This is part of a series on SKI AREA TRIVIA.  It is posted separately
from our companion series on "LOST SKI AREAS".  Check it out.
 

      THE COLORADO SKIER TRIVIA - EDITION #26   (12-18-98)
 

EDITOR'S REMARKS:

A.  It's been a good year for the collection of lost ski area info.
Also for trail maps.  We appreciate your contributions.  Thanx.

B.  We could use your input concerning which "Lost" states to do next.
After Vermont, it will be MASSACHUSETTS or MAINE, your choice. In the
Mid-west maybe INDIANA or OHIO.  The West is wide open:  IDAHO or
MONTANA, or maybe it's time to do a Pacific state like OREGON or
WASHINGTON.  Let us know.  Remember we get to look at All of the lost
ski area data every day - and you don't!

C.  Some of the data in this post was obtained from "THE WHITE BOOK OF
SKI AREAS", which is copyrighted by Inter-Ski Services, Inc.

1.  *** NEW *** TRIVIA QUESTIONS

a.  There are many U.S. ski areas with the word "Mt" in their name (Mt
Snow) and the word "Mountain" (Aspen Mountain).  What other
physical/geographical words appear in ski area names?  Is there a
Bermuda DUNES, an Erie CANAL, or a Kansas PRAIRIE?  How about Swamp,
or Ditch, or Tundra?  Get to work, be creative.  (Thanks Joshua)
 

b.  Name several U.S. SKI AREAS which have closed (for at least one
season) and then re-opened - within the last ten years.
 

c.  At which SKI AREAS are the following trails located?

 1)  Kansas,  Cyclone,  Emerald City,  Tin Woodsman,  Cowardly Lion
 2)  Downunder,  Outback,  Kangaroo,  Boomerang,  Aussie Alley
 

d.  Which still operational ski areas existed (with mechanical lifts)
in 1940?
 

e.  NOSTALGIA QUESTION - Which ski areas have operated under at least
three (3) different names?

[Note:  "nostalgia" in this case does not refer to old ski area info
but rather to re-cycled TCS newsletter questions.  That is, these
questions have appeared before (in some form).  We do repeats because
new readers often suggest questions we have used before.]
 

Bonus One  -  Which, if any, of the current ski lift manufacturers are
American (U.S.) owned?
 

Bonus Two  -  Which U.S. ski areas are installing new GONDOLA systems
for the 1998/99 season?
 

Bonus Three  -  Has there ever been a U.S. ski area chairlift where
the seats faced "sideways" (perpendicular to the cable travel)?

2.  TRIVIA 25 ANSWERS

a.  Which four (4) U.S. SKI AREAS received new GONDOLA systems for the
1997/98 season?

ANSWERS:  KILLINGTON ("K2"),  JACKSON HOLE ("Bridger"),  THE CANYONS
("The Flight of the Canyons"),  and SQUAW VALLEY  (actually the new
"pulse" gondola at Squaw was started last year but not completed until
this season).   [Some folks guessed Vail and Telluride, but those
gondolas operated the previous season.]

GUESSES:  New TCS reader (and roller coaster nut) ERIC (CA) got all 4.
Richard (CA) got 3.
 

b.  How many different SKI LIFT MANUFACTURERS have built chairlifts at
North American ski areas?   Is it:   a) 1-10,  b) 11-20,  c) 21-30,
d) 31-40,  e) 41+

ANSWERS:  Amazingly, the correct answer is "e", over 41.  We have a
list of 53 chairlift manufacturers!  Here are some you might have
heard of:  BM (Blue Mountain), Borvig, Carlevaro/Savio, CTEC,
Doppelmayr, Hall, Heron, Lift Engineering, Mueller, Poma, Riblet,
Samson, Ski Lift International, Stadeli, Thiokol, Von Roll

GUESSES:  JAN-ERIK (OR) guessed "d".  Everyone else guessed b or c.
 

c.  Which U.S. ski areas have DETACHABLE double or triple chairlifts?

ANSWERS:  DOUBLE - Aspen Mtn;  TRIPLE - Gore Mtn and Mt Bachelor (the
triple at Bachelor was replaced after the question was asked.)

GUESSES:  Most everyone knew about the one at Aspen.  A few also knew
Gore.  JOHN (VT) knew all 3.
 

d.  Name the SKI AREAS with these ski trail names:

     1)  MD,  MBA,  AB,  PhD,  Cum Laude,  Pass/Fail
     2)  Styx,  Hades,  Demon,  666,  Pitchfork

ANSWERS:   1) - Dartmouth Skiway, NH;  2) - Purgatory, CO

GUESSES:  3 folks got Purgatory, 1 got Dartmouth, no-one got both
 

e.  NOSTALGIA QUESTION:  At which ski areas is a gondola or chairlift
the only access (or principal access) to the main base lodge.

ANSWERS:  GROUSE MTN, BC (tram);  SUNSHINE VILLAGE, ALB (gondola);
SILVER MOUNTAIN, ID (gondola);  MT WATERMAN, CA (chairlift);  MT
BALDY, CA (chairlift).   Honorable Mention:  SUGAR BOWL, CA (requires
gondola or chairlift ride to main base, however there is auto access
to a secondary base);  OBER GATLINBURG, TN (cable car from town,
however you can also drive up).

GUESSES:  There were 6 votes for Sugar Bowl, 4 for Mt Waterman, 3 each
for Mt Baldy and Sunshine, 2 for Silver Mtn, and 1 each for Grouse and
Gatlinburg.  2 folks mentioned June Mtn.  IMO June doesn't qualify
because they have a base lodge next to the parking lot and you can ski
to it.
 

BONUS ONE  -  Which Ski Areas share NAMES with Amusement Parks?

ANSWERS:  MAGIC MTN ski area (one in Big Bear, CA, and one in Vermont)
vs MAGIC MTN amusement park in Santa Clarita, CA.  (Heritage Square in
Denver was once called Magic Mountain.)   There have also been several
amusement parks and ski areas with the word "holiday" in their name.

GUESSES:  Most guesses were for Magic Mtn (Eric, CA knew both ski
areas!).  One person compared Kings Dominion with King Ridge (or King
Pine).  A real stretch was "Mt Disney" within Sugar Bowl.
 

BONUS TWO  -  Which U.S. ski areas have a view of an ocean?

ANSWERS:  Camden Snow Bowl, ME;  Mt. Baldy, Snow Summit, Snow Valley,
and Bear Mtn, in So Calif;  and Alyeska, AK.  BTW, it is physically
impossible to see the ocean from Mt Hood or Mt Rainier.

GUESSES:  A spectrum of replies covered all the correct answers.  (We
suspect that it is seldom clear enough to see the ocean from the SoCal
areas!)    (And, FWIW, seldom possible to see SLC from Alta!)
 

BONUS THREE  -  Steve Allen hosted the first "Tonight Show", late
nights on NBC.  However, there was an earlier late-night comedy
variety show on NBC.  Can anyone remember its name or any of the
stars?  (Think comedians and one statuesque blond.)

ANSWERS:  "Broadway Open House" starring Jerry Lester with "Dagmar"
(Ruth Egnor) and Fat Jack Leonard.  The Kirby Stone Quartet provided
the music.

GUESSES:  One lonely guess for "Your Show of Shows" which is my all-
time favorite show (except for "The Avengers", of course.)

3.  TRIVIA FOLLOW-UP

a.  SILLY TRIVIA:  "In what year did The Green Hornet's faithful
JAPANESE valet Kato, become his faithful FILIPINO valet Kato?"

Answer:  Obviously the year was 1941, just after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor on Dec 7.  This story may be just legend.  Some experts say the
opening line of the show said "faithful valet" without nationality
while others say it was "faithful Filipino valet" from the gitgo but
he was supposed to be of Japanese ancestry, which fact was dropped.

BTW, one long-time reader (who shall mercifully remain nameless) said
(about the date of the nationality change) "It must have coincided
with the start of W.W.II - say 1944?"   No wonder we flunk History!
 

b.  LIFT FIRSTS - In our data base we note that the first detachable
QUAD chair was built at Breckenridge in 1981.  We never thought much
about the "first ever detachable" (of course, most gondolas are
detachable).  Recently we learned that the first detachable DOUBLE
chair ("sesselbahen" with sideways chairs) was built in Switzerland
for the 1945-46 season by "Foundry in Berne".
 

c.  LOVELAND  -  Claims that their new FG quad is "the highest quad
chairlift in the World".  We wonder if it is the highest chairlift of
any capacity.  It rises to 12,700 ft.  The doublechair at A-BASIN
rises to 12,470 ft.  The alpine platter at SNOWMASS reaches 12,510 ft.
 

d.  HEIDI'S HOUSE??  -  We have a AAA guidebook entry for HOLIDAY
HILL, CA (now Mountain High - East) in the 60's which shows a summer
tourist attraction (reachable by "double sky-chair") called "HEIDI'S
HOME".  Anyone ever been there or even heard of it?
 

e.  NEW HOTEL CHAIN?   SNEAKY TRIVIA - How many of the 11 ASC ski
areas have a hotel named "Grand Summit"?

