Jay Peak Tram

TomWhite

Jay Peak’s tram can’t run before $4.5M upgrades

<img width=“26” height=“26” alt=“http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/1e79114a509f8a356cd870e0b61afb1330b6da3a/c=95-0-840-745&r=1024×1024&r=26&c=26×26/local/-/media/2016/02/12/Burlington/Burlington/635908933108830434-DSC03345.jpg” src=“data:image/png;base64,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×0pOJef84NcDipbnr4aK5WzsjqEs7R38jCGeYO7GEbACpxxjtjtUi30rKGNvbNkZ3MnJ9zWHbk/2fac9ph/48Kv27t5EfzN90d/ari3FaHLVSc2j/9k=” border=“0” v:shapes=“Picture_x0020_6” />Jess Aloe, Free Press Staff Writer 6:42 a.m. EDT May 23, 2016

The tram at Jay Peak Resort makes its way up the mountain for summer tourists on Wednesday August 5, 2009.(Photo: Free Press file)Buy Photo

Jay Peak’s iconic aerial trams need $4.5 million worth of work – including overhauling the arms that attach the cabins to the cables above –  before the state will allow the system to operate this summer.

The repairs are a large expense amidst uncertainty about the resort’s future after the Securities and Exchange Commission and the state filed charges accusing owner Ariel Quiros and chief executive officer Bill Stenger of massive fraud. The SEC said Quiros and Stenger misused $200 million from the EB-5 program, which allows foreign nationals to gain U.S. residency if they invest $500,000 in projects that create jobs in economically depressed areas.

On Thursday, Michael Goldberg, the federal receiver appointed to oversee Jay Peak in the wake of the SEC accusations, said he was planning to file a motion in federal court by Monday to gain approval for the expense.

"It kind of sucks that has to happen now," Goldberg said Thursday, shortly after flying back from Burlington, where he was meeting with Jay Peak subcontractors to discuss money owed to them by the resort.

Jay Peak Resort president Bill Stenger looks out over the Northeast Kingdom as he rides down from Jay Peak on the resort’s aerial tram on Monday, November 19, 2012. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS, GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

Records obtained by the Burlington Free Press show the state’s concerns over the condition of the tram began as early as last year, when the state Passenger Tramway Board brought in Doppelmayr, an international company that manufactures ski lifts, to provide an engineering assessment.

Last June, Doppelmayr’s president, Mark Bee, wrote a letter to Stenger, saying the tram had been carrying too much weight at once since 1966, due to a mistake in the original operating manual.

Bee recommended Jay Peak reduce capacity on the tram, which the resort did.

"Of greater concern to us is the condition of the carriages," Bee wrote in his letter. "To our knowledge there are no records to indicate that the carriages have been subject to regular and thorough [non-destructive testing] inspections."

The carriages connect the cabins to the cables running up and down the mountain. Bee’s letter recommended Jay Peak perform a thorough inspection of the carriages before allowing the tram to carry passengers.

Stephen Monahan, who oversees the tramway board, said he wasn’t sure if the absence of records indicated a lack of testing or a lack of documentation. He said he began insisting on more formal record-keeping when he took over the ski lift safety board about two years ago.

Monahan added that discussions about upgrading the tram began before he took over, but wasn’t sure exactly when his organization began expressing concerns to the resort.

J.J. Toland, the director of communications for Jay Peak, said the resort has done every test the state asked of the ski area.

In most cases, the thorough inspections recommended by Bee involve complete disassembly of the carriages, but Doppelmayr offered interim solutions that, combined with daily inspections, allowed the tram to run for the 2015-2016 season.

Monahan emphasized he would not allow the tram to run if his inspectors had safety concerns, and if Jay Peak did not begin the $4.5 million in carriage overhauls, as well as electronic upgrades, he would not allow the lifts to run for the summer season.

Toland said the resort flew in a Swiss technician to conduct non-destructive testing last year and found no corrosion or anomalies.

Shortly after receiving Bee’s letter, Stenger wrote to Monahan assuring the state that Jay Peak was planning an electrical system upgrade and a carriage overhaul for the 2016-2017 ski season.

Before Jay Peak was able to finalize plans to do the needed work, the SEC filed its fraud complaint, freezing the resort’s assets and placing control in the hands of a Miami federal court.

Michael Goldberg, a court-appointed lawyer in charge of all operations at both Jay Peak and Q Burke, speaks with the Free Press before a news conference at Hotel Jay. (Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS)

The resort is just beginning normal spring maintenance now, Toland said, which should be complete by June 15. Once the work is done, the state will conduct an inspection after which, Toland said, the resort will begin running the tram as a scenic ride.

The electronic upgrades and carriage overhauls will take place over the next 12 months, he said.

"The tram is definitely an icon of Jay Peak and maintaining it and maintaining its ride safety is of paramount importance to us and the state of Vermont and the tramway board," Toland said. "The Passenger Tramway Board is a pretty rigorous organization – because you’re putting people in the sky.”

