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03-12-2009, 08:49 AM
CRAIG HILL; craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
Published: 03/12/09 12:05 am | Updated: 03/12/09 2:25 am
When skiing pioneer Bruce Kehr died in December, it sparked a debate at Stevens Pass, the ski area he founded in 1937. Of course, a chairlift should be named in his honor, but which kind?
Some insisted it should be a modern high-speed four-seater. Others pushed for a classic slow-moving double. “Finally, we decided he’d want it to be the double,” said Stevens Pass marketing director Chris Rudolph.
So, on March 29, the 45-year-old “Big Chief” double – a chair so old its parts are no longer manufactured – will be renamed “Kehr’s Chair.” Skiing purists who still appreciate private rides, longer conversations and less traffic will certainly appreciate the gesture.
Doubles are becoming harder to find at some resorts. Destination resorts, such as Whistler Blackcomb and Mount Bachelor don’t have any double chairs any more.
But in the Washington Cascades, the double still holds a place of honor. The region’s six ski areas have 53 lifts, and 25 are still doubles.
Last season, Crystal Mountain owner John Kircher shocked many people in the industry by installing a double called “Northway” for the resort’s newly expanded terrain. “I’m always trying to balance the sport and business,” Kircher told The News Tribune shortly after the lift opened. “Everybody likes to ride a high-speed lift, but they also have twice as much impact.
“A double gives you time to scope your line, have a conversation and keep the snow from getting skied off early in the day. I like the way it’s worked out.”
Among those singing Kircher’s praises is skiing icon Warren Miller. With the possible exception of helicopters, doubles are still Miller’s favorite way up the mountain. “You can put your arm around your sweetheart and enjoy the ride,” Miller said. “It’s better than being stuck on a lift listening to some guys babble back and forth all the way up the hill.”
Doubles also keep lift ticket prices down – at least down by lift ticket standards. A lift ticket in the Washington Cascades averages $52, about $30 less than destination resorts packed with high-speed lifts.
Steve Allen, director of maintenance at Stevens Pass, said doubles cost about $10,000 per year to maintain. A high-speed quad can cost more than $30,000 per year, Allen said.
Of course, in an industry where, according to a 2007 National Ski Area Association Survey, 46 percent of participants have a household income of $100,000 or more, skiers have long been willing to pay for the convenience of high-speed lifts.
But while modern high-speed quads are quicker and easier to load, they’re also skiing’s version of mass transit. You never know who you’ll ending up riding with. You could be the odd guy out eavesdropping on a trio’s story about last night’s party. Or one mistake in the lift line, and you could have four strangers sitting between you and your spouse.
“I’m quiet on the lift,” Skoog said. “I do a little meditation and maybe think about my next run. That’s hard to do on a six-pack with people all around. They get in my zone.”
On a double, it’s just you and your buddy. “Or if it’s a stranger, you can have a conversation because you don’t have four other people talking,” Rudolph said.
On busy days at White Pass Ski Area, skiers have a choice for the 1,510-vertical-foot ride up Pig Tail Peak. They can take a 51/2-minute ride on the four-seat Great White Express, or they can take an 11-minute ride on the 51-year-old two-seat Pig Tail 2, which is maintained by using parts from the old Pig Tail 1.
“Whenever we open Pig Tail 2, I hear people saying, ‘Let’s go take a retro ride,’” said Kathleen Goyette, the resort’s marketing director, who was an attendant on Pig Tail 2 before 1994 when it was the resort’s main lift. “People have some great memories of that lift.”
Today’s skiers and snowboarders are so accustomed to detachable chairs that make loading as simple as plopping down on a sofa, they sometimes aren’t prepared to be swept off their feet by a double.
Doubles don’t slow down. If you’re lucky, a lifty will hold the chair just long enough to keep it from taking you out at the knees. But for the most part, you’re on your own.
“I remember one time a couple of guys got surprised by the double and ended up in the same seat,” Goyette said. “I saw them when they came over the top, one guy on the other guy’s lap. “They were embarrassed, but it was hilarious.”
Allen has maintained the lifts at Stevens Pass since 1972. As the resort replaced old doubles with high-speed lifts, he saved the parts to maintain the remaining doubles.
“He has enough parts at home to build a lift,” Rudolph said.
Over the years, Allen has become somewhat of a chairlift historian. “I like the idea of riding through the air – transportation by cable,” Allen said.
His passion for lifts started as kid growing up in Midland during a News Tribune-sponsored trip to Ski Acres, now Summit Central. It took some time, but he finally stoked up enough courage to ride the single-seat lift. “I was scared to death,” said Allen, who has a chair from the old single in his lift collection.
The doubles were less scary, Allen said, and he has had a soft spot for doubles ever since. “I really enjoy riding the historic double lifts,” he said. “But, you know what, those high-speed quads are pretty nice. … I’m happy on any chairlift.”
