New Lifts for Whistler

[Garbanzo]

O-M-G! Just read this: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/ftp/resort_...te_Nov2010.pdf

Says they are going to add new lifts. An 8 seater for Harmony and much more!

Pleaze make it soon.

Here is a chart of the plans:

Access into Symphony Bowl is currently provided by the Harmony and
Peak Express Chairs which are two of the three most popular lifts on the mountain.
With so many people wanting to return cycle ski on these lifts, little capacity is left
over to transport 2,930 skiers to fill the Flute and Symphony chairs in the future. To
provide additional access into Symphony Bowl and reduce the large lift lines on the
Harmony Express (Lift D) on peak days, the existing detachable quad will be
replaced with a higher capacity detachable 8-passenger chairlift. With today’s
technology, the capacity of this lift could increase to a rated capacity of as much as
4,000 pph.

The Yellow Chairlift (Lift P), a detachable quadruple chairlift rated at 2,400
people per hour, is proposed for zone between the Harmony and Emerald Express
chairs. This lift will service trails from Green Acres/Coyote/Bobcat through Ratfink
and Chunky’s Choice and provide additional upper mountain lift capacity when the
Harmony chair is closed due to avalanche risk or high winds.

A detachable six-passenger chairlift is proposed for the east side of Symphony
Bowl, rising up onto Flute Mountain either onto the peak of Flute or the northern
shoulder

[t.odd]

yeah, it's in their updated management plan, but there is no time frame on it, just 'future'. although harmony upgrade is in the nearer future than other stuff I believe.

[PhilM]

Rumour I heard was that the current 4 seater chairs from harmony will make their way to a blackcomb for a new extended crystal chair that would extend down to spanky's cat road.

[nickel]

Been in the plans for a long time... PhilM, that is the plan, the liftline is has been cut for a long time, as well as the loading area. It's just after the first long flat part when you merge with ridge runner.

Harmony upgrade is pretty worthwhile, the lift lines get absolutely crazy there many days. Replacing Crystal sure would change the dynamic on Blackcomb though! Not even sure how most would access it when glacier isn't turning. Currently it would require a long traverse from solar, or a slight uphill from current crystal load.

Beginners should be stoked about an oly revamp, a good step for separating skill levels into appropriate terrain. Especially if the chondolla comes with a few new runs in the area.

Yellow chair seems further afield, but talk of cutting new runs in awesome tree skiing terrain always sort of stings... Although the terrain park people will probably see some windfall by the sounds of it.

[bamboocoreONLY]

4000pph for the 8 person chair? holy shit that's a fast lift, that'll get work done for sure.

[DanoT]

In spite of British Columbia having some of the best ski conditions in North America this winter, skier visits were down slightly at Sun Peaks and I heard Whistler as well. I wouldn't bet on new lifts any time soon. Has WB recooped the $50 million from the Peak to Peak Tram yet?

[Schemeboat]

Whis gondi upgrades before anything else.

[rugbydave]

No new lifts!!!!

[Schemeboat]

No new lifts!!!!

100%

Other than fixing that pos gondi on whis.

[D(C)]

Harmony is a real bottleneck on weekends. More capacity there makes sense to me. Stuff gets skied out so fucking fast anyway I'd be willing to have stuff tracked out one run sooner and not have to spend the day in lines. Most people on Harmony are gapers who don't lap the good stuff anyway.

I have mixed feelings about extending Crystal. It would make it much easier to lap the area and Excelerator does get pretty backed up. It would also make getting back from Spanky's quicker. But Crystal is a somewhat hidden gem (relatively speaking) and such expansion would for sure amount to more traffic.

My attitude is that at a place as crowded as Whistler, you might as well reduce wait times as it will get tracked out quickly anyway. If you want fresh all day, go to a more remote resort or go touring.

[Garbanzo]

In spite of British Columbia having some of the best ski conditions in North America this winter, skier visits were down slightly at Sun Peaks and I heard Whistler as well. I wouldn't bet on new lifts any time soon. Has WB recooped the $50 million from the Peak to Peak Tram yet?

