Snow Cats & Ski Lifts

[Bobcat]

Funny thing is that as hard as they are to master, the Poma lifts are usually on the bunny slopes.

 

[Lyndon]

VW Sponsors lots of Skiing events. At Lake Louise last week in Banff AB, they had a new Jetta at the base lodge on the snow being raffeled off. I had driven there in the same make, color and model.
View attachment VW Chair.bmp
This unusual lift advertisment was at another area. It's just a piece of cardboard behind each chair.

 

[Lyndon]

This of course was the most basic and utilitarian of lifts: The "Rope-Tow".

 

[Lyndon]

They were tough to hold on to. One had to hang on for deer life, and even then, it could only navigate a gentle hill. It killed you wrists. An experienced rider would hold on in front with one hand, and wrap his or her arm around the rope, then place their other hand behind their back and hold on there too.

 

[Lyndon]

While Skiing at the North Country School, in Lake Placid NY, an associate of mine got his windbreaker wrapped around the rope. When he got to the place to un load, the rope picked him up and carried him to the top of a phone pole where the rope passed over an old car wheel. From there the rope went down thru a small window, NOT big enough for a person, and around the drive wheels of a 1938 Cevy! He (Brad) grabbed on to the phone pole and his wind breaker lore loose, slid down the pole to the ground and sprained his leg! We took him to the Lake Placid Hospital, which sits right at the base of the old Olympic Ski Jump for the 1936 Winter OLympics, and watched junior jumpers go off the 35 and 85 Meter olympic jumps while Brad was being "patched-up" at the hospital.

 

[Lyndon]

Lake Placid & Dartmouth Jumps:

 

[Lyndon]

Find the Snow Cat:

 

[Lyndon]

Theres a Tucker "2 Track" in action in one of these, it's hard to find.

 

[Lyndon]

The Basic ingredients for a ski area are: a snow covered hill, a lodge, a lift and a Snow Cat! And as attested to by the above photo's and one more that I couldn't compress enough to display, Tuckers were the "standard of the industry". So far, in looking at hundreds of old postcards and photos I still havn't found a Snow Trac or Kristi in one of the old ski area archives, but I know it's only a matter of time.... because I was there, and so were they!

 

[Lyndon]

Here's one of some guys hauling off some lumber from Mt. Shasta on what looks to be an old allison or allis chalmers.

I suppose that could be their Ski's? There's some vintage canteens hanging on that thing. They look like they could have used some Sun Blocker too!

 

[Bulldog1401]

Learned to ski on a rope tow. the method you described (one hand in front, one behind) was by far the easiest way to go. Ours had an electric motor that turned an old car differential (model "T" or "A", I believe) that had a double wrap of rope around the rim for traction. Each pole had an old car rim with bearings at the top to reave the rope down the hill. Shared it with sledders too. We were lucky in that we had a safety wire at the top just prior to the house that housed the drive system. If you got caught, you broke the connecction and it stopped the motor. Less carnage that way!!

 

[pixie]

Those were the 'good ole days' ...Having your mittens freeze to the rope

Yup.. at least half the adreniline produced by skiing was because of the lifts.

One of the thrills at Black MT. was the T-bar. When there was low snow, it would pick you right up off the ground by your butt and if things were just right ( or, actually, wrong... ) spin you around in mid-air and you would both land sideways in the tracks and the T-bar still chugging along....

 

[Pigtails]

What fond memorys! I learned to ski at our local ski area when it was open, Antelope Butte Ski Area in the Big Horn Mountains. All they had were one person T bars, at least for awhile. I took a tumble or too learning how to ride them. Then when we moved to ID, we would go to Schweitzer Mountain alot. Now they had T bars as well. And that was in 87-90. Now ask my daughter, liv2ride about the time I embarrased her. Lost one ski trying to get on the lift, so we went on up and the persons behind us brought up my one ski. That was a trick for a novis to try to get off of with one ski.. The good ole days!!! hehe Good Thread Lyndon..

