Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Prepping for the Burke Mountain HSQ Installation (Part 2)

News emerged that the deal to buy Ascutney's lightly used 10 year old HSQ fell through. There haven't been any details behind the decision. Even though that deal fell through, very reputable talk has emerged that Burke has forged ahead and purchased a brand new Leitner/Poma HSQ. As of this posting Burke has still not released official word of the purchase of the new lift. Even though the new lift may have been the more expensive route, I believe this is a good move for both logistical and public relations reasons.

Logistically, deconstruction, transport, and reconstruction of a used lift is likely rather complex. Additionally, replacement/modification parts would have to be secured to fit the new geometry of the lift as it would have been reconstructed at Burke. Having a brand new lift allows Burke to have exactly what it needs for construction parts and it can reduce costs by sharing parts and training of lift technicians with the Leitner/Poma HSQ that services the lower mountain.

Public Relations wise, buying a new lift signifies a dedication of investment in the mountain and also prevents Burke from being labeled the bad guy that swooped in an bought Ascutney's quad and killing the chances that that mountain would ever open for skiing again (interesting note that Burke barely survived a somewhat similar demise 11 years ago).

Meanwhile prep work has continued for the new lift.

From the location of the base terminal:
The big logs have been removed from the new liftline:

The summit terminal area has been cut and is ready for grading:

The area around the Mid-Burke lodge has been regraded to remove the uphill section between the Willoughby Quad and the base of the new HSQ:



Prepping for the Burke Mountain HSQ Installation (Part 1)

The new HSQ was Act 250 approved April 28, 2011. Before the ink was even dry on the approval, Burke started cutting the liftline. This was due to restriction on cutting trees above 2500' which is where the Bicknell's thrush nests between May 15th and August 1st. The new lift will extend from the field 275 yards below the Mid-Burke lodge to the just below the mountains true summit. The top terminal will be located roughly in the middle of the paved loop at the top of the auto road.

Looking up the new liftline from the now removed section of the Mid-Burke parking lot.


From the bottom of the Poma lift.

Looking down toward the location of the base terminal.

The machine used to cut the line.

Burke High Speed Quad to the Summit (The back story)

Burke Mountain was recently approved by Vermont's Act 250 for the preparation and installation of a high speed detachable quad (HSQ) chairlift that accesses the summit of the mountain. There has been a long history at Burke concerning the installation of such a lift. The current "Willoughby" summit lift is a fixed grip CTEC quad that takes approximately 13 minutes to get to the summit, which many feel is far too long and is a major reason many people overlook Burke as a serious New England ski destination.

Burke is "known" for its lack of liftlines and the debate about having a highspeed lift to the top revolved around the notion that the increased uphill capacity during non-capacity periods will reduce snow quality as skier and riders would be able to get up the mountain more quickly. This would result in more runs in a shorter period of time. At this time, no statistics on the new HSQ uphill capacity have been released but often times the number of riders per hour is not increased by a HSQ over the previous lift due to a longer period between chairs. However, if the lift is running below its max capacity, a single rider can complete more laps over the older slower lift during a given time. Currently the Willoughby quad will remain in its current position and potentially be run on "busy" days to keep liftlines down. We will have to see how the potential doubling of uphill capacity (when both lifts are running) affects the skiing surface quality at Burke.
At the end of the 2010-2011 ski season, rumors emerged that Burke was going to purchase a ten year old CTEC HSQ from the recently closed Ascutney Mountain in southern Vermont. Details were unclear but it sounded like a deal was close at hand. These rumors really picked up steam with a few stories in the local media and the submission for the Act 250 permit on March 31.