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Breckenridge Ski Resort

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Breckenridge Ski Resort is an alpine ski resort in the western United States , in Breckenridge, Colorado . Recognized for acres of skiable terrain across five mountain peaks, it welcomes thousands of skiers and snowboarders each season. Just west of the Continental Divide in Summit County , it is perennially one of the most visited ski resorts in the western hemisphere . Breckenridge is owned and operated by Vail Resorts, Inc.

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119-562: The mountain first opened on December 16, 1961, consisting of trails on Peak 8 serviced currently by the Colorado SuperChair. The main lift was a Heron double chairlift , Lift 1, which had a midway unloading station. Lift 1 ran from the base area up to a point slightly west of the top of the current Colorado SuperChair. This small butte overlooks the Rocky Mountain SuperChair and is accessible by hiking from

238-435: A strand . Several strands are wound around a textile core, their twist oriented in the same or opposite direction as the individual wires; this is referred to as Lang lay and regular lay respectively. Rope is constructed in a linear fashion, and must be spliced together before carriers are affixed. Splicing involves unwinding long sections of either end of the rope, and then winding each strand from opposing ends around

357-689: A Heron Poma double, providing access from the Mountain House base area to the Packsaddle Bowl and the west side of the mountain. It was supplemented by the Montezuma Express lift, which replaced a Yan triple chairlift and provided access to all trails on the upper and central part of Dercum Mountain. In 1991, Keystone opened an expansion into the Outback, located beyond North Peak. Doppelmayr constructed three new lifts to service

476-506: A combined 2.6 million skier visits. Breckenridge and Keystone were purchased by Vail Resorts in 1996, joining the company's other ski areas of Beaver Creek and Vail Ski Resort . Also in 1996, Poma constructed the Snowflake double chairlift, providing mountain access for a number of condominium developments off of Four O'Clock Road. The lift has a midway load partway up that provides access from Peak 9 to Peak 8 as an alternative route to

595-407: A force is the rate at which it does work , and is given by the product of the driving force and the cable velocity) . In most localities, the prime mover is required to have a backup drive; this is usually provided by a Diesel engine that can operate during power outages. The purpose of the backup is to permit clearing the rope to ensure the safety of passengers; it usually is much less powerful and

714-759: A large amount of advanced terrain and chutes. Access to Guests coming from Peak 7 can also use the Wanderlust trail from the Pioneer Restaurant at the top of the Independence SuperChair. From the Horizon warming hut, the Kensho SuperChair runs above timberline to an altitude of 12,302 feet, making it the world's highest elevation six pack and providing direct access to intermediate bowl trails, with further access to chutes in

833-540: A lengthy 45 minute hike from the top of the T-Bar up the ridge, rendering them inaccessible for the most part, as this meant people had to endure a hike in cold temperatures and strong winds in excess of 35 mph. In 2005, this problem was alleviated when Leitner-Poma constructed a new high speed quad, which outdid Loveland Ski Area 's Chair 9 to become the highest operating chairlift in North America. Originating at

952-404: A passenger missing a ski, or otherwise unable to efficiently unload, such as patients being transported in a rescue toboggan . These uses are the chief purpose for a visible identification number on each carrier. Aerial ropeways always have several backup systems in the event of failure of the prime mover. An additional electric motor, diesel or gasoline engine—even a hand crank—allows movement of

1071-772: A passenger ropeway can move up to 4,000 people per hour, and the fastest lifts achieve operating speeds of up to 12 m/s (39.4 ft/s) or 43.2 km/h (26.8 mph). The two-person double chair, which for many years was the workhorse of the ski industry, can move roughly 1,200 people per hour at rope speeds of up to 2.5 m/s (8.2 ft/s). The four person detachable chairlift ("high-speed quad") can transport 2,400 people per hour with an average rope speed of 5 m/s (16.4 ft/s). Some bi- and tri-cable elevated ropeways and reversible tramways achieve much greater operating speeds. A chairlift consists of numerous components to provide safe efficient transport. Especially at American ski areas, chairlifts are referred to with