This may be Whistler's strongest season in ever.

Whistler is up this year from last year and it is almost an all-time record year. If room rates are down, no one could tell -- It still costs arms-and-legs on some weekends for average rooms. With those results, why would they not be in a good position to continue with their plans for new lifts?

This year has been very good: Whistler visits continue record run: Occupancy rates for last month up 23 per cent over February 2011, resort pacing ahead for rest of season

...no doubt this season will be a strong one, but we'll have to see whether it's one of our strongest ever."

Murphy also cautioned that while bookings are up, room rates are still at historical lows for the resort and profit margins for hotels are lower than before the financial crisis.

As for where all the visitors are coming from, Murphy said the good news is that people seem to be coming from everywhere. "Every one of our key markets is showing growth," he said. "Our regional market is up over last year, and our key destination markets — the U.S., the U.K., Germany and Australia, for example — all of these are seeing double-digit percentage growth over the previous February."

Last year was good too: Skier visits expected to exceed two million this season Whistler Blackcomb sells more passes than ever before

@schemeboat:
Is that for sure no new lifts. Do you know when? They have a meeting last year to talk about it and it was for the 'long term plan'. Inside knowledge?

[GoNads]

old news?

[Schemeboat]

old news?

very old news.

[Garbanzo]

More info on the upgrades and timeline, "possibly as early as summer 2014, but more likely beginning in 2015". Although, I'm not quite sure why each new Whistler gondola cabin should cost $45,000. Is that a typo or is that what they really cost?

* Whistler gondola upgrade.
* Harmony upgrade to a six seater
* Transfer of the quad Harmony chair over to Crystal ridge
* Renovation of Rendezvouz lodge


from Whistler Pique on April 5, 2012:

Spilling the Gears: The Whistler Gondola Inside and Out. A look under the hood of the Whistler Gondola after more than 56,000 hours of operation.

Several upgrades are rolling out across Whistler Blackcomb in the coming few years — including improvements to the Whistler Gondola, possibly as early as summer 2014, but more likely beginning in 2015.

"It's our primary workhorse for Whistler Blackcomb, and carries more passengers than any other lift in our company," says Doug Forseth, Whistler Blackcomb's Senior VP of Operations, who has also ridden the gondola several thousand times in uniform, jumpstarting innumerable conversations during the 15-minute ride. "It has done that in its current state since 1988."

Though the gondie was upgraded in 2007 with heavy-duty components so that its capacity is now greater — so it can haul more ass, basically "what has not been done yet is a new paint job," says Doug. "The cabins are really the next big thing."

So here's what to expect. First, the number of cabins will probably increase from 156 to about 190. And there will be new, walk-in cabins, still with skis on the inside — keeping it easy for lifties dealing with twintips and rockered planks — but with comfortable, assigned seating for eight. Yes — no longer will the strange, oblong benches, too high for some, too low for others, upend tourists and locals alike. It will be much more like the Excalibur gondola, notes Doug, and will enhance carrying numbers from 2,150 per hour to about 2,640. This means "shorter lift lines, and better service," says Doug.

The cost of the upgrade racks in at around $45,000 per cabin, making it a $7 million upgrade that will benefit both winter and summer riders. Solutions for bike carriers are still being brainstormed, with bike carriers a possibility. Upgrading the gondie will likely take place around the same time as the Harmony upgrade to a six-pack lift, and the transfer of the existing, quad Harmony chair over to Crystal on Blackcomb, replacing the old triple. The top five list of the master plan timeline also calls for the renovation of Rendezvous, which has found itself increasingly popular as a destination eatery for Peak 2 Peak sightseers. The $5 million expansion would increase seating and enhance the back-of-the-house, though no word on the all-night disco yet.

[ole2planker]

Although, I'm not quite sure why each new Whistler gondola cabin should cost $45,000. Is that a typo or is that what they really cost?

Cabins don't cost $45,000. The cost of the entire project averages to $45,000 per cabin.

[GoNads]

I'm pretty sure there was a post about this 2+ years ago.