Contact Jess Aloe at  jaloe@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1874. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JessAloe

bubblecuffer

$4.5M is quite a bit of upgrade.  I wonder how much a sweet 12 person Gondola setup like Stratton has would cost?  The tram is cool and all, but this ride begs for increased capacity.

TomWhite

I totally agree. Fun but not worth the wait especially after those upper runs get scraped off. They’d be w/o a peak lift for a year but the money would be well spent on a gondi (for year round) or a bubble HSQ/HSS.

rickbolger

Agree that would be something skiers like us would prefer. I’m thinking that the tram gives the resort a little more cachet than it would have otherwise, not thinking a gondola would do that.

We’ll go to Jay for whatever reason, we don’t care whether they have a gondy, tram, or t-bar. Some casual, holiday-only families might say “Jay doesn’t have the tram anymore” and opt for someplace not as remote due to perceived lack of “specialness” or whatever….even though they may never even ride the thing! Not sure how you put a dollar value on that perception. They definitely get something out of that, but I’m not sure it’s $4.5 million worth of something.

obienick

The cabins and at least the hanger arms aren’t original; they were both replaced in 2000.  Are the carriage assemblies themselves from 1966 or 2000?  

I’m quite surprised there’s been that much toll on them.  It’s never a good sign when the State wants to decrease capacity. Wasn’t Black either running as a double or chairs removed for a while?  Never good to be in the same boat as Black.

rickbolger

Never good to be in the same boat as Black.

</blockquote>

:x :\"> :x :(

Hey I like Black Mountain!  No stolen EB-5 funds there, they should be so lucky as to be in the same boat as Black!

LiftGuy

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”>The cabins and at least the hanger arms aren’t original; they were both replaced in 2000.  Are the carriage assemblies themselves from 1966 or 2000?  The carriages were not replaced in 2000- they are the originals from 1966.

I’m quite surprised there’s been that much toll on them. As per the Doppelmayr report, the cabins have been carrying too much weight since 1966 due to a mistake in the original operating manual.

</blockquote>

LiftGuy

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“bubblecuffer”>$4.5M is quite a bit of upgrade.  I wonder how much a sweet 12 person Gondola setup like Stratton has would cost?  The tram is cool and all, but this ride begs for increased capacity.Somewhere in the $10-12 Mil range…and then you run the possibility of going on wind hold more often than a Tram.</blockquote>

joshua_segal

IMO, the Jay Peak Tram is the one place that I know of that when you get off the tram and wait a few minutes for the crowd to dissipate, that one can truly be alone on a lift serviced peak.  Practically, you may be right - but as for me, I hope they leave it exactly as is.

bubblecuffer

Points well made for keeping the tram around.  How about an 80 passenger then?  4.5M should get me at least that! right?

steamboat1

$4.5m should at least get them a carpet loading quad. What did Sugarbush pay for Valley House? Maybe $3m including removal of the old lift.

obienick

$3M yes.

teighs

Forget a chair to replace the tram.  Look how often the Green Mountain Freezer is down for wind, it has a similar aspect but doesn’t go near the peak.  And considering how cold and windy it usually is at Jay the tram at least gets you out of the weather for a few minutes.  Besides it’s only crowded on Saturdays, and holidays…

steamboat1

The court approved spending for the repair of the tram.

NewEnglandSkier13

https://liftblog.com/2016/06/02/state-of-vermont-orders-jay-peak-tram-closed/

Now they can only operate with 45 passengers in a car. The lines will be even more unbelievable.

DrJeff

Rumor has it now that by the time all the work is done, that it could very well be the ’17 - ’18 season!! :-O

obienick

For the lift people here:  what actually needs to be done? Obviously at a minimum the carriages will get NDTs as there is no records for that.

casual_weekday

If they do need a new lift, they could go with a funifor. Basically a tram where the two sides can run independently, and there are 2 hanger arms that increases wind stability. The only downsides are that it couldn’t be retrofitted onto existing towers, not sure about the buildings, and it could increase capacity meaning that some of the upper mountain runs could get scraped off pretty quickly. I’ve never seen it done before but it could be possible to do a single cabin funifor, since it runs independently of a second side, unlike a tram.

bubblecuffer

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“DrJeff”>Rumor has it now that by the time all the work is done, that it could very well be the ’17 - ’18 season!! :-O </blockquote>

Then lets hope the “Green Mountain Freezer” is in top running condition unlike my last 2 visits to Jay.  It will need to reliably do all the heavy lifting on that side of the mountain.

steamboat1

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“casual_weekday”>If they do need a new lift, they could go with a funifor. Basically a tram where the two sides can run independently, and there are 2 hanger arms that increases wind stability. The only downsides are that it couldn’t be retrofitted onto existing towers, not sure about the buildings, and it could increase capacity meaning that some of the upper mountain runs could get scraped off pretty quickly. I’ve never seen it done before but it could be possible to do a single cabin funifor, since it runs independently of a second side, unlike a tram.</blockquote>

What do you think the price tag on that baby would be?