1190-422: A race at Loveland Pass, Max filed mining claims for land around an alpine cirque that he hoped to develop into a ski area. Max served as the head coach of the ski school, and Edna quickly followed as the first female instructor at the school. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Max hiked and scouted the mountain, drew up plans for the ski area, and created a papier-mâché model of the mountain ranges. After discussing

1309-477: A replacement to the ski area buses on Ski Hill Road, and in anticipation of future development at Peak 8 Base. In early 2007, the BreckConnect Gondola opened to the public, improving access from the town to Peak 8 base area. It originates at the transit center off of Park Avenue and Ski Hill Road, and runs up to a first midway turn station at Shock Hill, servicing a condominium development. From here,

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1428-404: A ski industry vernacular . A one-person lift is a "single", a two-person lift is a "double", a three-person lift a "triple", four-person lifts are "quads", and a six-person lift is a "six pack". If the lift is a detachable chairlift, it is typically referred to as a "high-speed" or "express" lift, which results in an "express quad" or "high-speed six pack". The capacity of a lift is constrained by

1547-706: A special use permit from the Forest Service. The 30-year special use permit assigns to the permit holder only a portion of the bundle of rights normally associated with real estate ownership. For the privilege of using federal lands, the ski area pays an annual fee of about one dollar per skier visitor to the U.S. Treasury. Twenty-five percent of those fees are returned to Summit County, Colorado, for roads and schools. The Forest Service approves development plan revisions. The 1984 Land and Resource Management Plan and 2002 Revision, authored by Erik Martin, program manager for ski area administration (1972–2003), WRNF, established

1666-568: A variety of cornices and chutes. It can get very windy and cold at the top, and in poor visibility conditions the peak may be closed. Peak 7's bowls are accessible by hiking from the T-Bar or a traverse from the top of the Imperial Express SuperChair. The lower part of Peak 7 is an area of rolling intermediate trails, groomed nightly. Peak 7's base area is composed of two large lodges, the Crystal Peak Lodge and

1785-460: A vertical rise of 1,404 ft./ 428 meters. The advanced terrain on Peak 10 varies, from groomers underneath and near the lift, to glades on the north side of the Peak 10 ridge, and double black chutes on the far south side. There are 15 different runs that the lift gives access to. 6 runs are double blacks toward the far left side and 9 are blacks on the other side. Due to the difficulty of the side of

1904-599: Is a ski resort located in Keystone, Colorado , United States . Since 1997, the resort has been owned and operated by Vail Resorts . It consists of three mountains (Dercum Mountain, North Peak, and the Outback) and five Bowls (Independence, Erickson, Bergman, and North and South Bowls). The three mountains are connected by a series of ski lifts and gondolas with access from two base areas (River Run and Mountain House). In

2023-427: Is a type of aerial lift , which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs . They are the primary on-hill transport at most ski areas (in such cases referred to as 'ski lifts'), but are also found at amusement parks and various tourist attractions. Depending on carrier size and loading efficiency,

2142-400: Is activated all power is cut to the motor and the emergency brake or bull-wheel brake is activated. In the case of a rollback, some lifts utilize a ratchet like system to prevent the bull-wheel from spinning backwards while newer installations utilize sensors which activate one or more bull-wheel brakes. All braking systems are fail-safe in that a loss of power or hydraulic pressure will activate

2261-401: Is also home to two 18-hole championship golf courses, The Ranch and River Run. The Ranch course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and is situated next to a historic ranching homestead. In the winter, Keystone offers night skiing, a five-acre resurfaced ice skating lake, sleigh rides, and several fine-dining restaurants. Keystone ski area operates on National Forest System lands under

