RE: Alta's New Quad

**Red Baron** · 03-10-2004, 10:12 AM

From Today's Salt Lake Tribune; an update on the plans for this summer....

Alta will install a high-tech quad lift

By Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune

Alta Ski Area will begin construction this summer on a new high-speed detachable quad chair lift that will run from the base to the top of Germania Ridge, transforming the Collins Gulch side of the Little Cottonwood Canyon resort.

The U.S. Forest Service earlier this month gave final approval to Alta's proposed face-lift after rejecting an appeal of forest supervisor Thomas Tidwell's decision last November that no significant environmental impacts will result from Alta's plan to revise its lift configuration, move midmountain Watson's Shelter restaurant to a new location, re-contour the base to eliminate an uphill climb to board the lifts and, eventually, to build a base lodge.

Alta officials hope the changes "will bring in thousands of new skiers," resort spokeswoman Connie Marshall said Tuesday.

The Forest Service's analysis of the resort's request had noted that "skier visitation during the early 1990s at Alta was much greater than in recent years" and concluded "the revision would replace and upgrade aging lift and skier-service infrastructure in response to changes in technology and skier expectations . . . maintaining or increasing skier visitation."

This year's work will take out Collins Lift, the initial rendition of which was the first chair at Alta, carrying skiers for the first time on Jan. 15, 1939. Also to be removed will be Germania Lift, which skiers can board at midmountain and ride to Germania Ridge.

They will be replaced by a Doppelmayr-CTEC high-speed quad with an angle station near the current Germania base. Skiers will board the quad just uphill and a little east of the current Collins lift.

"One of the issues about skiing this side of Alta is you have to ski two lifts," Marshall said. "People end up doing Germania laps and not skiing all the way down. A big percentage of the terrain on our mountain is underutilized.

"By giving people one lift ride to the top, they will choose to ski the whole mountain on this side. We can provide a more positive skiing experience, giving people a long ride on the mountain and a quicker ride back up," she added.

Another big project this summer will be to raise the level of the parking lot and diminishing the uphill grade to reach the base of the new lift. Over the years, many a skier has trudged up a short-but-steep hill to board either the Collins or Wildcat lifts after buying a pass at the Wildcat ticket office.

"This will be one of the most wonderful things Alta has done," Marshall said. "That march uphill has been a joke around here for years, even for people in good shape. It's hard when you're carrying equipment. And when you get over 25 [years old], it's really hard."

Alta officials had hoped to start work on a relocated Watson's Shelter, just east and uphill from the current Germania loading station. But the 90-day delay in the appeals process likely will postpone that construction for a year, Marshall said.

No timetable has been set for building a base lodge with a restaurant and skier-services facilities, she said, noting "it could be more than a year or two out."

Tidwell endorsed this open-ended timetable in his record of decision. He encouraged the resort and the owners of Goldminers Daughter Lodge, which upgraded its facilities last summer, to cooperate on providing improved skier services.

mikeg@sltrib.com

**rightcoast** · 03-10-2004, 10:21 AM

"thousands of new skiers" swell

**TheDingleberry** · 03-10-2004, 10:42 AM

Say farewell to the cheap lift tickets.

**Plakespear** · 03-10-2004, 10:43 AM

Could be worse- they could allow slowboarders

**Dexter Rutecki** · 03-10-2004, 11:00 AM

Leaving MRG as the undisputed home of 'soul' in skiing.

**ak_powder_monkey** · 03-10-2004, 11:10 AM

http://tetongravity.com/ubb/icons/icon13.gif

**phUnk** · 03-10-2004, 11:10 AM

I could always pass a few chairs worth of beaters by charging up that "uphill climb to board the lifts" when I was running a bit late on a powder morning. What do they expect me to do now, get up earlier? Ugh.

**UTdave** · 03-10-2004, 11:21 AM

Originally posted by ak_powder_monkey
http://tetongravity.com/ubb/icons/icon13.gif

so you can evaluate Alta's plan even though you've never been there?

If you have been there then please disregard.

Honestly they had to do something. The current Germ lift is a piece of shit and is always stopping (not for gapers). I don't know whether this will make Alta better or worse but it will definitely be different. The stashes may change up a bit because of the different lift layout but you will still be able to find them. Personally I know it will still be a kickass place.

**Mountain Junkie** · 03-10-2004, 11:41 AM

"This will be one of the most wonderful things Alta has done," Marshall said. "That march uphill has been a joke around here for years, even for people in good shape. It's hard when you're carrying equipment. And when you get over 25 [years old], it's really hard."

Le Maze du Wildcat. Known as one of the more technical and arduous ski mountaineering routes in LCC. From parking lot to the summit plateau, the route rises over 30 continous vertical feet. The brave few that are able to conquer this route are treated to a series of mechanized ski lifts that have been installed by previous ascensionists.

**InspectorGadget** · 03-10-2004, 11:47 AM

Originally posted by UTdave
...so you can evaluate Alta's plan even though you've never been there?

Ak Monkey Know Nothing is never afraid to comment on that which he knows nothing about. Sadly, he is not alone in his repeated displays of ignorance - the rest of you know who you are.

A high-speed quad at Alta - it had to happen sometime. I remember the whining and nashing of teeth when the old single chairs were replaced with then state-of-the-art doubles. I seriously doubt that Alta will lose any of its anachronistic charm because of the proposed changes.

It might even be, dare I say it, better !

