Crotched Mountain - 2021-2 Season

newpylong

As folks have noticed there has been a lot more preemptive bearing replacements on these across the industry lately.

Recommended replacement period is 10,000 working hours now. Assuming a 90 day season, 12 hour days, that's a 10 year replacement time so it sounds about right.

joshua_segal

newpylong;c-50185 wroteAs folks have noticed there has been a lot more preemptive bearing replacements on these across the industry lately.

Recommended replacement period is 10,000 working hours now. Assuming a 90 day season, 12 hour days, that's a 10 year replacement time so it sounds about right.

Assuming a 100 day season 9 to 9 with turn-on and turn off is actually closer to 13 hrs. per day or 1300 hours per season of spinning time.

newpylong

That is probably more accurate. I guess at operating days but looking at historical data total season length ranges from 106 to 120 or so days. If the lift opens a week or two after the main mountain 100 sounds spot on.

Quietman

Wow, it turns out that I saved a whopping $16 by buying the NE Value pass before the 9/6 deadline!

NELSBEER

Just compare it to two years ago and you'll feel much better.

Interesting fact, the bullwheel bearing replacement is being done by .non-Crotched staff, probably from another Vail area. Looking for mechanical snow making and grooming people is probably going to be a real challenge this year. They will be much more competitive on pay than in prior years,; so if you have skills drop by when they have their job fair

Quietman

Do they replace the bearings, or rebuild them? Hiked the hill this evening and the top of West looks the same as the pics from last weekend. Nice sunset tonight!

newpylong

Replace. Sometimes if they've gotten bad enough the shaft has to be remachined/replaced as well.

NELSBEER

Don't know if they can/do re-build them. The process is generally described as 'replacing the bearings' which sounds like the longest lasting solution.

They were doing non-destructive testing on the wheel last week, so there is an organized plan being executed. Judging by markings on the wheel this was last done in 2016. The people doing the work are reportedly contracted, not Vail employees.

NELSBEER

Slow but steady progress on the West Double. By mid this week the old bearings had been removed from the bull wheel and the excavator was returned to the top of the lift for more moving of parts. I overheard a comment that they were going to 'flip' the wheel over, I assume that is to facilitate replacing the bearing.

Meanwhile the replacement of the Base lodge's water tank and associated plumbing is moving ahead nicely.

In this case VAIL is doing a thorough job of addressing a perennial problem.

Another improvement that may be of interest to Snow Journal regulars is the arrival of a replacement haul rope for the Park Triple Lift. No schedule yet, the chairs are still on the old cable. We'll give some warning (if they tell us) for anyone that wants to watch. Somewhat doubtful that Vail will allow non-employees to participate in the actual weaving of the splice.

The grips are back for the other lifts but no progress on installing them yet.

The basics are being addressed, the mountain should be in good shape to run this winter.

Quietman

Interesting that Vail is investing in the haul rope replacement for the Park lift, as it runs so infrequently. Finding enough lifties to run all 4 lifts may be a challenge this year. I wish them luck with that.

NELSBEER

The Park Triple was used when it was installed, so the cable has hours on it we never saw. Probably a regulatory requirement based on measurements.
The Valley lift, from the same source was replaced a few years back.

joshua_segal

Oct. 9, 2021
Nice autumn colors are starting to come out.

newpylong

Quietman;c-50359 wroteInteresting that Vail is investing in the haul rope replacement for the Park lift, as it runs so infrequently. Finding enough lifties to run all 4 lifts may be a challenge this year. I wish them luck with that.

If it has to be replaced it has to be replaced whether it runs 1 or 1000 hours a season.

Quietman

newpylong;c-50521 wrote
Quietman;c-50359 wroteInteresting that Vail is investing in the haul rope replacement for the Park lift, as it runs so infrequently. Finding enough lifties to run all 4 lifts may be a challenge this year. I wish them luck with that.
If it has to be replaced it has to be replaced whether it runs 1 or 1000 hours a season.

The thought was if they would bother to replace the line, or scrap the lift as it has run so infrequently in the past. I will say that Vail seems to want to run it at least for a short while on weekends as they want to be able to list that all lifts are open on the lift status report. The last few years under Peak it almost never ran.

joshua_segal

Quietman;c-50522 wrote
newpylong;c-50521 wrote
Quietman;c-50359 wroteInteresting that Vail is investing in the haul rope replacement for the Park lift, as it runs so infrequently. Finding enough lifties to run all 4 lifts may be a challenge this year. I wish them luck with that.
If it has to be replaced it has to be replaced whether it runs 1 or 1000 hours a season.
The thought was if they would bother to replace the line, or scrap the lift as it has run so infrequently in the past. I will say that Vail seems to want to run it at least for a short while on weekends as they want to be able to list that all lifts are open on the lift status report. The last few years under Peak it almost never ran.