2380-454: Is composed of three fiberglass tubes - Lanes "A", "B", and "C". "A" and "B" are for slower and inexperienced riders and run parallel to each other. Lane "C" is for solo, more experienced riders, and follows a significantly different alignment from the other two lanes, with a different arrangement of turns, including the presence of a triple-down drop and one more steep straightaway drop. The Alpine slide has mostly been unchanged since construction,

2499-399: Is connected to the cable with a steel cable grip that is either clamped onto or woven into the cable. Clamping systems use either a bolt system or coiled spring or magnets to provide clamping force. For maintenance or servicing, the carriers may be removed from or relocated along the rope by loosening the grip. Also called a retention bar or safety bar , these may help hold passengers in

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2618-658: Is free to use, and provides access to the resort year-round. In December 2008, Breckenridge hosted the first Winter Dew Tour . Breckenridge continued to host the event annually in the second or third weekend in December. However in 2020, the Winter Dew Tour moved to Copper Mountain and occurred during the second weekend of February; with plans to continue the Tour at Copper Mountain for the next few years. Chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway , or chairlift ,

2737-608: Is home to the base village of Breckenridge. It consists of beginner trails, as well as many intermediate trails mixed with some advanced runs. There are four lifts out of the base area: Rip's Ride lift which services a beginner learning area; 5 Chair, which services more advanced beginner terrain, the Freeway and Park Lane Terrain Parks, and the Alpine Slide. At the north end of the base area, the Colorado SuperChair provides access to

2856-468: Is largely limited to smaller chairlift installations, otherwise the AC motor would need to be significantly oversized relative to the equivalent horsepower DC motor. The driveshaft turns at high RPM , but with lower torque . The gearbox transforms high RPM/low torque rotation into a low RPM/high torque drive at the bullwheel. More power is able to pull heavier loads or sustain a higher rope speed (the power of

2975-457: Is not used for normal operation. The secondary drive connects with the drive shaft before the gear box, usually with a chain coupling. Some chairlifts are also equipped with an auxiliary drive, to be used to continue regular operation in the event of a problem with the prime mover. Some lifts even have a hydrostatic coupling so the driveshaft of a snowcat can drive the chairlift. Carriers are designed to seat 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 passengers. Each

3094-582: Is the highest operating chairlift in the world and services the Imperial Bowl, the Lake Chutes, and access to the Peak 7 Bowl. The Lake Chutes present some the steepest terrain in the region, and are a series of daunting chutes with an incline of up to 55 degrees and running vertically for about 400 feet (120 m). Hiking from the top of the Imperial lift allows access to the summit of Peak 8 and

3213-536: Is the longest operating lift on the mountain (1.7 miles), and also has the largest vertical drop of any chairlift on the mountain (1,600 feet). A few of Lift D's towers were repurposed as a lift evacuation training area, located just uphill from where the Beaver Run SuperChair crosses under the Peak 8 SuperConnect. In 1993, Breckenridge was purchased by Ralston-Purina, which already owned Keystone Resort and Arapahoe Basin . The three ski resorts logged

3332-407: Is the second highest lift on the mountain, behind only the Imperial Express SuperChair. Trail and lift names on Peak 6 reflect a common theme of the resort's Peak 6 branding, "Awaken Your Sixth Sense". The choice of trail names was historic in that they were selected by way of a crowdsourced naming contest on the resort's Facebook page, the first time this had ever been done by a ski resort. Zendo and

3451-437: Is useful for children—who do not fit comfortably into adult sized chairs—as well as apprehensive passengers, and for those who are disinclined or unable to sit still. In addition, restraining bars with footrests reduce muscle fatigue from supporting the weight of a snowboard or skis, especially during long lift rides. The restraining bar is also useful in very strong wind and when the chair is coated by ice. Some ski areas mandate