4.  LOST SKI AREA FOLLOW-UP   (First two are based on recent visits)

a.  COPPLE CROWN, NH - Operated from 1965 to 1976.  Vertical Drop of
400 ft.  T-bar and two rope tows.  Located about 4 miles south of
Wolfeboro on the Middleton Road.  Drive east on a road by the "Copple
Crown" sign.  The base lodge is now a Rec Center with pool and tennis
courts.  Private property  - no trespassing.  You can drive to the top
of the mountain where the upper T-bar terminal still remains.  The
lift line and trails are completely grown in.  [Note:  the residential
road from the base lodge to the top of the ski hill is marked
"private".  This is probably meant to keep out hikers, hunters, and
hooligans  -  but not hobbyists.  Actually we were looking for lots or
houses for sale.   ;-) ]
 

b.  CAMPTON, NH - Still operates, sometimes.  Vertical Drop 400 ft.
Double chairlift and rope tow.  Night skiing.  No snowmaking, so
operation is sporadic.  Did not operate the last two seasons.  Located
in the southeast portion of the town of Campton in the "Waterville
Estates" subdivision.  Drive up Hodgeman road to Snobrook road and
look for the signs or drive up Brookville road and turn on Hodgeman.
The ski area is part of the subdivision recreational facilities but is
open to the public.
 

c.  BLEU MOUNTAIN, KS.  Two readers asked about this one and we wrote
to them directly.  Did you get the info you needed, guys?
 

d.  LOST ILLINOIS  -  We were pleasantly surprised to receive several
notes from readers who remembered some of the lost Illinois ski areas
and had skied some.  MARK (IL) reports that BUFFALO PARK is now a
snowboard area called RAGING BUFFALO.  Does it have lifts, Mark?
 

e.  PALOMAR MOUNTAIN, CA  -  New reader "RP" (CA) - got ready for the
ski season by breaking his leg playing soccer (bummer).  Actually he
was just coaching soccer.  (Probably some 7 year old girl kicked him
in the shin!)  As part of his rehab, he took up hiking.  And he became
the second TCS reader to find the lost ski area at Mt Palomar.

This ski area (from the 60's) seems to hold a fascination for Southern
Californians.  Not much to see, just some overgrown ski runs on
private property.  Maybe it's the famous name.  Or maybe folks are
just surprised to find a ski area that far south.  (Wait till you hear
about the 2 lost ski areas near San Diego!)
 

f.  BOSTON HILL (No Andover, MA) -  Two readers noted that there has
been construction activity at this area which most recently housed an
archery range.   Our guess is condos!
 

Note:  Please feel free to ask about any lost ski area at any time.

5.  SKI AREA NEWS

5A - NEW LIFTS  (Last time we just listed new lifts.  Here are some
more specific details.)

a.  JIMINY PEAK, MA  -  The new quad chair will service several new
runs on new terrain to the upper left of the existing mountain.
Thanks to reader GIL (MA) for the web site tip.
 

b.  LOVELAND, CO - Last time we mentioned the spectacular new
chairlift up to the Continental Divide which opens up former walkup
open bowl terrain.  All necessary gov't agencies had approved the
chair - until a state biologist pointed out that the terrain was on
top of the Eisenhower tunnel - the only "land bridge" across I-70 in
all of Colorado.  How will the Lynx and Wolverine get across the
freeway?, she asked.  When it was pointed out that there are no Lynx
or Wolverine in Colorado, she demurred.  The chair is being built with
the proviso that there will be signs and fencing forcing skiers to
return to the Loveland base and not ski down across the divide to the
west.  FWIW, deer and elk have little problem crossing freeways.
 

c.  DEER VALLEY, UT  -  is opening two new terrain areas.  A new
Beginner area will be opened to the left of the main base, accessible
by the "Little Stick" trail.  It (and a connected housing area called
"Deer Crest") will be served by a 6-place gondola and a FG quad.  The
bigger news is the opening of Empire Canyon (between Deer Valley and
Park City ski area) with a HS Quad and a FG quad.
 

d.  MAMMOTH, CA  -  is replacing the upper half of their two stage
gondola (a 4-place Bell, 1965) with an 8-passenger Doppelmayr gondola
as well as a mostly glass upper gondola terminal.  Chair 4 (the last
of the original Riblet center-pole doubles) will become a HSQ and
another HSQ will run up to a point near the top of chair 5.
 

e.  RAGGED MOUNTAIN, NH  -  On our recent NH trip we spent some time
touring this charming ski area.  For 98-99 they have added a new trail
on the main mountain and have added a whole new beginner area,
complete with its own slow moving triple chair.  There will also be a
new base lodge, with a bar/lounge, cafeteria eating space, restrooms,
and ski patrol and first aid space.     RAGGED is a rare example of a
successful small ski area.  Just 10 years ago they had only one double
chair and a T-bar with about 20 runs.  Now they have 2 triples and 3
doubles and twice the number of trails.  Next Spring their new golf
course will open.  Keep it up, Ragged!
 

f.  STEAMBOAT, CO  -  The new HSQ will be the first lift in the new
"Pioneer Ridge" terrain, on the left as you look up from town.  There
will be several new runs and more lifts in the future.
 

g.  HEAVENLY, CA  -  One new HSQ will replace the "Gunbarrel" chair on
the CA side and another will replace the "Stagecoach" chair on the NV
side.
 

h.  MT SUNAPEE, NH  -  New operator OKEMO, is replacing the Summit
chair with a HSQ and a FG quad will service the back side.
 

i.  BIG SKY, MT  -  Big news here:  a new rope tow!  It will service a
snowboard park.
 

j.  MOUNTAIN HIGH EAST  -  Even bigger news here:  a chairlift is
being removed!  Actually it is an old unused double up the main slope
and the tower removal will open up more and safer ski space.
 
 

5B  OTHER SKI AREA NEWS

a.  NEW AREA!  -  For the first time in 20 years (Beaver Creek - 1978)
a new ski area is opening on Forest Service land.  BLACKTAIL MOUNTAIN
is located in the Flathead Valley near Kalispell, MT.  It will have 3
(used) chairlifts, 24 runs, and 1440 feet of vertical, all for $24 a
day.  This is an economical operation which plans to turn a profit.
 

b.  THE VAIL FIRES  -  Arsonists (presumably eco-terrorists) set
several major fires on Vail Mountain on the night of 19 October.
Totally destroyed were the Ski Patrol Headquarters on Vail Mtn, the
very large Two Elk Lodge restaurant, and Camp One, another eating
facility.  Also damaged were the top terminals of 4 chairlifts.  The
fires were set to protest the CAT III expansion into supposed Canadian
Lynx terrain.  However the Lynx is no longer an issue  (We may do an
essay on that subject - anyone interested?).

The fires did not much affect the 98-99 Vail operations.  The PHQ was
replaced by a modular structure and a yert.  The Two Elk Lodge (which
will be totally rebuilt next summer) was replaced by a huge tent, more
modulars, and presumably many, many porta-potties.

3 of the 4 chairlifts had minimal damage.  Mostly just loss of the
lift op shacks and some scorched concrete.  A little paint and grease
and those lifts will be open as originally scheduled.  The chair 5
"back bowl" chair, however, has its motor at the top and it was
destroyed.  Vail estimates 2 months for repair which would be about
the time the back bowls open anyway.  Access to the "China Bowl"
terrain is unaffected.

FWIW, only about 10% of the entire mountain was affected by these
fires.  No effect on Golden Peak, Northeast Bowl, Mid-Vail, Chair 3,
Game Creek, and Lionshead (gondola and restaurants).
 

c.  FIRE SALE IN THE ROCKIES  -  Season tickets were sold at a bargain
price for a brief time this Fall.  COPPER MTN started the sale by
offering a Family (2 adults, 2 children) season ticket for $795.  Vail
Resorts elected to match that offer at their Summit County (Keystone
and Breck) areas.  Then WINTER PARK upped the ante considerably by
offering a $795 ticket for ANY 4 unrelated skiers, the so-called
"buddy pass".  Vail and Copper Mtn matched that offer.  So that means
that you could get a season pass for just $200 (if you had 3 friends).
They sold like hotcakes.  90,000 passes were sold in a few weeks.

Analysis:  The ski areas took in $18 mill of upfront (pre-season) cash
and rekindled skiing interest on the Front Range (e.g., Denver).  Some
analysts, however, looked at the downside.  If the areas don't repeat
the offer next year, the "new" skiers will quit in disgust.  Some
local ski bums have bought the passes and now don't need to work the
40 hours a week required to earn a pass.  So, a potential labor
shortage problem.  Ski bums in VAIL and BEAVER CREEK were miffed that
their areas weren't in on the deal.  And, there will probably be big
crowds on weekends.  Bottom line?  Too soon to tell.
 

d.  SEVEN SPRINGS (PA)  -  has been sold to Booth Creek Ski Holdings.
This area, possibly the oldest in the state, was owned by the Dupre
family which had become splintered in recent years - hence the sale.
 

e.  MT ABRAMS (ME)  -  We reported this area for sale.  It has been
sold and will continue to operate.
 

f.  "Bolt on" as in "to screw up" - We have previously reported that a
young college grad talked his family into buying the BOLTON VALLEY, VT
ski area so he would have a career.  Unfortunately they forgot to buy
the base lodge.  Now we learn that they also forgot to buy the name!
So last season the ski area was called "Bolt'n in Vermont".  How
cornball!  The son has now given up and the area status is uncertain.
 

g.  NEW JERSEY is known as the "Truck Garden State" but is not known
as an alpine skiing Mecca.  17 ski areas have become "lost".  This
year, add two more.  BELLE MOUNTAIN and CRAIGMEUR have silently packed
up their ticket booths and snow guns.  Both could re-open some day.
 

h.  THREE STRIKES, YOU'RE OUT!  -  For the third (3rd) year in a row,
the Men's World Cup Downhill race scheduled for WHISTLER (BC) had to
be canceled due to poor snow, wet/icy conditions, or fog.  Give it up,
guys!   Leave it to real ski areas like VAIL.
 