And that’s something all skiers can agree on.
from: http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/661156.html
Published: 03/12/09 12:05 am | Updated: 03/12/09 2:25 am
When skiing pioneer Bruce Kehr died in December, it sparked a debate at Stevens Pass, the ski area he founded in 1937. Of course, a chairlift should be named in his honor, but which kind?
Some insisted it should be a modern high-speed four-seater. Others pushed for a classic slow-moving double. “Finally, we decided he’d want it to be the double,” said Stevens Pass marketing director Chris Rudolph.
So, on March 29, the 45-year-old “Big Chief” double – a chair so old its parts are no longer manufactured – will be renamed “Kehr’s Chair.” Skiing purists who still appreciate private rides, longer conversations and less traffic will certainly appreciate the gesture.
Doubles are becoming harder to find at some resorts. Destination resorts, such as Whistler Blackcomb and Mount Bachelor don’t have any double chairs any more.
But in the Washington Cascades, the double still holds a place of honor. The region’s six ski areas have 53 lifts, and 25 are still doubles.
Last season, Crystal Mountain owner John Kircher shocked many people in the industry by installing a double called “Northway” for the resort’s newly expanded terrain. “I’m always trying to balance the sport and business,” Kircher told The News Tribune shortly after the lift opened. “Everybody likes to ride a high-speed lift, but they also have twice as much impact.
“A double gives you time to scope your line, have a conversation and keep the snow from getting skied off early in the day. I like the way it’s worked out.”
Among those singing Kircher’s praises is skiing icon Warren Miller. With the possible exception of helicopters, doubles are still Miller’s favorite way up the mountain. “You can put your arm around your sweetheart and enjoy the ride,” Miller said. “It’s better than being stuck on a lift listening to some guys babble back and forth all the way up the hill.”
Doubles also keep lift ticket prices down – at least down by lift ticket standards. A lift ticket in the Washington Cascades averages $52, about $30 less than destination resorts packed with high-speed lifts.
Steve Allen, director of maintenance at Stevens Pass, said doubles cost about $10,000 per year to maintain. A high-speed quad can cost more than $30,000 per year, Allen said.
Of course, in an industry where, according to a 2007 National Ski Area Association Survey, 46 percent of participants have a household income of $100,000 or more, skiers have long been willing to pay for the convenience of high-speed lifts.
But while modern high-speed quads are quicker and easier to load, they’re also skiing’s version of mass transit. You never know who you’ll ending up riding with. You could be the odd guy out eavesdropping on a trio’s story about last night’s party. Or one mistake in the lift line, and you could have four strangers sitting between you and your spouse.
“I’m quiet on the lift,” Skoog said. “I do a little meditation and maybe think about my next run. That’s hard to do on a six-pack with people all around. They get in my zone.”
On a double, it’s just you and your buddy. “Or if it’s a stranger, you can have a conversation because you don’t have four other people talking,” Rudolph said.
On busy days at White Pass Ski Area, skiers have a choice for the 1,510-vertical-foot ride up Pig Tail Peak. They can take a 51/2-minute ride on the four-seat Great White Express, or they can take an 11-minute ride on the 51-year-old two-seat Pig Tail 2, which is maintained by using parts from the old Pig Tail 1.
“Whenever we open Pig Tail 2, I hear people saying, ‘Let’s go take a retro ride,’” said Kathleen Goyette, the resort’s marketing director, who was an attendant on Pig Tail 2 before 1994 when it was the resort’s main lift. “People have some great memories of that lift.”
Today’s skiers and snowboarders are so accustomed to detachable chairs that make loading as simple as plopping down on a sofa, they sometimes aren’t prepared to be swept off their feet by a double.
Doubles don’t slow down. If you’re lucky, a lifty will hold the chair just long enough to keep it from taking you out at the knees. But for the most part, you’re on your own.
“I remember one time a couple of guys got surprised by the double and ended up in the same seat,” Goyette said. “I saw them when they came over the top, one guy on the other guy’s lap. “They were embarrassed, but it was hilarious.”
Allen has maintained the lifts at Stevens Pass since 1972. As the resort replaced old doubles with high-speed lifts, he saved the parts to maintain the remaining doubles.
“He has enough parts at home to build a lift,” Rudolph said.
Over the years, Allen has become somewhat of a chairlift historian. “I like the idea of riding through the air – transportation by cable,” Allen said.
His passion for lifts started as kid growing up in Midland during a News Tribune-sponsored trip to Ski Acres, now Summit Central. It took some time, but he finally stoked up enough courage to ride the single-seat lift. “I was scared to death,” said Allen, who has a chair from the old single in his lift collection.
The doubles were less scary, Allen said, and he has had a soft spot for doubles ever since. “I really enjoy riding the historic double lifts,” he said. “But, you know what, those high-speed quads are pretty nice. … I’m happy on any chairlift.”
And that’s something all skiers can agree on.
from: http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/661156.html