3570-579: Is usually constructed of transparent acrylic glass or fiberglass. In most designs, passenger legs are unprotected; however in rain or strong wind this is considerably more comfortable than no canopy. Among more notable bubble lifts are the Ramcharger 8 at Big Sky Resort , North America's first high speed eight pack; and the longest bubble lift in the world is the American Flyer high speed six pack at Copper Mountain . To maintain safe operation,

3689-649: The J-bar , the two most common skier transports at the time—apart from mountain climbing . His basic design is still used for chairlifts today. The patent for the original ski lift was issued to Mr. Curran along with Gordon H. Bannerman and Glen H. Trout (Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific RR) in March 1939. The patent was titled "Aerial Ski Tramway,' U.S. patent 2,152,235 . W. Averell Harriman , Sun Valley's creator and former governor of New York State , financed

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3808-442: The 17th century for crossing chasms in mountainous regions. Men would traverse a woven fiber line hand over hand. Evolutionary refinement added a harness or basket to also transport cargo. The first recorded mechanical ropeway was by Venetian Fausto Veranzio who designed a bicable passenger ropeway in 1616. The industry generally considers Dutchman Adam Wybe to have built the first operational system in 1644. The technology, which

3927-705: The 1940s, Max Dercum left his job as a forestry professor and ski racing coach at Penn State University to work for the Forest Service as a forester and fire spotter in Colorado. He and his wife Edna first lived in Georgetown before settling on a ranch outside the village of Keystone. Max served as a rodeo clown at the Summer Rodeo. Their passion was skiing. They skied at the Climax Mine, Loveland and Berthoud Passes, Loveland Ski Area, and Steamboat. After

4046-484: The 1970s and 1980s using snowcats and helicopters for alpine skiing. North Peak opened for skiing in 1984. Two trails, Diamond Back and Mozart, allow access to North Peak from Dercum Mountain. North Peak initially featured seven trails, serviced by two Lift Engineering triple chairlifts. Santiago serviced the North Peak pod, while Teller, now known as Ruby Express, provided egress back to Dercum Mountain. As part of

4165-444: The 1990s are infrequently fixed-grip. Existing fixed-grip lifts are being replaced with detachable chairlifts at most major ski areas. However the relative simplicity of the fixed-grip design results in lower installation, maintenance and, often, operation costs. For these reasons, they are likely to remain at low volume and community hills, and for short distances, such as beginner terrain. Keystone Resort Keystone Resort

4284-659: The Argentine Chair, which was an original lift from the resort. In 2022, Keystone will be expanding its lift-serviced terrain into the Bergman Bowl, including a new chairlift, new trails, new snowmaking and a ~6000 sq ft expansion of the Outpost Restaurant. Source: Keystone Resort features the "A51 Terrain Park" on Dercum Mountain, which has been noted as one of the more progressive terrain parks in

4403-422: The Beaver Run SuperChair before 1993. On Peak 8, the Rocky Mountain SuperChair was built in anticipation of further expansion north onto Peaks 7 and 6. For the first five years of operations, it served to provide easier access from Peak 8 base to the T-Bar and north Peak 8 trails without a lengthy traverse from the Colorado SuperChair. After the Peak 7 and Peak 6 expansions opened, the Rocky Mountain SuperChair became

4522-475: The BreckConnect Gondola's second midstation. Two lodges, the Crystal Peak Lodge and Grand Lodge on Peak 7, anchor the base area. As part of construction, the Independence SuperChair was extended downhill, its bottom terminal now located between Crystal Peak Lodge and Grand Lodge's south building, necessitating the rerouting of Ski Hill Road. In November 2010, the GoldRunner Coaster was constructed in

4641-605: The Grand Lodge on Peak 7, and is connected to town by one of two midway stations on the BreckConnect Gondola. The base area also has a restaurant, Sevens, opened in February 2009. Peak 7's terrain is serviced by the Independence and Freedom SuperChairs. The Zendo lift used to access Peak 6 also begins on Peak 7. Peak 6 is primarily geared towards providing bowl terrain for intermediate skiers and riders, but also includes