 

5C  EARLY OPENINGS

It hasn't been a very good early season for ski area openings.
LOVELAND was the first to open, on 13 Oct.  KEYSTONE, which in the
last 3 years has either tied or beaten Loveland, decided not to
compete this season, opting to wait until they could open several
runs.  Waiting didn't help and they opened with only one run on 23
Oct.  Meanwhile, HEAVENLY opened on 18 Oct with one very short run.

KILLINGTON  gave it the old prep school try on 22 Oct (with their
strange combination of lifts, walking, and wagon rides for access!)
but closed after 3 days.  The best news was WOLF CREEK, CO  which
opened on 30 Oct with a 50 inch natural base.  Within a few days they
had all runs and lifts open with a 55 inch base  (and then got another
22 inch dump to bring their base to 72 inches).

New England finally fired off a few snow gun salutes on 5 Nov with
Killington, Sunday River, Sugarbush, and Okemo opening their ticket
windows.  Hunter (NY) followed on 6 Nov.

Meanwhile, back in Colo, Breck, Copper, Winter Park, and Vail all
pushed back their opening dates due to poor snowmaking weather. Breck
finally opened on 6 Nov, Vail on 9 Nov, and Berthoud Pass (natural
snow) opened on 10 Nov.   Unfortunately, not much snow since then.

[Note:  One "natural snow area", SKI COOPER, which traditionally opens
around Thanksgiving, still had not opened as of 14 Dec.]

6.  ERRATA,  CORRECTIONS, AND UPDATES  -  (Wow, a whole section just
on our mistakes!)

a.  KILLINGTON will not be connecting with PICO this season.  We
naively depended on the 97/98 trail map which showed the 98 expansion.
If trail maps were accurate predictors, LOON would have expanded years
ago!

Killington and the state of Vermont have signed an agreement which
allows for the interconnect and also calls for a land swap and some
adjustments in the taking of water for snowmaking.  The ski area, the
state, and environmental groups are satisfied with the agreement.
However with all that land and water swapping, apparently adjacent
land owners have to get in their say and there might be lawsuits.  So
ASC prudently decided to delay the start of this quite expensive
project until all parties have been heard from.  Maybe next year.
 

b.  SQUAW VALLEY Funitel  -  As several readers pointed out, the new
high capacity gondola from the base will travel to GOLD COAST, not
High Camp.  High Camp is still served by the tram.
 

c.  Clarification - In the last issue, under "Lost Nevada" ski areas,
we listed INCLINE VILLAGE SKI BOWL and MT ROSE BOWL.  Several readers
suggested that these ski areas are still open.  Actually the first
name is a one-time name for "Ski Incline" which is still open (as
Diamond Peak).  We forgot our rule of never listing alternate names of
open ski areas as "lost areas" - it just confuses folks (e.g., Pico
Peak, Killington Basin).  OTOH, Mt Rose Bowl refers to neither the
current Mt Rose or to Slide Mtn.  All is revealed in the next issue.
 

d.  HEAVENLY VALLEY - actually doesn't exist.  This California ski
area changed their name to just "HEAVENLY" several years ago.  (We
don't pay enough attention to OPEN ski areas!)  During our research to
determine when, exactly, they changed their name we observed that
major ski guides like The White Book didn't note the change until
around 1991.  However, the Heavenly (Valley) brochures showed the name
change way back in 1972!  (Apparently a stealth name change.)

[Reminds us of a joke.  An NFL team with the very non-PC name of
"Washington Redskins Football Team" has bowed to public pressure and
changed their name to just "Washington Redskins".  (Think about it!)

7.  BUILDERS EMPORIUM

a.  Lift Cable Tensioners - For those of you tired of checking to see
if your chairlifts run CW or CCW, here are two new things to look for.
The bullwheel on the lower lift terminal is not fixed, but rather
rests on a movable carriage which runs on tracks.  The carriage moves
back and forth as forces on the cable change.  Why?  Well, consider a
chairlift at rest - between towers the cable sags some from its own
wait plus the weight of several empty chairs.  Now add 300 lbs of
skiers for each chair between a set of towers.  The cable will sag
some more.  But as it sags, the cable must get longer.  So where does
the extra length come from?  Voila'!  The bullwheel carriage moves
forward (uphill) to allow for the cable sag (and moves backwards to
account for a cable stretching over time).

What keeps the carriage from moving all the way forward (to its limit
switches) each time it moves?  Well, on older lifts, there is a cable
running from the back (downhill side) of the carriage, over a pulley,
and to a giant concrete slab.  The weight of the concrete and the
length of the carriage travel are carefully set to match the minimum
and maximum tensions required for the lift cable.

Modern lifts have replaced the concrete weight with one or two
pneumatic or hydraulic pistons to provide the proper tension.  The
major advantage here is the smaller space taken up by the pistons as
compared with the pulley and weight system.  This is especially
convenient with bullwheel loading lifts where the skiing public is
waiting in line about where that weight would be.  Feel free to check
all this out and report back this ski season.

Note:  These mechanisms are most easily viewed on FG lifts.  For
detachable lifts there is that big overhead building and the transfer
track which interfere with convenient viewing.  Consider that when you
board the chair, you are behind the bullwheel and the chair is not
even on the main cable.  Once you settle in the chair you will have to
look up for the pistons just before the chair accelerates you into
outer space.  Try not to fall off while doing research!
 

b.  In the next issue we will discuss chairlift "chair" construction.
The magic shape of the month will be the "triangle".
 

c.  YAN Grips - In the past we may have given the impression that ski
areas were correcting the alleged faulty YAN grips problem (on just
one of the YAN models) by merely replacing the grips.  Not so.  Might
work on FG lifts but not on Detachables.  Every brand of grips is
different.  So the rehabbed Yan lifts are almost totally rebuilt.  New
motor and controls, new terminals, new grips and hangers.  What can be
salvaged is the chairs, the towers, the terminal supports, and
sometimes the main cable.  The latest rehab is the "Sunday River
Express" HSQ at Sunday River which is being rebuilt by Poma.
 

d.  SURPRISE!  -  We had assumed that after the lift grip fiasco that
Yan lift builder LIFT ENGINEERING (of Carson City, NV) had gone out of
business.  Not so.  According to their ads and industry news, Lift
Engineering is still working in the skilift industry.
 

e.  SAMSON?  -  We are at least a little bit familiar with most of the
skilift manufacturers but have never heard of Samson.  They built 27
chairlifts between 1971 and 1988.  Anyone seen any of their lifts?

8.  SNAVELY'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

In early October we made our annual pilgrimage to New Hampshire to
check on loving relatives, good friends, fall colors, and a few ski
areas new and old.  We already mentioned our two "lost ski area"
visits to COPPLE CROWN and CAMPTON, up under Section 4 (Lost).  We
also visited RAGGED MOUNTAIN which is described in Section 5.

One major highlight of our trip was a visit to SUNDAY RIVER, ME.
There we caught up with long time TCS newsletter contributor, SKIP
KING.  Skip was kind enough to give Sissy and me a tour of some
facilities.  We toured the pump house and control room for the
snowmaking - and learned a lot.  We studied the movable bullwheel
carriage and tensioner weight for a FG lift (as discussed above).  And
Skip provided a step by step explanation of how a detachable chairlift
works from the arrival of a chair at the lower terminal, to its
departure, including the grip mechanism, the auxiliary track through
the terminal, and the reconnect to the main cable.  Fascinating and
complicated!  Thanks muchly, Skip.

[BTW, the next time you folks are near the South Ridge Base Lodge, go
upstairs to the restaurant area and check out the historic ski lift
items:  a Cranmore skimobile car, and an example of the Sugarbush,
Killington, and Mt Snow gondola cars.  Cool!]
 

Got to mention the DEERFIELD FAIR.  This is a classic old-time
agricultural fair in Deerfield, NH.  We saw a neat dressage-type horse
show and some serious "hoss-pullin' heyah at the Deahfield Fayeh".  My
personal highlight was the french fries.  No frozen, reconstituted
potatoes here.  Fresh, whole washed potatoes are sliced as you watch
and then dumped into the oil, with skins on.  More than I could eat
for $1.50.  The condiment table held the usual salt and ketchup and -
could it be ?  Yes, vinegar!  The only way to eat french fries.  Yum.