**phUnk** · 03-10-2004, 11:53 AM

Originally posted by Mountain Junkie
Le Maze du Wildcat. Known as one of the more technical and arduous ski mountaineering routes in LCC. From parking lot to the summit plateau, the route rises over 30 continous vertical feet. The brave few that are able to conquer this route are treated to a series of mechanized ski lifts that have been installed by previous ascensionists.

ahahaha!

CS · 03-10-2004, 11:56 AM

Originally posted by InspectorGadget:
A high-speed quad at Alta - it had to happen sometime.

And already did, about 5 years ago. This will be the third.

Originally posted by Mountain Junkie:
Le Maze du Wildcat. Known as one of the more technical and arduous ski mountaineering routes in LCC. From parking lot to the summit plateau, the route rises over 30 continous vertical feet. The brave few that are able to conquer this route are treated to a series of mechanized ski lifts that have been installed by previous ascensionists.

Heh. My thoughts exactly.

**frozenwater** · 03-10-2004, 12:05 PM

I will miss the option to jump on collins if wildcat gets crowded.

I will miss the bombing down to germ so you can get first chair, even if you didn't have first chair at wildcat.

--I wonder if there will be a new powder preservation area on the knoll that used to occupy the top of collins, some shots in there, if memory serves, will require some uphill traversing to access.

I hate change, I'd rather it didn't change at all. But now that it is a done deal, I am trying to be optimistic about the place I've skied for the better part of 3 decades.

**teledave** · 03-10-2004, 02:39 PM

Originally posted by Red Baron
Another big project this summer will be to raise the level of the parking lot and diminishing the uphill grade to reach the base of the new lift. Over the years, many a skier has trudged up a short-but-steep hill to board either the Collins or Wildcat lifts after buying a pass at the Wildcat ticket office.

"This will be one of the most wonderful things Alta has done," Marshall said. "That march uphill has been a joke around here for years, even for people in good shape. It's hard when you're carrying equipment. And when you get over 25 [years old], it's really hard."

Oh, please! Even for this old out of shape flatlander I've never considered this one of Alta's more difficult hikes.

But as frozenwater said, might as well be optomistic about new laps on the new quad.

**InspectorGadget** · 03-10-2004, 02:48 PM

Originally posted by InspectorGadget
A high-speed quad at Alta - it had to happen sometime.

Originally posted by CS
And already did, about 5 years ago.

Apparently my fingers are quicker than my memory - open mouth, insert foot.

**skiguide** · 03-10-2004, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by Red Baron

"This will be one of the most wonderful things Alta has done," Marshall said. "That march uphill has been a joke around here for years, even for people in good shape. It's hard when you're carrying equipment. And when you get over 25 [years old], it's really hard."

[/B]

that Connie Marshall is a sweet, older lady

killer teleskier for her age, too.

so nice of her to be so concerned for those of us climbing that hill to 30... at 27, that just might kill me later this month

**snorkeldeep** · 03-10-2004, 03:56 PM

i was trying to figure out what you guys were talking about until i thought about it a bit more.. theyre really complaining about that 20 foot hill? wow. next theyll be putting a magic carpet on high t and a towrope up to the castle

**rightcoast** · 03-10-2004, 04:07 PM

Wildcat will remain unchanged correct??
So that hill from the lot to the chair will still be there??

**seldon** · 03-10-2004, 08:43 PM

search first, THEN post.

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showt...ight=alta+quad

memories of my first post

**ak_powder_monkey** · 03-10-2004, 08:50 PM

What I do know that I hear Alta is way soulfull and not full of hi speed quads with only a certain amount of skiers up the mountain at once, and I want to experiance more places like that (Alpenglows like that 2 riblets and a tbar), from what I hear thats alta

**release** · 03-10-2004, 09:42 PM

Another big project this summer will be to raise the level of the parking lot and diminishing the uphill grade to reach the base of the new lift.

Maybe if they did the math they might find that an escalator would be cheaper than raising the parking lot - maybe.

Also, is a how is a "high-tech" quad different than a "high-speed" quad?

**jayfrizzo** · 03-10-2004, 10:02 PM

Originally posted by ak_powder_monkey
What I do know that I hear Alta is way soulfull

This is all BS. As soon as you get on a lift you're leaving your soul behind. Let's not forget this is a resort and a business. If you want soul, walk your ass up a hill.

Though I suppose soul is relative to each practice. I mean, Gidget ain't very soulful, but surfing sure is. So in that respect Alta has soul. Just like, say, owning a Subaru.

**maddog** · 03-10-2004, 10:41 PM

Originally posted by Dexter Rutecki
Leaving MRG as the undisputed home of 'soul' in skiing.

....I'll dispute that... Ever been to Taos?

**shamrockpow** · 03-11-2004, 01:41 AM

Originally posted by Red Baron

"One of the issues about skiing this side of Alta is you have to ski two lifts," Marshall said. "People end up doing Germania laps and not skiing all the way down. A big percentage of the terrain on our mountain is underutilized."

Ummm, is it just me or is this statement just wrong? High T can get you to Eagle's Nest/High Boy/Lone Pine or farther with good top to bottom runs. Everything west of West Rus takes you back to a flat area (where Germ is right now) without much great skiing to the bottom. The groomers down there are utilized by people who ski Mambo/Main St. down to the bottom, but I don't really see how this lift improves the overall ski experience for the 75+% of Alta skiers that want to ski fall line pow as much as possible. Fixing the Germ lift will be good, b/c it does stop a lot right now and they have to load every other/every third chair, but I would rather just have 1 new Germ chair than a top to bottom lift. But I guess we can't always get what we want...