4760-482: The Independence SuperChair, a new trail called the Peak 6 Parkway was opened on Peak 7 consisting of new trail segments linking Pioneer to Wirepatch and Wirepatch to Lincoln Meadows, allowing skier traffic from Peak 8 to directly access Zendo without going through Peak 7 base. From the Horizon hut, the six pack, known as the Kensho SuperChair, transports visitors above timberline to an altitude of 12,302 feet and provides access to intermediate bowl terrain. The new six pack

4879-611: The Kensho SuperChair opened to skier traffic on December 25, 2013, expanding the resort to 2,908 acres spread across five peaks. On March 29, 2013, Breckenridge announced that the resort had launched plans to completely re-imagine the Fun Park's summer activity offerings on the mountain as part of the Vail Resorts Epic Discovery summer program, launched in the summer of 2015. This includes the construction of several zip lines on Peak 8 and Peak 7. The first of these

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4998-409: The Peak 8 SuperConnect. The highlight of the lift is a complex 45 degree turn just above the midway load station. As the lift runs clockwise, uphill chairs make a simple 45 degree turn, while downhill chairs must make two separate turns and a 315 degree clockwise turn, plus cross over themselves. In 1997, two aging double chairlifts were removed and two new high speed quads were built. On Peak 9, Lift B

5117-647: The Peru Express and Montezuma Express lifts. For the 2017 season, Keystone built their second high speed six pack, bringing in Leitner-Poma to replace the Montezuma Express lift. Parts from the old lift were relocated to Beaver Creek Resort and used to construct the Red Buffalo Express. In 2021, Keystone completed the upgrade of the Peru Express lift, replacing it with a high speed 6-passenger chair. Part of this project also included removing

5236-623: The Santiago Express was built to replace the Santiago triple chairlift on North Peak. In 2000, the original Ruby (then Teller) lift was removed and replaced with a high speed six pack. The Ruby Express was constructed by Poma and provided faster egress out of North Peak and the Outback. In 2008, the River Run Gondola, nearing 22 years of continuous service, was retired and replaced with a new gondola. Doppelmayr constructed

5355-517: The Serenity Bowl (to the south) and Beyond Bowl (to the north) via a short hike from the top. The hike to the top of the mountain is directly in front of skiers and snowboarders when they get off of the Kensho SuperChair. The steep hike provides an additional incline of 217 feet. The hike is very difficult due to the lack of oxygen and vertical climb. It is often not open to public due to snow conditions that may cause avalanches. Once people get to

5474-476: The Village base area to near the bottom of Lift B. The lift was constructed by Doppelmayr . In 1983, Riblet constructed Lift E, a double chairlift servicing the north-facing chutes on Peak 9. In 1984, Doppelmayr constructed the T-Bar, providing access to most of Peak 8's bowl terrain. In 1985, Breckenridge expanded south on to Peak 10 , with the opening of Lift F, a Poma fixed grip quad. A year later, it

5593-471: The Vista Haus along a short dirt road in the summer. A year later, a Constam double chairlift was installed up the double-black trail Mach One. The lift, later numbered Lift 3, ran from near the present-day Peak 8 SuperConnect's midway load station up to near the top of Lift 5. In 1965, Lift 1 was supplemented by Lift 2, a Heron double chairlift constructed to serve the south part of Peak 8. A base lodge

5712-509: The Vista Haus, central Peak 8, as well as access to the Peak 8 back bowls and Peak 9, while the Rocky Mountain SuperChair provides access to northern Peak 8, the T-Bar, Peak 7, and Peak 6 Via the Zendo quad chair. Peak 8 is home to some of the premier terrain parks in the country: the black diamond rated Freeway and blue Park Lane terrain parks. These are home to the 27-person Breck Pro Team, as well as numerous other extreme sports groups from around