9.  POTPOURRI

a.  UTAH 2002  -  Last time we mentioned the many, many construction
projects still required for the Olympics.  Here are two more:  There
will be (hopefully) an entirely new access highway to SNOW BASIN
(venue for alpine speed races).  We thought that the athletes dorms
would be at the University of Utah in downtown SLC.  True - except
that they haven't been built yet.  Need a job in construction?
 

b.  SILVER CREEK, IA  -  After we mentioned this area being for sale,
reader TRENT (from where?) recalled calling this area after a snow
dump and asking how conditions were.  The man who answered the phone
said conditions would be fine once they mowed the grass!
 

c.  MOUNTAIN CREEK, NJ  -  This area originally planned a six-pack
chair for one high traffic area, but opted instead for an eight
passenger standup gondola.  The reason:  They figured that their
target skier clientele, New Yorkers, could never get organized enough
to line up six abreast, but they all knew how to board elevators!
 

d.  "WIDE OPEN SPACES"  (OT)  -  Appropriately, the video for this
"Dixie Chicks" hit single was filmed in Colorado.  The outdoor music
venue shown is at SILVER CREEK (ski area), CO.

10. EPILOG

a. Please provide your CITY NAME (and YOUR first and last name) in
your first E-Mail to TCS.  Pretty please? 
 

Cheers from THE COLORADO SKIER

"That depends on what the definition of 'is' is."   Slick Willy
 
 

Researching "lost" ski areas is the hobby of THE COLORADO SKIER.  We
have reported our findings on COLORADO, the SOUTHEAST, NEW HAMPSHIRE,
and are now doing VERMONT and ILLINOIS.  Is your state next?

For more trivial information on skiing and ski areas, check out our
separately posted companion articles entitled:   "THE COLORADO SKIER -
TRIVIA"  and  "THE TCS LISTS".
 
 

LOST "COLORADO" SKI AREAS  -  EDITION #26    (7-30-98)

EDITOR'S REMARKS:
 

A.  TCS ANNIVERSARY  -  This issue completes our SIXTH year of
publishing "The Colorado Skier" on the Internet.  Thanks for sticking
with us.

B.  From time to time we receive complaints about doing "off-topic"
material such as trivia about cars, tires, and gasoline stations.  We
love trivia so probably won't stop.  However, we will try to add the
identifier "OT" to future off-topic material (non-skiing stuff).

C.  Some of the data in this post was obtained from "THE WHITE BOOK OF
SKI AREAS", which is copyrighted by Inter-Ski Services, Inc.

1A.  THE LOST SKI AREAS OF VERMONT   (continued)

Here is the info on the 10 VERMONT ski areas we listed last time.

   {Copyright 1998, THE COLORADO SKIER.  All rights reserved.}
 

MT. TOM   (Woodstock),  [closed],  Located 2 miles north of Woodstock
on Hiway 12.  Called "Mt. Tom Skiway" in 1949 and 1961.  Became
associated with SUICIDE SIX in 1977 (sometimes collectively called
"Woodstock") and closed in 1982.
  Vertical Drop:  500 ft      Top:  1200     Base:  700
  Lifts:  2 Pomas         80% snowmaking
 

NORTHEAST SLOPES   (East Corinth),  [obscure],  Located north of East
Corinth on Hiway 25.  Opened in 1936.  Open thru 1991.  Still open,
according to some readers.
  Vertical Drop:  360 ft      Top:  1180     Base:  820
  Lifts:  2 surface tows    46 acres
 

NORTHFIELD OUTING CLUB   (Northfield),  [obscure],  Located in the
town of Northfield.  Small area, 1 rope tow, 1 40M ski jump.
Apparently separate from the NORWICH UNIVERSITY ski area.
 

OXBOW MOUNTAIN   (W. Bolton),  [name change],  Located just south of
W. Bolton on Bolton Notch Rd.  Very small area.  Was open by 1971.
Changed name to EAGLE ROCK in 1977 and closed in 1978.
  Vertical Drop:  ?
  Lifts:  2 handle tows, 1 rope tow      night skiing
 

PEACHAM COMMUNITY SKI AREA   (Peacham),  [very obscure],  Located 2
miles northeast of Peacham near the Ewells Mills.  Found only on maps
- from 1961 to 1971.
  Vertical Drop:  150 ft      Top:  1500     Base:  1350
  Lifts:  1 rope tow
 

PINE TOP   (Brattleboro),  [very obscure],  Located 9 miles south of
Brattleboro on VT 142 near the town of Vernon in So. Vernon.  "On the
premises of Stonehurst on Huckle Hill".  Data from 1947 to 1969.
  Vertical Drop:  300 ft      Lifts:  3 rope tows
 

PINNACLE SKI-WAYS   (Randolph),  [closed],  Located 2 miles south and
west of Randolph off VT 12.  Also called "Pinnacle Mountain".
Operated from about 1940 to 1977.   Called "Randolph" in 1940.
  Vertical Drop:  550 ft      Top:  1300     Base:  750
  Lifts:  2 Pomas
 

PROSPECT MOUNTAIN   (Bennington),  [closed],  Located 8 miles east of
Bennington on VT 9 near Woodford.  Opened in 1939 as a small rope tow
area.  Expanded in 1960 with the addition of a T-bar.  Closed about
1989.  The area is currently a very active cross-country area.  At
least one of the T-bars still exists.
  Vertical Drop:  726 ft      Top:  2876     Base:  2150
  Lifts:  2 T-bars, 1 rope tow
 

PROSPER SKI HILL   (Woodstock),  [very obscure],  Located 4 miles
north of Woodstock on VT 12 near the town of "Prosper".  Data from
1947 and 1949.
  Vertical Drop:  400 ft      Lifts:  3 rope tows
 

PULSIFER'S   (Woodstock),  [very obscure],  Located on the back side
of MT. TOM according to a 1939 book.  Rope tow.

   The Putney School
   Randolph
   Retreat
   Richmond Ski Tow
   Round Top Mountain

   Ski Bowl
   Skyline
   Snow Valley
   Sonnenburg
   Springfield

1C.  THE LOST SKI AREAS OF ILLINOIS

  Here is the info on the 10 ILLINOIS ski areas we listed last time.

   {Copyright 1998, THE COLORADO SKIER.  All rights reserved.}
 

BARBERRY HILLS    (Cary),  [very obscure],  Located 1 mile east of
Cary at Fox River Grove on US 14.  Might be FOX TRAILS (which see).
Data from 1967.
  Vertical Drop:  145 ft      Lifts:  2 rope tows
 

BUFFALO PARK    (Algonquin),  [closed],  Also known as BUFFALO
MOUNTAIN (from 1978 on).  Located on IL 31, 1 mile south of Algonquin.
Operated from about 1964 to 1983.
  Vertical Drop:  200 ft       Lifts:  6 rope tows
  night skiing       100% snowmaking
 

FOX TRAILS    (Cary),  [closed],  Located southwest of Cary, off US
14.   Also called "Norge Ski Slide" on a 1973 highway map.  Operated
from about 1964 to 1976.   [See Barberry Hills.]
  Vertical Drop:  135 ft      Lifts:  9 rope tows
   night skiing       snowmaking
 

GANDER MOUNTAIN    (Antioch),  [closed],  Located 8 miles west of
Antioch and north of Hiway 173.  Operated from about 1964 to 1974.
  Vertical Drop:  200 ft      Lifts:  3 Pomas,  6 rope tows
   night skiing
 

HOLIDAY PARK    (Ingleside),  [closed],  Located off US 12, on Hiway
134, 2 miles south of Fox Lake.  Toboggan run.  Operated from about
1967 to 1986.
  Vertical Drop:  200 ft      Top:  850 ft     Base:  650
  Lifts:  1 double chair, 5 rope tows    night skiing  100% snowmaking
 

JAMES PARK    (Evanston),  [closed],  Located in southwest Evanston
near Dodge Ave and Oakton St.  Part of a city winter sports park with
indoor and outdoor ice rinks, sledding, and tobogganing hills.
Operated from about 1977 to the mid to late 80's.
  Vertical Drop:  300 ft      Lifts:  2 rope tows
   night skiing      100% snowmaking
 

LOST VALLEY    (Spring Grove),  [obscure],  Located off Hiway 12,
north of Fox Lake.  Operated from about 1976 to 1979.
  Vertical Drop:  200      Lifts:  2 chairlifts,  2 rope tows
   night skiing
 

MARRIOTT'S LINCOLNSHIRE RESORT    (Lincolnshire),  [closed],  Located
on the grounds of the large (400 rooms) Marriott resort.  Operated
from about 1976 to 1983.
  Vertical Drop:  50 ft      night skiing
  Lifts:  1 T-bar
 

PERE MARQUETTE    (Grafton),  [very obscure],  To be located in a park
north of St. Louis.    [Oct 71 SKI magazine - stopped because of bald
eagle nesting site.]
  Vertical Drop:  420 ft      Top:       Base:  500
  Lifts:  chairlift,  4 rope tows     100%  snowmaking
 

QUINCY PARK   ( ?? ),  [very obscure],  New lift in 1967. [Sep 67 SKI]
 

This completes Lost Illinois and we move west to Nevada.

