The History:
Installed in 1995 as part of Les Otten's major project to improve infrastructure, the Slide Brook Express finally connected Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen to form one unified resort. Ever since Sugarbush acquired Glen Ellen in 1976, plans were rumored about connecting the two, and finally, that happened in 1995. Connecting them wouldn't be easy though as the Slide Brook Express had to stretch over 11,000 feet making it the longest chairlift in the world, a title that it still holds today. In order to reduce ride time to only 10 minutes, it was designed to operate at 1,100 feet per minute. In its heydey, Slide Brook ran every day to provide a reliable connection between both sides of the resort. The idea was that one skier would pick either side to start their day on before skiing both areas and finishing their day where it started. In 2001 though, that all went downhill. The new owner, Win Smith did not believe a connection between areas was necessary with the new vision he incorperated, so he began operating the lift on weekends and holidays only. After 2004, Slide Brook's most apparent problem shuttered its operation even further. As Sugarbush progressed with many great improvements, the idea of one cohesive resort was quickly fading. Evacuation access is very difficult due to most of the liftline being remote and quite far away from either side's trail system. That combined with the liftline being full of obstacles results in it being very difficult to evacuate. Instead of investing in clearing the liftline and providing easier access to the liftline, a rule was simply created that only allows it to operate with 1 1/2 feet of snow underneath it for easy access. Around 2015 it began to operate on 7 days of the week, but even with that, it rarely operates. It opened for the first time on February 1st, 2020 meaning that it was unoperational for what is often the most attended weekend, MLK weekend. With Ikon bringing in more and more skiers, crowds need to be spread out around the mountain and this lift is crucial for doing that. On weekends it is greatly appreciated by skiers looking to ski both areas of the mountain in one day. Hopefully, Alterra can make efforts to help ensure that this lift can operate for more of the season.
The Lift:
Although Slide Brook is a massive lift stretching over 11,000 feet and crossing 40 towers, it is still a pretty standard Doppelmayr second-generation UNI lift. It uses a UNI-M drive at Mt. Ellen and a UNI-M return and tensioning terminal at Lincoln Peak. It also uses 101 EJ carriers held to the cable by DT-104 grips. The lifting frames are Doppelmayr's late 80s-90s "Y" style lifting frames along with Doppelmayr sheaves. Capacity is only 1,200 p/h due to this being a lift that most people only ride twice per day. Capacity is really only about 900 p/h though since this lift usually operates at about 900 ft/min, although it is running slower in this recording. Since this lift sits for most of the year without operation and little maintenance, it is in poor condition. Hopefully, it can be refurbished in the coming years to ensure that it can operate for years to come.
Specifications:
Design Speed - 1,100 ft/min
Normal Operating Speed ~ 900 ft/min
Capacity - 1,200 p/h
Drive - Mt. Ellen
Return - Lincoln Peak
Tensioning - Lincoln Peak (hydraulic)
13 окт 2024