5831-469: The Vista Haus. With the addition of both the Colorado SuperChair and the Falcon SuperChair, each open peak had one high speed quad on it. All chairlifts built at Breckenridge since these two lifts have been built by Poma and its successor Leitner-Poma . In the 1987-1988 ski season, Breckenridge topped one million skier visits, as it was sold to Victoria Ltd of Tokyo . Local residents supported

5950-410: The bar must be swung up, out of the way. The physics of a passenger sitting properly in a chairlift do not require use of a restraining bar. If the chairlift stops suddenly (as from use of the system emergency brake), the carrier's arm connecting to the grip pivots smoothly forward—driven by the chair's inertia—and maintains friction (and seating angle) between the seat and passenger. The restraining bar

6069-525: The base of Independence Mountain were given consideration by the Forest Service as an alternative second base area. Speculation about conflicts in the Snake River Valley with the lynx reintroduction program stifled further study and land allocation. Prior to the formal expansion of the Keystone ski area onto Independence Mountain, this terrain was under permit by multiple guides and outfitters in

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6188-467: The boarding area. This ensures the correct, safe and quick boarding of all passengers. For fixed grip lifts, a walkway can be designed so that it moves at a slightly slower speed than the chairs: passengers stand on the moving walkway while their chair approaches, hence easing the boarding process since the relative speed of the chairlift will be slower. Aerial passenger ropeways were known in Asia well before

6307-420: The bottom of Lift 4, or traveling to the Snowflake lift's midway load after 1996. It originates on Peak 9 at the junction of the trails Red Rover and Sundown (just down a hill from Lift A), crosses over the Beaver Run SuperChair and Lift C, runs to a midway load and turn station at Lift 4's loading station, then runs up Lift 4's line to end near the Vista Haus. To guarantee that chairs are available for people using

6426-446: The brake. Older chairlifts, for example 1960s-era Riblet Tramway Company lifts, have a hydraulic release emergency brake with pressure maintained by a hydraulic solenoid. If the emergency brake/stop button is depressed by any control panel, the lift cannot be restarted until the hydraulic brake is hand-pumped to proper operating pressure. Some installations use brittle bars to detect several hazardous situations. Brittle bars alongside

6545-402: The bullwheel. This prevents the potentially disastrous situation of runaway reverse operation. The rope must be tensioned to compensate for sag caused by wind load and passenger weight, variations in rope length due to temperature and to maintain friction between the rope and the drive bullwheel. Tension is provided either by a counterweight system or by hydraulic or pneumatic rams, which adjust

6664-403: The chair in the same way as a safety bar in an amusement park ride. If equipped, each chair has a retractable bar, sometimes with attached foot rests. In most configurations, a passenger may reach up and behind their head, grab the bar or a handle, and pull the restraint forward and down. Once the bar has swung sufficiently, gravity assists positioning the bar to its down limit. Before disembarking,

6783-443: The chairlift's control system monitors sensors and controls system parameters. Expected variances are compensated for; out-of-limit and dangerous conditions cause system shutdown. In the unusual instance of system shutdown, inspection by technicians, repair or evacuation might be needed. Both fixed and detachable lifts have sensors to monitor rope speed and hold it within established limits for each defined system operating speed. Also,

6902-419: The chairlift, it is preferable to strike the safety gate—that is, it should not be avoided—and stop the lift than be an unexpected downhill passenger. Many lifts are limited in their download capacity; others can transport passengers at 100 percent capacity in either direction. The boarding area of a detachable chairlift can be fitted with a moving walkway which takes the passengers from the entrance gate to

7021-527: The change in ownership, as some believed that the Aspen Skiing Company was exploiting revenue from Breckenridge to support its own four ski areas. Despite Aspen's withdrawal of ownership, some trail signs from this era remained scattered around Peaks 9 and 10 well into the 2010s. In 1990, Peak 9 received its second high speed quad when Poma built the Beaver Run SuperChair, which replaced Lift D and provided top-to-bottom lift service on Peak 9. It

