From the Vail Daily:
BEAVER CREEK —
Gondola or chairlift? Beaver Creek will be giving skiers and riders a choice
next season.
The resort
announced plans on Thursday to replace the existing Centennial Express Lift
(Chair No. 6) with a new high-speed, state-of-the-art combination lift. The
combo lifts, seen at some European resorts as well as at Northstar in Tahoe,
Telluride and Sunday River in Maine, are also called hybrid lifts, telecombis,
Telemixes and chondolas. The new lift will increase uphill capacity by 35
percent through the use of alternating gondola cabins and six-person chairs and
is expected to be in place for the 2014-15 ski and snowboard season. Last
season, the resort had announced its intention to replace the Centennial lift
with a traditional six-person chairlift. However, after further consideration
and discussions with the lift manufacturers, resort officials went with the
combo lift, calling it a “more robust, flexible and guest-oriented approach.” The
new lift will have the same capacity as a six-person chairlift, but it gives
choices to every level of skier. Beginners and ski school kids tend to prefer
the less-intimidating option of boarding the gondola, while people who prefer
to keep their skis on can board the chairs. Chairs and cabins will be loaded
from two separate lines. The new combination lift will transport 3,400 people
per hour, up from the current capacity of 2,800 people per hour. “The unique
and dramatic benefits to our guests to be able to install a combination lift
with gondola cabins and chairs and replace one of the most utilized lifts at
the base of Beaver Creek Mountain are tremendous and completely in line with
the Beaver Creek brand promise to deliver high-quality guest experiences,” said
Doug Lovell, vice president and chief operating officer for Beaver Creek
Resort. “After careful consideration, we believe this is exactly the right
solution to position Beaver Creek for the future and address the resort’s
continued growth and diverse guest needs.”
Coaster changes
Also, by having
gondola cabins as part of the new lift, guests will have easier access to the
Spruce Saddle area for nighttime and summertime dining and recreational
activities. In coming seasons, those Spruce Saddle activities may also include
an alpine coaster (named a Forest Flyer), ropes course and tubing hill. The
year-round activities had been planned for an area closer to the base at the
top of the Buckaroo Express Gondola, but nearby homeowners filed a lawsuit this
fall opposing the project, calling it an “amusement park” and eyesore. Vail
Resorts also announced on Thursday that they had reached a settlement with the
Beaver Creek Property Owners Association and Greystone Condominium Association
regarding the project. Under the agreement, the associations will request that
the Beaver Creek Metro District purchase a permanent restrictive covenant from
Vail Resorts for $5 million. The restrictive covenant will prohibit certain new
recreational activities on much of the land at the base of Beaver Creek
Mountain in perpetuity. Under the agreement, the metro district must fund the
purchase of the covenant through a bond issue that would be subject to approval
by voters in May, meaning that the cost of the protective covenant would be
passed on to Beaver Creek homeowners and businesses. In return, the homeowners
will support an application by Vail Resorts to the U.S. Forest Service to build
the project in the area surrounding the Spruce Saddle restaurant. If the bond
issue doesn’t pass, then the property owners have agreed to dismiss their
lawsuit and not object to the construction of recreational amenities at the
base of the resort.
Weighing in
Those are some
major upgrades, but the jury is still out on whether the improvements will be a
hit with skiers and snowboarders. Avon skier and former lift operator Dan Gorin
said he personally prefers to take the chair, but he said there’s no question
that the lift needs to be replaced. “If it stops less and gets people up
faster, I’m all for it,” he said. “It definitely needs to be replaced. It’s the
oldest lift on the mountain and also the most used.” Others said they saw it as
a convenience for families with children. “(My kids) are pretty good skiers, so
they don’t have a problem with the chair,” said Ann McCormick, of Eagle-Vail.
“But especially with a cold or windy day, it definitely would help families out
on the ride up to have a gondola.” Still, others questioned if the convenience
was worth the cost. One Edwards woman, who declined to be named, said she
worried the cost would be passed onto resort guests. “I guess for guests it’s a
different thing, but local kids know how to ride a chairlift,” she said. “It’s
so expensive to ski here, and I think this is part of the problem. It’s stuff
like this and adding escalators that raises the prices. Do we really need
that?” Construction on the combo lift is slated to start in June. Resort
officials said they haven’t yet decided which lift company they will use, but
those details will be announced soon.
