The Tram is dead. Long live the Tram!

[Endlessseason]

The Tram is dead. Long live the New Tram!

I've taken the tram hundreds of times over the years. It was a strange feeling knowing this ride was the last. On the ride up, I took a few photos from inside the fully loaded blue car.
Snowbird is still open for skiing for a few more weeks, but today is the tram's last day of the season AND the last day, forever, for the familiar, nearly 50 year-old, red and blue tram system.
Over the next few months, everything will be demolitioned and replaced. The cars, the control station at the plaza, the drive, huge bullwheel, guide towers, docking station...all must go to make way for an entirely new tram system which, if everything goes according to schedule, will be operational sometime in July.

[old goat]

Looks like a bunch of people in that tram who rode it the first day it opened.

[Shredhead]

I rode it within a couple of weeks of opening. Early February 1972.
It was practically empty.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Is that Goniff in the middle?

[paulster2626]

I do not like trams. I realize nobody asked, but there it is...

[Core Shot]

I do not like trams. I realize nobody asked, but there it is...

Trams are the best lifts.
Assuming it’s a decent mountain.

If you don’t have a tram your mountain sucks.

[hoarhey]

I wonder if inside capacity will be the same at 125 people. I know they are adding the upper deck for summer

Pretty forward thinking to put in that system in 1972 with a nod to zermatt, sister city, so to speak.




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[BobMc]

Is that Goniff in the middle?

Green helmet middle is Spongebob.

[paulster2626]

Trams are the best lifts.
Assuming it’s a decent mountain.

If you don’t have a tram your mountain sucks.

Why are they the best? I find the long wait at the bottom annoying. I find being crammed in like sardines annoying. I find them also kind of scary.

Are they able to operate in higher winds than chairs/gondolas? Do they have same uphill capacity as regular lifts, despite the wait at the bottom? Or is that the point? Dump a load of skiers at the top, who then rapidly disperse, leaving relatively uncrowded runs up top?

Just curious why some people seem to like trams so much. Maybe they grow on you.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Green helmet middle is Spongebob.

Confirmed, black helmet, sunnies,red shell is Goniff

[JONG SLAUGHTER]

Trams are the best lifts.
Assuming it’s a decent mountain.

If you don’t have a tram your mountain sucks.

YEAH! WHO ELSE DOESN'T WANT TO STAND PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES WITH 50 OTHER GAPERS! IT'S THE BEST!

[baron]

YEAH! WHO ELSE DOESN'T WANT TO STAND PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES WITH 50 OTHER GAPERS! IT'S THE BEST!

Trams rule.. specially when some geezer shits their pants and the whole tram smells like an outhouse

They are nice sometimes...when its -10 degree wind chill ; or in summer its an easy way to get my bike up to the top

[Truckee Joe]

Trams access terrain that most lifts never could. Ever been to Cham? Couldn't access most of that with out a classic tram.


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[Dantheman]

if everything goes according to schedule, will be operational sometime in July.

Supposedly there's a wedding at the Hidden Peak restaurant on June 16 and that's the primary driver behind closing it this early.

Why are they the best? I find the long wait at the bottom annoying. I find being crammed in like sardines annoying. I find them also kind of scary.

Are they able to operate in higher winds than chairs/gondolas? Do they have same uphill capacity as regular lifts, despite the wait at the bottom? Or is that the point? Dump a load of skiers at the top, who then rapidly disperse, leaving relatively uncrowded runs up top?

Just curious why some people seem to like trams so much. Maybe they grow on you.

The lift layout at Snowbird makes it a PITA to access certain terrain without riding the tram. When it's walk-on it's undisputedly awesome, when it's more than a 1-box wait I'd rather ride chairs.

[Yonder_River]

I take it that it's best to wear sunglasses whilst on a tram.

[::: :::]

who in that photo claimed the cropdusting?

[old goat]

I do not like trams. I realize nobody asked, but there it is...

Since when did you become Dr. Seuss?
I don't like them either, but I like mountains that need them. The last few times I skied Snowbird we never bothered with the tram. You used to be able to get to the top of JH by a Poma surface lift. It is nice to ride the Oly tram on a powder morning if you get there early enough for the first bin and there's stuff open up high. I haven't ridden in it in years, except to download in the summer when hiking with people who were too beat after hiking up to hike back down. Chamonix is the only place I've personally skied that truly needed trams--Brevent, Flegere, GM, AM, Italian VB--all would be tough or impossible to get to the top of without a tram. And Montenvers if you count that tiny tram For one thing, it's tough to put chairlift towers in glaciers.

[Fred Pabst]

I do not like trams. I realize nobody asked, but there it is...

Maybe it's the garlic farts!!

[jackstraw]

I do not like trams. I realize nobody asked, but there it is...

My wife calls them the "box of doom". Not a fan.

I could care less, but generally they're the quickest to the top and without the poma in JH it's the only way these days. And even with the poma it was pretty much the only way. That thing ran once in a blue moon.

I'm am shocked that the Bird's plan is to have the new one up and going so quick. Seems too quick honestly.

[schindlerpiste]

The tram was always ok and could even be fun if you were lucky enough to be one of the first 15 in. Otherwise, not so much.
Sitting atop the new bucket is something to look forward to.

....June wedding at Hidden Peak. Noice! That's not going to be cheap

[muted reborn]

Jesus, the SB tram is unique and rad and debating if it's good or not on a ski forum of all places makes my brain hurt. It's not the journey it's the destination. If you are scared of them - fine - that's not unusual but not the trams fault. This lift is an icon, all cropdusting experiences and puking doesn't change that.

First time I rode the tram was the first one of the day in 1993 and it snowed 2 feet overnight. I had never skied anything deeper than 6" before this. I laughed when everyone ran off the tram and clicked in - what's the rush??? Then I dropped in and understood, ha. What a day. Super light and bluebird.

I am super impressed they can replace the thing so fast. Where are the old ones going?

[Core Shot]

YEAH! WHO ELSE DOESN'T WANT TO STAND PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES WITH 50 OTHER GAPERS! IT'S THE BEST!

Heh. I triggered jong laughter

Trams rule.. specially when some geezer shits their pants and the whole tram smells like an outhouse

You can’t play gnar without a tram.

Always claim your farts. Proudly.

[waxman]

Confirmed, black helmet, sunnies,red shell is Goniff

Goniff needs a new helmet.

[Endlessseason]

Supposedly there's a wedding at the Hidden Peak restaurant on June 16 and that's the primary driver behind closing it this early.

I hope that's not the reason. It would be rather shocking if they put something like that ahead of the 3,000-something customers who advanced Snowbird more than 4 million dollars last spring for season passes. Those customers expected a normal 24-25 weeks of tram operation. The tram closes for maintenance the second Sunday of May each year. That means May 14th this year. By closing SIX WEEKS early, the tram only operated 12 weeks this year! I doubt I'm the only customer who needed to know that before I gave Snowbird $1,600 for an AltaBird pass last March.

[Dantheman]

I hope that's not the reason. It would be rather shocking if they put something like that ahead of the 3,000-something customers who advanced Snowbird more than 4 million dollars last spring for season passes.

Personally, I find it not shocking at all and entirely on-brand for Snowbird. They charged $750 for preferred parking this year and enforcement was lax. Source was not an employee but seemed reliable.