I heard (and QuietMan said similar) that they were particularly understaffed the last few seasons and would have run it more if they could. My pipe dream would be that they move it to where the abandoned T-Bar line is.

NELSBEER

The park triple's potential has never been realized. Look at the Crotched pre-opening video on the NE Lost Ski Area website and you'll see Tim Boyd, the Peak CEO, discussing the triple as a core of the ski school programs. However, the ski school ended up focused on the other side of the building with the intermediate deck making it very hard to get students to the triple. Most students first chairlift ride are on the relatively long West double.

Generally snow making under the triple has been a very low priority making it useful for a limited Park experience that draws few people. For a few years there were efforts to create some snow cross and generally fun for kids rollers and hits under the lift; that created some new experiences and drew more people. It is now Vail's challenge to realize the potential of the lift.

Remski

joshua_segal;c-50523 wrote
Quietman;c-50522 wrote
newpylong;c-50521 wrote
Quietman;c-50359 wroteInteresting that Vail is investing in the haul rope replacement for the Park lift, as it runs so infrequently. Finding enough lifties to run all 4 lifts may be a challenge this year. I wish them luck with that.
If it has to be replaced it has to be replaced whether it runs 1 or 1000 hours a season.
The thought was if they would bother to replace the line, or scrap the lift as it has run so infrequently in the past. I will say that Vail seems to want to run it at least for a short while on weekends as they want to be able to list that all lifts are open on the lift status report. The last few years under Peak it almost never ran.
I heard (and QuietMan said similar) that they were particularly understaffed the last few seasons and would have run it more if they could. My pipe dream would be that they move it to where the abandoned T-Bar line is.

I’m with you Joshua. Moving it there or even extending it from the corner of Galaxy to the summit would work nicely also.

NELSBEER

Last year the triple was more useless than usual at a time when we really needed it's capacity to reduce lines. When they cut off snow making several weeks earlier (end of January) than usual much of the West side of the hill was barely open... Comet Drop was never really finished, Shooting Star was fully open maybe one day and skiers right of the Park (under the lift) was sketchy when it was open. Hopefully that was a one time $ saving decision.

Putting something up the T-bar line might be useful, especially on wind hold days. Vail probably has a boneyard full of interesting lift stuff, how about a High Speed Detachable Poma (disc) to entertain the racing program?

NELSBEER

Crotched Mountain's GM moved on to a new job in Michigan earlier this month.
A new manager has been appointed and has been onsite fairly regularly this month.

The following excerpted from SAM (Ski Area Management) Magazine provides the basics for Crotched's & Wildcat's new managers.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 20, 2021—Three Vail Resorts (VR) properties have new general managers, and the company’s Midwest region has a new vice president.VR

Susan Donnelly takes over as general manager of Crotched Mountain Resort, N.H. Donnelly first joined Okemo, Vt., in product sales in 2007 before shifting to food and beverage management. She integrated Okemo, Mount Snow, Vt., and Hunter Mountain, N.Y., into the Vail Resorts system as director of product sales and scanning. Most recently, Donnelly served as senior manager of product sales and scanning, overseeing the Northeast Region. She will continue to live in the Crotched Mountain area with her two children Derek (14) and Lena (11).

JD Crichton is the new general manager for Wildcat, N.H. He started Oct. 1. He spent the last four years as the director of food and beverage at Crested Butte, Colo. Crichton started in ski area operations in 1998 at Sugarloaf, Maine, before moving to Colorado in the mid-2000s where he held leadership positions in hospitality and food and beverage at Copper Mountain. Crichton joins the Eastern region with his sons Oscar (8) and Hollis (4), and his wife Stacy.

joshua_segal

Many are unaware of the history of the Onset Ski Area (i.e., what we now call Crotched Mountain.) The Ski Area was named after a favorite thoroughbred racehorse named Onset.
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What follows is some history of the horse, Onset:
Onset 1957: Gray horse bred in Kentucky by the (famous) Nuckols Brothers. This horse made 65 starts and is listed as a "winner", but NOT a stakes winner.

The archivist at the Keeneland (Kentucky) Library provided the following research data:
Onset raced 65 times with 15 wins, 8 seconds and 9 thirds winning a total of $26,313. The information about owners is in the message below.

The first race was in July of 1959 and the owner was listed as “Duell-Stewart.” His last race was in 1964. He was running for a $2,000 claiming tag and the owner was listed as “Billy Bob Stable.” Unfortunately, he did break down in that race.

Translating the photo below

: Onset, foaled 1957, Colt
Left column: Racing year
2nd Column: Number of races entered.
3rd Column: Number of wins
4th Column: Number of Places (2nd)
5th Column: Number of shows (3rd)
6th column: Dollar winnings per season.
Bottom line: Cumulative of columns above.

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