 

[Lyndon]

I like to thank: Nelsap.org and all the other unknown contributors for their contributions to this Thread. Thanks, again, Lyndon.

 

[Lyndon]

Ski area in Russia! What's the Snow Cat?

 

[Lyndon]

some 60's lifts.

 

[Lyndon]

The operators of these two rigs said that they had alot of trouble with the power steering blowing out. They need that little :NEVER TURN WHEN NOT IN MOTION tags on the Tuckers and Snow Trac's!

 

[Lyndon]

These are used for glaciar touring in Canada. A tire cost 8000$.

These machines replaced an aging fleet of Good Old Bombardier B12 Snow Caoches.

 

[Lyndon]

Their predacessors:

 

[pixie]

Those buses with the big tires are made by Foremost. It looks like they use a groomer on the 'road' that they travel on. Cool !!!

Here is a link to a website that has pictures of old and new lifts catagorized by state. Some pictures were taken in the summer or long after the old lifts were removed. http://www.skilifts.org/ There aren't any snowcats in thier pictures... sad

Lyndon, I found the snowcat in the Russian picture but hard to tell much.... I'm wondering about all the fuel tanks more than the snowcat, though.... Sure would like to see a picture of how they got the tanks there....( and why? ).... tow them with a snowcat ?

 

[Kwiens]

Lyndon,

Thanks for posting these photos!!

K

 

[Lyndon]

NEW Whistler Peak to Peak Lift

This new lift just went into operation this december. Last winter I skiied there the day before it opened up to the public. It's a pretty specaticular ride. the cable is 8.8 KM long!

 

[Lyndon]

Last week an associate and I went there to try out mountain biking down the mountain. There was some 9 day event going on there.
the first 4 Pictures are taken from our suite in Whistler village.

 

[Lyndon]

The world championships of mountain biking, a million kids. THEYall had BODY ARMOR, you can see the spinal protector on one guy's back. The pedal bikes they used had suspension like a motorcycle or dirt bike. If I ever go again, I'm renting the body armor! (& the bike, they cost up to 10,000$!)

 

[Lyndon]

I was the only rider on the whole mountain on a mountain bike with no suspension! I felt pretty good about making 4 runs with out a problem, carring a pack, and being 56! The trails were hectic. This is a Novice Trail. there were also Intermediate, Expert, and some really death defying "Double Black Diamond" stuff. Maybe next time, with body armor and on a bike with suspension!

 

[Lyndon]

OK, now for the Lift:
There are 28 cars, 2 are "Observation Cars" that only hold 20 people, the remaining RED cars hold 28 people. The Silver Observation cars have a Lexan/Plexiglass floor section. One place the Tram is 1500 feet above the little stream.

 

[Lyndon]

The Accelerator Drive Wheels used to speed up the cars before they grip on to the drive cable.



An old Retired Gondola from Whistler's early days.

The Glass Floor Observation car.



Look for the CRANE>!

 

[Lyndon]

View from Whistler toward Blackomb.

View from Blackomb looking down on Whistler Village.

The "Bull Wheel" at Blackomb

 

[Lyndon]

These are the cables: The cars roll on 2 of these that are fixed, and a third cable moves the cars along.

More Accelerator drive wheels at the Blackomb Terminal.

A View of Whistler from Blackomb

Whistler Village at the foot of both mountains.

 

[Lyndon]

One of the giant Towers. Each Tower had dual winches, and a bunch of emergency rescue equipment along with it's own emergency generator to get people off the lift if there was a major component failure.


The Right-Of-Way looking back at Blackomb with a rainbow.


Air Bag Suspension detail on all the passenger cars.


Main Drive Shaft the the Whistler Terminal.


The Whistler Gondola Back down to Whistler Village.

OK,.. EVERYBODY BACK ON THE BUS,.. TOURS OVER!