1D.  Who remembers these Lost NEVADA Ski Areas?

   Adobe Summit
   Elko Sno Bowl
   Galena Creek
   Grass Lake
   Incline Village Ski Bowl

   Kyle Canyon
   Mt Charleston
   Mt Rose Bowl
   Murray Summit
   Pequop Summit

2.  LOST SKI AREAS FOLLOW-UP

a.  DEERFIELD Ski Area  -  Last time we mentioned that Jeremy had
espied a ski area east of I-91 in the general vicinity of the town of
Deerfield, MA.  Some suggested that it belonged to the DEERFIELD
ACADEMY.  Very close.  Deerfield is a prep school to prepare
youngsters for entry into college.  It has a sister school,
EAGLEBROOK, which apparently prepares youngsters for entry into
Deerfield.  The ski area is located on the Eaglebrook campus and is
used by both schools.  The area has a T-bar and a few hundred feet of
vertical.  Jeremy found some info on the Internet.  Thanks, Jeremy.
BTW, the ski area is open to the public one day a year.
 

b.  AMESBURY, MA  -  We have data on ski areas in this vicinity
variously called:  Amesbury Ski Tow,  Locke's Hill,  Locke's Ski Tow,
and Atlantic Forest.  On different days we think there were 3 separate
areas, or just two, or maybe just one with lots of names.  Anyone have
any concrete info on how many areas there were?
 

c.  INTERVALE, NH  -  We failed to find this old area on a field trip
last Fall and some readers wondered where we looked and where we
thought it might be.   So:  It is North of Intervale (in Lower
Bartlett), on the East side of Hiway 16A, on the South side of the
East Branch of the Saco River.  We drove up 16, crossed over to 16A
near the river and then turned East on a good road on the North side
of the river.  We figured we could see the ski area across the river
if the area had faced north.  Not a trace.  No cuts in the thick
forest.  And no bridges to cross the river.   So, if we went looking
again we would look for a small road (heading East) off 16A just South
of the river and we would look for places to ask questions.  The area
had a 600 ft vertical and a T-bar and Poma.  Jeremy discovered that
the Poma has been removed.    Let us know what you find.
 

d.  SUPREME FIELD AGENT - From time to time we have bestowed the title
of "TCS Field Agent" on TCS readers who go out into the field to check
on lost ski areas.  These are the folks who have stopped to check on
the status of lost areas in their vicinity or who have gone out of
their way to drive to a lost area or who have reported on areas that
we missed.  You know who you are - if we printed a list, we would
leave someone out.

Now lets talk about JEREMY.  He goes out almost every weekend to check
on lost ski areas.  And he finds lots of them, including many we
haven't been aware of.  And he stops to ask questions and to do
research.  Jeremy is a real fan of lost ski areas and thankfully he
reports his findings to us.  Jeremy goes to school in VT and lives in
MA so his main beat is New England.  And he covers it well.  Keep it
up, Jer, and thanks for sharing!
 

e.  Please feel free to ask about any lost US ski area at any time.

3.  TRIVIA QUESTIONS FOLLOW-UP

a.  "OLDEST SKI LIFT IN COLORADO" is an item we have been researching.
Last time we did a partial analysis wherein we reported that there are
no rope tows remaining in CO.  Oops!  We were thinking of major areas.
JIMMY (CO) points out:  CRANOR HILL - Poma, ropetow;  CHAPMAN HILL - 2
rope tows;  OURAY - 1 rope tow;  LAKE CITY (we have as a T-bar).
Sorry about that.  GEORGE (CO) asks about handle tows.  Yes, there are
several handle tows in Colorado but they are all fairly new.
 

b.  SNEAKY TRIVIA  (OT)  -  The movie "Titanic" received 14 Oscar
nominations.  What is the largest number of nominations a single
feature film can receive?   ANSWER:   17    Titanic missed on
Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.
 

c.  INSTANT TRIVIA  -  In what year did computer manufacturer GATEWAY
2000 become just GATEWAY?  Answer - 1998.    SILLY TRIVIA  (OT)  -  In
what year did The Green Hornet's faithful Japanese valet Kato, become
his faithful Filipino valet Kato?

4.  THE 1998 SPRING SKIING SEASON

Great Winters lead to Great Springs, so this year it was the Far West.
Elsewhere, with a few exceptions, it was not a great Spring.

[Note:  In the past we have used phone recordings for closing data.
This year we used the Internet which is slightly less reliable.]

Sunday River closed on 2 May      Killington closed on 25 May

Vail, Winter Park, Breckenridge, Keystone closed on 3 May
Loveland  10 May     Berthoud Pass  7 June     A-Basin  21 June

Snowbird (UT) usually operates weekends thru May, but this year
(weekends) made it to 14 June.

Squaw Valley  1 June    Alpine Meadows  7 June, plus weekends thru 28
June      Mammoth  5 July

Mt Bachelor (OR) closed 4 July.  Timberline is, of course, still open.

Blackcomb (BC)   plans to be open until 3 August.
 

a.  Oh my God!  They've killed MT TOM!  Those bastards!    Yes, Mt Tom
(MA) is a goner.  And their summer water park as well.  Two bad snow
seasons hurt, and then Riverside (just down the road) opened a big
water park.
 

b.  KILLINGTON (VT) - Will be adding two quad chairs, a few trails,
and making the connection to PICO this season.
 

c.  COPPER MTN (CO)  -  Owner Intrawest is planning to spend $400 mill
at Copper over the next 10 years.  They plan to change Copper from a
great ski area to a world class resort.  This year it is $66 mill for
two new HS lifts, and an entire new base lodge at the bottom of B
lift.  A Six-Pack will replace the B and B1 doubles.  A HSQ will
replace the E triple.  BTW, the two doubles and triple are for sale.
Now's your opportunity!
 

d.  VAIL is spending $59 mill this year.  Sound like a lot?  Look
again.  That's 59 mill for 4 ski areas vs 66 mill at just Copper!
KEYSTONE will get a new HS quad to replace the Santiago triple on
North Peak (about time).  Also big improvements to their snowboard
parks.  BRECK gets a new HSQ, too.  Everyone gets infrastructure and
services stuff.  BRECK has long range plans to build a new lift and
trails on Peak 7.
 

e.  WINTER PARK (CO)  -  Has started their base village with a combo
condo/retail bldg.  It took out 200 parking spaces and an inter-
mountain  (MJ to WP) connecting trail.  Whoopee.
 

f.  SQUAW VALLEY (CA)  -  Will finish constructing the pulse gondola
which connects High Camp with Gold Coast.  And they will build the
"funitel" (Garaventa) from the base to High Camp.  The funitel (first
in the US) will have 28-passenger gondola cars and two parallel
support cables which allows operation in high winds.  The capacity is
4000 pph.
 

g.  VERNON VALLEY (NJ) is getting a complete makeover.  This used to
be two areas called Vernon Valley and Great Gorge (formerly operated
by Playboy).  Intrawest bought the combined area and changed the name
to MOUNTAIN CREEK.  Get this, Intrawest is ripping out 15 of the
existing 17 lifts!  What they had was 13 doubles, one triple and 3
surface lifts.  Going in this season are 2 HS Quads, 1 FG Quad, and 1
8 passenger gondola (all from Doppelmayr).

There will be more lifts next season.  Also the snowmaking is being
completely redone.  The summer "Action Park" (now renamed Mountain
Creek) will be tamed and "familyized" by the removal of the bungee
jump and go-cart tracks.  Intrawest will heavily market the area to
NYC.
 

h.  SNOW BASIN lives!  -  We wondered when Utah would get around to
thinking about the Olympic venues (see article under Potpourri).  Snow
Basin will be the home of the Men's and Women's Downhill races.  But,
as we speak these courses and a way to reach them do not exist.
However, this summer Snow Basin will be installing:  1 HSQ, 2 8-
passenger gondolas, and 1 15-place jigback tram - all from Doppelmayr.
Progress!
 

i.  LOVELAND (CO)  -  Is still planning to build a chairlift up to the
Continental Divide (within their permit area).  However, now the
Forest Service biologists are taking a second look.  They are
concerned because Loveland sits atop the Eisenhower Tunnel which is
the only place in Colorado where wildlife can cross the I-70 freeway
unimpeded.  Chances are the chairlift will be allowed with
restrictions on Spring and Fall usage and prohibition of Summer use.
 

j.  OKEMO (VT)  -  Will be operating the MT SUNAPEE (NH) ski area for
the state of NH.  Fees from the lease will be used to help upgrade
CANNON.
 

k.  OTHER LIFT NEWS  -  Usually we report on new ski lifts based on
news releases from the ski areas.  This year we also have obtained
news releases from the lift manufacturers.  Lots more data, but a
little sterile:  just the type of lift, capacity, and of course, the
manufacturer.  No details on placement, name, etc.  To keep it short
we have omitted Canada.

