Whaleback - Lift Repair

justkeepmovingne

What's the deal with this "new surface lift" on Spout ? I thought they had it finished. They seemed to hint at that when they announced the double was down for this season?

This is what it looks like on Google Maps, from August this year. Like lotsoskiing says, big ditch.

newpylong

It isn't a carpet, it's a Sun Kid "Mega Comfort Star" (ie a handle/mini platter tow) with terminals that raise (so you can groom it easier, etc.)

Unless the group that forced it on them is going to cough up more dough to finish it, they don't have the cash to complete the install. Yes, it's on the third year of partial construction.

A different board would have said, "We understand you want more training time, but instead of spending $100,000 on a limited purpose lift that no one except you will use and we will have to staff let's put that money towards chairlift maintenance and critical snowmaking needs like a second pump, pipe, etc."

obienick

Why the ditch?

obienick

Also is this the portable thing that Tenney installed? Turns out NH Tramway Board considers any move of that to be a new re-engineered install.

lotsoskiing

I sense the "woman of substance" is singing when it comes to WB.... too bad

NewEnglandSkier13

Also is this the portable thing that Tenney installed? Turns out NH Tramway Board considers any move of that to be a new re-engineered install.

No, that was a rope tow.

newpylong

Also is this the portable thing that Tenney installed? Turns out NH Tramway Board considers any move of that to be a new re-engineered install.

Because as it is a tow (no towers), it needs to have a gentle ie straight profile which did not exist. You should see how bad it looks from the trail itself; the lift is down in a canyon. It's insane. This is assuming it will even be finished.

Yes, even minor installs like this have to be signed off on by an aerial PE. I had to have one even when we moved the 75 foot magic carpet and 200 foot tows when the learning area was redone.

obienick

Shouldn't it follow a catenary? And it appears the upper slope is steeper then a the lower slope, so it's somewhat close to that.

Would it have been easier to raise the top vs lowering the whole line?

newpylong

Dunno, it really just needs to be removed and sold.

MrMagic

Whale looking for another 200k from the community
https://www.powder.com/news/whaleback-needs-donations-new-hampshire-ski

I thought this was an old article from this summer but...... iv said it before I give all areas a lot a lot of patience way more than most but this is an absolute mess.

millerm277

Whale looking for another 200k from the community
https://www.powder.com/news/whaleback-needs-donations-new-hampshire-ski

I thought this was an old article from this summer but...... iv said it before I give all areas a lot a lot of patience way more than most but this is an absolute mess.

There was supposed to be a community meeting tonight with Q&A. I didn't attend, but I'm curious what was said and what answers were given.

snowphoenix

A bit of good news: Whaleback announced on their Facebook that they have already raised $115k in donations out of the $210k they were looking for!

justkeepmovingne

I'm shocked they were even able to wrangle another $115k. Even more shocked that that money isn't just going towards repairing the lift to ensure it can open by hopefully some time in January. What the hell is going on there?

ILOVE2SKI

What’s the point with no real lift

newpylong

Short of an ownership change or a major donation and/or grant being obtained, that lift will never be replaced. The community is already tapped covering operating cost deficits year over year to pick up the tab on a decent used triple or quad to the tune of several million dollars.

TomWhite

The article links to a short Instagram post. I put both links at the bottom.

Holiday Mountain Helps Out Whaleback Mountain With Chairlift Woes
Earlier this fall, a New York ski area helped out a non-profit New Hampshire mountain with its chairlift issues.

by Ian Wood
2 days ago
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Image Credit: Holiday Mountain
Enfield, New Hampshire — This year has been tough for Whaleback. Since a chairlift failure, Whaleback has been trying to repair it. However, more extensive repairs were needed than expected. With an expected chairlift closure for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, Whaleback announced the need to raise $210k to operate this season. It raised these funds but still faces challenges this upcoming winter due to a limited skiable footprint. However, it looks like a small New York ski area could save the day for the Whale.

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Last month, Holiday Mountain donated parts from one of its old chairlifts to Whaleback. This has helped Whaleback out with their chairlift, with a new gearbox and bullwheel planned for installation.

This is thanks to the folks over at Holiday Mountain. In 2023, a local ski patroller and businessman, Mike Taylor, bought the neglected New York ski area. In his first season of offseason improvements, an extensive refurbishment of the Turkey Trot chairlift was completed, including the installation of various new parts. A fixed-grip quad eventually replaced it, but the old lift parts are still in great shape.

In response to Whaleback’s struggles, Holiday Mountain offered parts from its old Turkey Trot lift. In October, Whaleback came through on a rainy day to pick up the parts.

For now, we don’t know whether Whaleback’s chairlift will operate this winter. However, this is a positive step forward for those who want to see Whaleback succeed in the future. Cheers to Holiday Mountain for keeping the stoke alive in the Upper Valley.

Image/Video Credits: Holiday Mountain, Whaleback Mountain

https://unofficialnetworks.com/2025/12/01/whaleback-holiday-season-lifeline/

justkeepmovingne

Huge shouts to Holiday Mt. Hoping Whaleback won't botch this opportunity, and maybe just maybe get the chance to ski off the chairlift again later this season.

powderstud

There are a bunch of people on Snowjournal who seem experts at lift technical issues and mechanics. My question is, given that the Whaleback chair is almost certainly from a different manufacturer than the Holiday Mountain lift, what is the likelihood that heterogeneous parts will be usable and effect the necessary repair?

zapada

There are a bunch of people on Snowjournal who seem experts at lift technical issues and mechanics. My question is, given that the Whaleback chair is almost certainly from a different manufacturer than the Holiday Mountain lift, what is the likelihood that heterogeneous parts will be usable and effect the necessary repair?

LiftBlog lists the Whaleback lift as a 1970 Poma, while Holiday Mountain's Turkey Trot was a 1969 double. Holiday also had lift D, a 1968 Poma double with a floating bullwheel, that has been out of service for a number of years. That lift was still standing as of this past summer, with the top station visible to traffic driving by on NY route 17.

Whaleback on LiftBlog.com

Holiday Mountain on LiftBlog.com

powderstud

LiftBlog lists the Whaleback lift as a 1970 Poma, while Holiday Mountain's Turkey Trot was a 1969 double. Holiday also had lift D, a 1968 Poma double with a floating bullwheel, that has been out of service for a number of years. That lift was still standing as of this past summer, with the top station visible to traffic driving by on NY route 17.

Well, maybe this is less of a Hail Mary pass than I thought. I sure hope it can work for Whaleback. Fingers crossed. How long will it take them to determine whether or not these parts will do the job? I would think that it should be pretty quickly.

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