry runs in CO aren't even that steep, except for the sickness that the TGRORAGGOTS throw down. INSANE SICKY MOFLICKY.

[Buster Highmen]

Now that's just silly. Stop it.

[homerjay]

Holy crap, average steepness of 52 degrees, that has to in at least the top 5 steepest chairs in the world. I think the steepest run at A-Basin is around 52 degrees. Most of the backcountry runs in CO aren't even that steep, except for the sickness that the TGRORAGGOTS throw down. INSANE SICKY MOFLICKY.

dude, my sickter scale just broke.

seriously, this lift will rule!

[aspenskibum]

maybe im just a party pooper, but all the real steep terain this lift services is allready open and skiable. The vert its adding is after things start to level off a bit. All its going to do is make it easier to do laps on highlands bowl, and it adds a bit of new vert as a bonus. I like that, it sucks taking the whole grand traverse all the way back to the quad, but i think its just going to turn highlands bowl into a mogulfield. My $.02

[Knockneed Man]

maybe im just a party pooper, but all the real steep terain this lift services is allready open and skiable. The vert its adding is after things start to level off a bit. All its going to do is make it easier to do laps on highlands bowl, and it adds a bit of new vert as a bonus. I like that, it sucks taking the whole grand traverse all the way back to the quad, but i think its just going to turn highlands bowl into a mogulfield. My $.02

I disagree... Some of the lower 'Chase shots will be great! They sucked as a bc terrain trap bush whack, but cleared they'll be great.... AND the launcher off the catwalk should be fun... So we've got that going for us.... which is nice.

[aspenskibum]

yea, i didn't think about it before, but im sure theres gotta be a great spot for a sickter covert road gap over the catwalk. emphasis on covert.

[summit]

whoops misread

[AjaxWSP]

I have to agree with Knockneedman.....

The terrain below the catwalk is steep. think of the end of kessler's, steep as can be and it continues below the catwalk. That is drainage out and should be awesome but tight.

the bowl wont become a mogul field cause you still have to hike it. the new lift drops you at loge peak. the bowl will also become bigger as you don't have to navigate so much. The Northwoods are going to be huge now!

I think more than anything the lift will wear people out! I hope it makes me stronger, but laps on that lift all day will wear you out.

Nothing bad can come from this!

Ajax

[Woodsy]

dude, many places at the botom of snyders and soddie come to mind.
I wanna see KM inverted above me.
he thought I was dead once.

[Knockneed Man]

yea, i didn't think about it before, but im sure theres gotta be a great spot for a sickter covert road gap over the catwalk. emphasis on covert.

There's a section below Soddy's where in years past the boundry rope hangs waay out over the drop, and we'd take one of the further poles out so the rope just hangs... Hike up Soddy's thirty feet and just nuke off. A quick 30 footer to nipple deep goodness... Let's hope it wont be THAT diffferent!

he thought I was dead once.

Acutually I thought you were dead several times... How's that kidney holding up for ya?

[Woodsy]

Acutually I thought you were dead several times... How's that kidney holding up for ya?

all my organs are functioning in the red at the moment.
got one i can borrow?
I'm not dead yet.

[Knockneed Man]

all my organs are functioning in the red at the moment.
got one i can borrow?
I'm not dead yet.

You can have my liver.... SERIOUSLY... I am giving it away.