EAST    (HSQ =3D detachable quad,  GC =3D Garaventa CTEC)

Mad River Glen, VT  -  FG double  (replacing Sunnyside double)   GC
Mt. Snow, VT  -  HSQ   Doppelmayr
Jiminy Peak, MA  - FG Quad   GC
Attitash, NH  -  HSQ   GC
Holimont, NY  -  FG triple   GC
Snowshoe, WV  -  HSQ   GC

MIDWEST

Crystal Mtn, MI  -  HSQ   Poma
Schuss Mtn, MI  -  FG Quad   GC
Alpine Valley, WI  -  HSQ   Poma
Cascade, WI  -  HSQ   Dopp

ROCKIES

Aspen Highlands, CO  -  FG triple   Poma
Steamboat, CO  -  HSQ   GC
Angel Fire, NM  -  HSQ   Leitner
Snowbird, UT  -  HSQ   GC
Park City, UT  -  HSQ   GC
Deer Valley, UT  -  HSQ, FG Quad, 6-place gondola  all GC
The Canyons, UT  -  2 HSQ   GC

WEST

Crystal Mtn, WA  -  Six-pack chair   Dopp
Stevens Pass, WA  -  HSQ   GC

Alpine Meadows, CA  -  FG triple   GC
Dodge Ridge, CA  -  FG Quad  GC
Heavenly Valley, CA  -  2 HSQ   Doppelmayr
Mammoth Mtn, CA  -  2 HSQ, 8 passenger gondola   Dopp
Kirkwood, CA  -  FG Quad   GC
Sugar Bowl, CA  -  FG Quad   GC

6.  BUILDER'S EMPORIUM
 

a.  BIG GOLF CART!  -  We are always looking for "ski lifts" used in
non-skiing environments.  In Myrtle Beach, SC (golf capitol of the
world) there is a golf course called "Skyway" which is located across
the intracoastal waterway from the main highway.  The parking lot
connects to the clubhouse by gondola.  There are two CWA cars
operating in pulse mode.  The cable is continuous, like a gondola, but
the cars stop in each terminal for loading/unloading golfers, golf
bags, golf tees, etc.
 

b.  PACOIMA?  -  In amongst the ski lift info was the news that the
County  of Los Angeles has purchased a one car jigback tramway for use
in the Pacoima Dam vicinity.  Anyone know what for?  Sounds pretty low
capacity.  BTW, Pacoima is in the extreme north end of the San
Fernando Valley.
 

c.  BRAND LOYALTY  -  One might think that ski areas would tend to buy
the same brand of ski-lift year after year.  Like airlines buying
aircraft, having one brand reduces training time and requires less
spare parts, etc.  So, true?  No.  Since the lifts are nearly
identical and cost the same the only criterion is "when can you
install it?"    Case in point.  Last year THE CANYONS (UT) bought a
HSQ from Doppelmayr, a HSQ and FG Quad from Garaventa CTEC, and a HSQ
and Gondola from Poma.  They never could have gotten all the lifts
from one manufacturer in the time allowed.
 

e.  CABLE SPLICING  -  A while back we discussed some "technical
details" of a gondola cable splice at VAIL.  ED (MA), who knows far
more than we do about cable splicing, wrote with some tips.  We said
the splicer folks  were always from Switzerland.  Ed says they have to
be state certified and are therefore usually local.  We vaguely said
splices overlap "several  feet".  Ed says a one inch cable would
require a 130 ft overlap.  Generally only one splice per cable is
allowed.    Is the overlap area fatter?  Maybe not.  The cable has a
plastic core and it is removed in the splice area.    Thanks Ed.
(Going to the fair this year?)

7.  POTPOURRI
 

a.  IS UTAH READY?  During the Nagano Olympic TV coverage CBS host Jim
Nance said more than once that "Utah was ready" for the 2002 Olympics.
I'm sure that by "ready" he meant "eager", not "prepared".  Consider
this:  the Winter Olympics will take place during the 01/02 season.
That means that the venues have to be ready for the 00/01 season for
practice events.   That's just two years away.    So, what isn't
ready?  The speed skating track hasn't been built yet.  The Alpine
Downhill courses at Snow Basin haven't been built yet (see news
elsewhere).  The big jumps and bobsleigh track at the Utah Winter
Sports Park (Kimball Junction) haven't been built yet.  And the access
to the facility is a two lane road winding uphill thru an upscale
housing development - not transportation friendly.  Oh yes, CBS asked
the Mayor of SLC what would happen if I-80 over Parley's Summit
(connecting the athletic dorms to many skiing venues) was closed by
snow.  The Mayor replied that a transportation plan had not been
developed yet.

Utah is ready - ready for a lot of work and planning.  Good luck.
 

b.  COPPER MTN lift and trail names.  Copper has some of the most
clever trail names around including some punny ones.  In the past
their lifts were all lettered.  They have named the HS lift which
replaces the B and B1 chairs  "Super Bee".  The lift replacing the E
lift will be called Excelerator.   Themes  -  COPPER:  Copperopolis,
Coppertone, Copperfield's;  MINING:  Overlode, Ore Deal, Main Vein;
NUMBERS:  Two Much, Triple Treat, Formidable;  CUTE:  Loverly,
Bittersweet, Carefree, Soliloquy;  PUNNY:  Near a mtn called "Jacques
Peak" is a run called "Jack's Pique";  the run under the former I-lift
is called "I-Beam";  to get back from the I-lift to the main base one
drops down a run called "I-dropper".   Fun names!
 

c.  HISTORY FOR SALE:  Skiing periodicals have listed the following
ski areas for sale  (Be the first on your block to ......) :

o  MT ABRAMS  (Locke Mills, ME)   Vertical: 1030 ft,  Lifts:  2
chairs, 3 T-bars.   "Mortgagee's Foreclosure Auction"

o  SILVER CREEK  (Humbolt, IA)   Vertical: 130 ft,  Lifts:  2 T-bars,
4 rope tows  (Formerly WINTER PLAYLAND 1958-78 and WINTER WORLD in 78-
84.)  "Health of owner forces sale."

o  BIG AIR SNOWBOARD PARK  (Big Bear, CA)  Formerly SKI GREEN VALLEY.
Vertical: 350 ft    Lifts:  double chair, Poma, rope.

o  MOOSE MOUNTAIN  (Brookfield, NH)     Last operated in 1990

o  HIGHLANDS  (Northfield, NH)   Only $500,000.  Last operated in
March 1996.  Vertical: 800 ft   Lifts:  triple chair, 4 surface lifts
 

d.  SKI FASHIONS  -  In an old "Vermont Life" article about MRG, there
was a pic showing a young woman on a ski slope, wearing a plaid skirt!
And no, she had ski poles, not a field hockey stick.  :-)
 

e.  SNOW COUNTRY, one of the Big 4 consumer skiing magazines (along
with Ski, Skiing, and Powder) has always been a little different than
the other 3.  They put less stress on equipment and fashion reviews
and more on ski resorts, ski town lifestyles, and mountain real estate
news.  They have also been less successful and have been for sale for
several months.  Now they have announced a new name and emphasis.  In
September, "Snow Country"  becomes "Mountain Sports and Living".  We
hope they keep their annual feature ranking the top 100 North American
ski resorts.

8.  HIGHWAY MAPS  -  A Research Tool

We have written a lot about our ski area trail map collection.  We
also collect highway maps - for their own selves and as an aid in
research into lost ski areas.  As a tool, maps present good news and
bad news.

Good - Highway maps may establish:
o  the existence of a ski area, including the correct spelling
o  location, relative to other ski areas and highways, towns, etc.
o  rough determination of operating dates
o  some clue as to name changes

Bad - Highway maps are poor tools in the following ways:
o  no ski area statistics
o  area names frequently misspelled,  symbol in the wrong location
o  When area A changes name to B, maps sometimes show A and B
o  Dates are inaccurate.  Maps will add a new ski area 2 to 3 years
after it opens;  they will keep showing the area 8 to 10 years (longer
for Gousha) after the area closes.  So year data has to be
"interpreted".

Got any maps to contribute to our collection?  We don't expect so.
Most folks throw away old maps (we never do).  If you had a 1992 and
1985 map of Iowa, you would throw the 85 away, right?  However, if you
are cleaning out  a desk drawer and find a pack of stuff from your
1977 trip to Oregon, save those maps.  Or if you are helping clean up
Gramps house for sale after he moves to a condo, maybe a shoe box full
of maps will turn up.  If so, keep us in mind.

What do we want?  The older the better - 50's, 60's, and 70's are
best.  We would love to see a map showing Iowa ski areas - never have,
ditto Missouri, Maryland.  The Midwest would be useful.   These maps
can be regular gasoline company state maps or sub state (e.g., Lake
Tahoe) or city or county.  Just check to see if there are ski area
symbols AND area names and check the date.  If you have old undated
Rand McNally or Gousha maps, we can tell you how to date them.
National Forest and topo maps are extra valuable as they continue to
show lifts well after the ski areas close.

Please E-mail and see if we want what you have before sending.  We
will be glad to pay postage or do trades or whatever.

9.  LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS

o  PAUL (NH) says the Hickory Ski Center (Warrenburg, NY) ski area is
still open.

o  Whatever we said about BM Lifts (Canada) "becoming" Leitner is
misleading.  Leitner is a large Italian ski lift manufacturer just
starting to penetrate the North American market.  One step was to
acquire BM.  Thanks to RICHARD (Europe?) for helping to clarify.

o  It's easy to prove that a particular situation HAS occurred - you
only need one example.  It's much harder to prove that something has
NEVER happened - one example disproves the theorem.  We stated that
there had never been an inbounds avalanche death in Colorado.
However, two readers gave examples - one at Copper Mtn and one at A-
Basin.  Both victims were patrollers.  We will have to study harder.

o  ERIC (CA) was surprised that RIBLET TRAMWAY was still in business
(so were we).  He wonders if they ever built a "tram".  Nope, no trams
or gondolas or detachable chairs.  Just FG doubles, triples, and
quads.  Eric wonders if they still build the "center pole" doubles.
Hmmmm.

o  CHRIS (NH) points out that MOUNT PROSPECT in Lancaster, NH is still
operating.  One rope tow and two trails.  Weekends only.  Cool.

o  Two folk have written about MONT BLEU in Kansas.  We'll get back to
you.

10.  MORE TITANIC TRIVIA - (OT)

a.  Most folks believe that it is necessary to get far away from a
sinking ship so you won't be caught in the "suction" as it sinks.  In
the Titanic case there is much evidence that, as the ship sank, folks
just stepped off the deck into the water.  No suction.  But lots of
hypothermia.

b.  We are led to believe that the only survivors of the Titanic were
those that left in lifeboats.  However, one young man stepped into the
water from the deck, and then floated for several hours (holding onto
debris) before he was finally rescued.  He almost lost his legs, but
did eventually recover.  This young man, Dick Williams, went on to win
the US Open tennis championships in Newport, RI in 1914.  One of his
opponents was Carl Behr, who was also a Titanic survivor.

11.  EPILOG

a.  Please provide your CITY NAME (and YOUR first and last name) in
your first E-Mail to TCS.  Why?  So we will stop bugging you. 
 

  Cheers from THE COLORADO SKIER  (Keystone opens in 3 months!)
 

"It isn't pollution that's harming our environment.  It's the
impurities in our air and water that are doing it."   DAN QUAYLE

"I tell you, that Michael JACKSON is unbelievable, isn't he?"   AL
GORE  (speaking after the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Championship)
 

This is part of a series on SKI AREA TRIVIA.  It is posted separately

from our companion series on "LOST SKI AREAS".  Check it out.

      THE COLORADO SKIER TRIVIA - EDITION #25   (4-24-98)

EDITOR'S REMARKS:

A.  It's hard to believe that the ski season is already winding down.

How good a season was it?  Comments and stats in Section 5.

B.  One of our regular readers, Jeremy (VT), is starting a home page

listing the Closed Ski Areas of New England.  He is interested in

anecdotes/trip reports from you readers who have skied at now closed

areas.  If you would like to contribute, send your write-up or an

indication of interest and we will forward to Jeremy.

C.  NEWSFLASH - VAIL has, for the umpteenth time, received approval

for the CAT III expansion.  Previous approvals came from the Forest

Service.  This time it was Eagle County.  Construction will start this

summer.  [Trespassing Lynx will be shot on sight!  ;-) ]

D.  Some of the data in this post was obtained from "THE WHITE BOOK OF

SKI AREAS", which is copyrighted by Inter-Ski Services, Inc.

1.  *** NEW *** TRIVIA QUESTIONS

a.  Which four (4) U.S. SKI AREAS received new GONDOLA systems for the

97/98 season?

b.  How many different SKI LIFT MANUFACTURERS have built chairlifts at

North American ski areas?   Is it:   a) 1-10,  b) 11-20,  c) 21-30,

d) 31-40,  e) 41+

c.  Which U.S. ski areas currently have DETACHABLE double or triple

chairlifts?

d.  Name the SKI AREAS with these ski trail names:

     1)  MD,  MBA,  AB,  PhD,  Cum Laude,  Pass/Fail

     2)  Styx,  Hades,  Demon,  666,  Pitchfork

e.  NOSTALGIA QUESTION:  At which ski areas is a gondola or chairlift

the only access (or principal access) to the main base lodge.  That

is, you can't drive to the base lodge.

BONUS ONE  -  Which Ski Areas share NAMES with Amusement Parks?

BONUS TWO  -  Open question - Which U.S. ski areas have a view of an

ocean?   [Thx to Chris (MA) ]

BONUS THREE  -  Steve Allen hosted the first "Tonight Show", late

nights on NBC.  However, there was an earlier late-night comedy

variety show on NBC.  Can anyone remember its name or any of the

stars?  (Think comedians and one statuesque blond.)

2.  TRIVIA 24 ANSWERS

a.  How many U.S. PRESIDENTS were/are SKIERS, either before, during,

or after their presidential terms?

ANSWERS:  GERALD FORD skied while he was president.  (We once toured

the "Bass" home in VAIL where Ford stayed while skiing.  On one bed

was the sign:  "Yes he does". !!)   JIMMY CARTER took up skiing after

his term and frequently skis Crested Butte.  Altho the entire Kennedy

family seems to ski, we don't believe Jack skied, due to his bad back.

Some have suggested that outdoorsman Teddy Roosevelt did X-country,

but we haven't found any proof.   Altho Mrs. C and the First Daughter

ski, Slick apparently prefers other pastimes.

GUESSES:  4 folks guessed Carter and Ford and 5 more guessed just

Ford.  JOHN W (VT) added Reagan and Bush.  Any proof, John?  These

guys were golfers.  We don't think of skiers as golfers.  Skiers are

hikers, climbers, and mountain bikers.  In the winter, golfers bowl.

b.  Which three (3) Canadian Provinces or Territories have the most

operating ski areas?

ANSWERS:  Quebec - 35,  Ontario - 34,  British Columbia - 28

GUESSES:  7 folks got this one right.  The most common mistake was the

selection of Alberta.  (makes sense - in the Rockies - but no people).

c.  How many U.S. ski areas can you think of which share names with

TREES (e.g., Aspen)?

ANSWERS:  Apple Mtn, WI;  Aspen and Aspen Highlands, CO;  Ski Beech,

NC;  Big Birch, NY;  Butternut Basin, MA;  Chestnut Mtn, IL;

Cottonwood Butte, ID;  Hickory Hills, MI;  King Pine, NH;  Maple Ski

Ridge, NY;  Oak Mtn, NY;  Pine Knob & Pine Mtn, MI;  Plumtree, IL

GUESSES:  Matt (MI) got 8 right.  Duke (KS) tried to be creative.  He

liked Scotch Valley for Scotch "Pine", Mt Ashland for "Ash", and a

whole bunch of "pines":  Several alPINES and my favorite - porcuPINE.

Several folks picked Maple Valley, VT;  Hickory Ski Center, NY;  and

Pines, IN;  which we believe are all closed.  My dictionary says that

Sugarbush is a woods full of sugar maples.

d.  Which five ski-lift MANUFACTURERS have installed the most

chairlifts in North America?

ANSWERS:  Through the 1995 building season:  Riblet, Hall, Poma, Lift

Engineering (Yan), Doppelmayr  (Numbers 6 & 7 are Borvig and CTEC)

GUESSES:  JOHN W and JAN-ERIK (OR) got all 5.  RYAN (NY) missed Hall,

which stopped building chairlifts before he was born!

e.  NOSTALGIA QUESTION:  We think of gondola capacity in terms of even

numbers, i.e., 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 passenger cars.  Name two (dead)

ski area gondola systems which had 3, count them 3, passenger cars.

ANSWERS:  SUGARBUSH, VT and CRESTED BUTTE, CO.  These gondola systems

(with egg-shaped cars) were built by the Italian company, Carlevaro &

Savio, which also built the 2 passenger system at Wildcat, NH.

GUESSES:  5 folks knew Sugarbush, and 1 knew Crested Butte, but only

JAN-ERIK knew that both ski areas had 3 passenger gondolas.

BONUS ONE:  An EPONYM is  "the person for whom something is named or

supposedly named."  The "Zamboni" (ice resurfacing machine) is named

after Frank Zamboni, its inventor.  What about the skiing realm?  We

doubt there was anyone named ski, boot, or pole.  The closest we can

come is the POMA, named after its inventor, Jean Pomagalski.  What

SKIING-related "eponyms" can you think of?

ANSWERS:  Apparently, there aren't any.

GUESSES:  Definition of Eponym seemed to be a problem.   A reminder:

The product has to be named after the inventor;  just brand names

don't count.  Otis invented the elevator but we still call it an

elevator, not an "otis".  Same with Bell and the telephone.  We don't

call ski pants "Bogners" and I call sunglasses "Bolle's", not

"Vuarnet's"

BONUS TWO:  Steve Allen was the first host of the "Tonight Show".  His

show had two boy singers and two girl singers.  At the time they were

unknowns, but 3 of the 4 went on to become very famous.  Who are they?

ANSWERS:  Andy Williams,  Steve Lawrence,  Eydie Gorme

GUESSES:  Apparently this question was too old for you youngsters.

Only old man HERY (NJ) guessed Lawrence and Gorme.  (Next week - "Your

Show of Shows" trivia)

BONUS THREE  (regional trivia):  After a freeway accident, after the

vehicles have been moved off the roadway, drivers still slow down to

admire the wrecks.  Some Boston area traffic reporters call the

resulting slowdown a "gaper's block", others call it the "curiosity

factor".  What is it called in your area?

GUESSES:  No one had heard "gaper's block".  There was one "curiosity

factor" (Boston) and 2 "curiosity slowings" (Denver).  Others:  gawker

delay, gaper delay, and knocker-gawkers.  The most popular response by

far (9 entries) was "rubbernecking".  We had always thought of this

term as more generic, e.g., staring at a house fire or construction

site, or at tall buildings in NYC.  Obviously we thought wrong.

3.  TRIVIA FOLLOW-UP

a.  SNEAKY TRIVIA:  Name two California ski areas which straddle the

San Andreas fault.   ANSWER:  SUNRISE and MOUNTAIN HIGH, near

Wrightwood.  RICH (CA) and NICK (CA) knew the correct answer.

b.  CHAIRLIFT MANUFACTURERS  -  In the last issue we mentioned that

chairlifts were built last year by LEITNER and RIBLET.  Some readers

wanted more info.    LEITNER is a Canadian company, formerly called

"Blue Mountain" and "BM Lifts", and last year they installed a FG six-

pack at Snow Valley, ONT.  They will be installing two detachable

quads at Lake Louise this year.     Riblet Tramways (Spokane, WA) have

been around forever and are still building fixed grip doubles,

triples, and quads.  They installed 5 lifts last season, mostly in the

mid-west.

c.  OLDEST SKI LIFT IN COLORADO  -  New reader DAVID K (CO) wondered

which is the oldest operating lift in CO.  Wow!  The research to

answer this question seems daunting.  We decided to break it down into

lift types.  This should be fun and illuminating.  Our first cut is as

follows:

FUNICULARS - There are no funiculars at ski areas in CO.

CABLE CARS - There are no cable cars at ski areas in CO.  There is one

tourist type cable car (very old) in Estes Park.

GONDOLAS - The first gondola in CO was the village gondola at Vail

(1962), long gone.  The original Lionshead gondola has been replaced

with a new one.  Also gone is the gondola at Crested Butte.  The

gondolas at Keystone and Steamboat have been replaced.  The one at

Aspen is fairly new.    Summary:  Keystone (1986), Steamboat (1986),

Aspen (1987),  Vail (1996).

DETACHABLE QUAD - The first one was built at Breckenridge in 1981.  A

mere youngster.

FG QUAD - More research required.

TRIPLE CHAIR - More research required.

DOUBLE CHAIR - The first double chair ever was at Berthoud Pass, 1947.

It is gone.  The oldest remaining double at Breckenridge (1965) was

replaced last season.  More research - we are betting on Loveland or

Winter Park.

SINGLE CHAIR - All gone.

POMA - All the ones remaining are fairly new.

T-BAR - The T-bar at Crested Butte opened with the ski area in 1962.

This is our candidate for *oldest operating ski lift* in Colorado.

ROPE TOW - There are no remaining rope tows in CO.

So, we have to do a little more research to find the oldest double and

triple chairs.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks for the question, David.    BTW, our guess at the oldest ski

lift in the U.S. is the single chair at Mad River Glen, VT (1947).

4.  LOST SKI AREA FOLLOW-UP

a.  CUCHARA BASIN, CO  -  We have long wondered if this closed 60's

ski area was located at the same place as the current CUCHARA VALLEY.

Not so, according to a bartender we met in the quaint town of Cuchara.

Cuchara VALLEY is located about two miles south of Cuchara.  Cuchara

BASIN was located about 1 mile north.  The rope tows are still

visible, but alas, are on private property.

b.  WOODY GLEN, NH  -  TCS reader Jeremy (VT) sent us a copy of a

trail map/brochure for this tiny struggling ski area in Salisbury.

c.  Big Bear Lake, CA  -  TCS reader RICH (CA) sent us a topo map for

the Big Bear vicinity.  He and I will be discussing the lost ski areas

of the region over the next few weeks. (We will get to Lost California

in the newsletter about 2002!)

d.  Field Agent JEREMY (VT) likes to find lost ski areas.  Recently we

sent him to check out METHUEN HILL (MA) and BOSTON HILL (No. Andover,

MA).  He reports that the T-bar which we saw just 2 years ago has been

removed from Methuen, and that the chairlift at Boston Hill is still

standing.   Further west, Jeremy spotted a ski area just south of

Greenfield and east of I-91 which we can't identify.  He also found an

old rope tow area near the Monson Academy (Monson).   Keep up the good

work, Jeremy!      Since I first wrote this, Jeremy went on spring

break and, among other things, he found the ATLANTIC FOREST area in

Amesbury, MA.  Lifts and base lodge still standing.  You go Jeremy!

e.  Field Agent NICK (who lives in California ski country - Malibu!),

recently discovered the BUCKHORN ski area which sits between KRATKA

RIDGE (Snowcrest) and MT WATERMAN on the Angeles Crest Highway.  The

area has two T-bars and about 600 ft of vertical.  Buckhorn is a

private area and Nick is trying to wangle an invite.

f.  LYNDON OUTING CLUB  (Lyndonville, VT)  -  Several folks wrote to

tell us that this "lost" area is still operating.  Good.

Note:  Please feel free to ask about any lost ski area at any time.

5.  SKI AREA NEWS

a.  BERTHOUD PASS, CO  -  This small, old, high elevation area, closed

since 1990, finally did re-open this season, on 22 Jan.  Only the

(Borvig) intermediate chair on the East side is running.  Many skiers

and boarders use the chair to access the north and south side chutes

to the highway and then return by shuttle bus.

b.  BOLTON VALLEY  -  In the midst of their financial turmoil (and

takeover by a young college grad), Bolton neglected to obtain control

of the separately owned base lodge.  So they are forced to use rooms

in the base area hotel for changing, restrooms, etc.  BTW, the rooms

cannot be rented for overnight use as one of the safety exits was thru

the base lodge!  Can you say "losers"?

c.  JAY PEAK (VT)  -  The sale fell through.  Rats.

d.  Ski conglomerate INTRAWEST has bought VERNON VALLEY/GREAT GORGE,

NJ and intends to heavily market the NYC area.

e.  COPPER MOUNTAIN  -  As part of a big bucks multi-year expansion

plan (from owner Intrawest) next season Copper will replace the B and

B1 double chairs with Colorado's first six-pack, rising from a huge

new day-skier base lodge.  The E triple will be replaced by a HS Quad.

f.  LOVELAND, CO  -  In the Spring, Loveland allows walk-up skiing

above timberline.  Now they are planning a chairlift to serve this

Continental Divide open bowl skiing.  Discussions are proceeding with

the Forest Service and chairlift bids have been solicited.  Could

happen as early as next season.  If it does, the top Loveland

elevation will be higher than SNOWMASS which currently has the highest

lift-served skiing in the U.S.  Snowmass uses a surface lift.  We

suspect that a chairlift at Loveland will not see too many usable

days, due to wind and avalanche danger.

g.  ERRATA  -  In the last issue, we reported that PICO (VT) was

installing a NEW HS Quad.  Actually the quad already existed and Pico

were just doing the repairs on the infamous YAN grips.  The same

modifications were made to lifts at Killington and Mt Snow.

h.  A-BASIN (CO)  -  In January, one of the chairs on the Lenawee lift

fell to the ground.  Just fell off the cable!  Occupants were not

seriously hurt, but how embarrassing.  The reporter for the Denver

Post apparently got his news by telephone as he called the "Lenawee"

lift the "Runaway" Lift.  Freudian Slip?

i.  CUCHARA VALLEY  -  We recently skied at this small southern

Colorado ski area for the very first time.  It has 4 Riblet chairlifts

(one is a triple) and they all have bullwheel loading.

j.  The Colorado Snow Season.  El No-Show did nothing for the Colorado

snow season.  Fair to middlin' at best.  We will use our bellwether

(?) ski area, VAIL, to evaluate snow depths against historical

averages.  Below is a comparison between the 97-98 data and the 10

year average.

    Date    10 Year  97/98   Grade

   15 Nov     15      15     average

   30 Nov     23      14     poor

   15 Dec     27      25     fair

   30 Dec     30      27     fair

   15 Jan     39      34     poor

   30 Jan     39      44     very good

   14 Feb     51      53     average

   28 Feb     51      59     very good

   15 Mar     58      57     average

   30 Mar     63      56     fair

   15 Apr     59      60     average

Overall:  slightly below average

The only "average" snowfall in CO hasn't affected closing dates.  13

of the 26 CO ski areas were open thru 19 April.  Several of the major

areas (Winter Park, Keystone, Breck, Copper, Vail) will stay open thru

3 May.  Loveland stays open till mid-May and A-Basin well into June.

Berthoud is a wild card this year.

Elsewhere, Utah was about the same - average.  California benefited

muchly from the "small kid", with snow depths in the 150 to 200 inch

range.  Our best guess at New England is lots of snow with too many

intervening periods of rain and warm weather.

6.  BUILDERS EMPORIUM

a.  Gondola?  Despite what was said in the AP stories and your local

paper, the ski lift cables cut by the US military jet in Italy served

a CABLE CAR system, not a GONDOLA.  The system had