7140-401: The core. Sections of rope must be removed, as the strands overlap during the splicing process. Every lift involves at least two terminals and may also have intermediate supporting towers. A bullwheel in each terminal redirects the rope, while sheaves (pulley assemblies) on the towers support the rope well above the ground. The number of towers is engineered based on the length and strength of

7259-644: The detached carriers through the terminals. Aerial lifts have a variety of mechanisms to ensure safe operation over a lifetime often measured in decades. In June 1990, Winter Park Resort performed planned destructive safety testing on Eskimo , a 1963 Riblet Tramway Company two-chair, center-pole fixed grip lift, as it was slated for removal and replacement with a high-speed quad Poma lift. The destructive testing attempted to mimic potential real-life operating scenarios, including tests for braking, rollback, oily rope, tree on line, fire, and tower pull. The data gleaned from this destructive safety testing helped improve

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7378-481: The early season. From 2008 to 2010, One Ski Hill Place was constructed at Peak 8 base, in between Lift 5 and Lift 7, on what used to be parking lots, and opened to the public in 2010. The lodge has a new food court facility and a cocktail lounge known as the T-Bar (not to be confused with the Peak 8 lift, which was later renamed the Horseshoe Bowl T-Bar). Also in 2008, a new base area opened on Peak 7 at

7497-669: The expansion, a second base area was opened at River Run, with a gondola running all the way to the Summit House. Several trails in the Spring Dipper area, and a new triple chairlift, Erickson, was also introduced. In 1986, the original River Run Gondola was removed and replaced with a new gondola constructed by Von Roll , reusing the original gondola terminals. In 1990, Keystone entered the detachable industry as Doppelmayr constructed two high speed quads to replace aging lifts on Dercum Mountain. The Peru Express lift replaced

7616-700: The expansion. A two-way gondola, known as the Outpost Gondola, was built from the summit of Dercum Mountain over to North Peak. A new high speed quad known as the Outback Express was built to service the Outback trails, and a fixed-grip quad known as the Wayback was built to service two access trails leading to the Outback as well as provide egress from the area. In 1996, Vail Resorts announced plans to acquire Keystone and Breckenridge's parent company Ralston Resorts Inc. from Ralston Purina. The merger

7735-400: The first ski resort in Colorado with more than one high speed six pack. In addition to Peak 7, a new high speed quad was built to connect Peak 9 to Peak 8. The Peak 8 SuperConnect replaced Lift 4 and improved navigation between the two peaks. Prior to 2002, transitioning from Peak 9 to Peak 8 required going to the top of Peak 9 and taking a black trail called Shock or a blue run called Union to

7854-409: The five peaks has one high speed six pack on it. For the 2021-2022 season, Leitner-Poma constructed a high speed quad servicing trails on the north side of Peak 7. The Freedom SuperChair supplemented the Independence SuperChair, while also creating a route bypassing the Peak 7 base area for skier traffic heading south from Peak 6 to Peak 8. Breckenridge is spread out across the five peaks that make up

7973-497: The gondola travels across the Cucumber Gulch preserve, to just below Peak 7, where it has a second turn terminal and station, servicing Peak 7 base area, the Independence SuperChair, Crystal Peak Lodge, and the Grand Lodge on Peak 7. The gondola then takes a final hop to reach Peak 8 base. The BreckConnect has an hourly capacity of 3,000 pph, and runs every day of winter operations, as well as every day of fun park operations in

8092-404: The height of some towers to improve clearance over a road. Passenger loading and unloading is supervised by lift operators. Their primary purpose is to ensure passenger safety by checking that passengers are suitably outfitted for the elements and not wearing or transporting items which could entangle chairs, towers, trees, etc. If a misload or missed unload occurs—or is imminent—they slow or stop

8211-410: The largest terrain expansion in Colorado that year. The project also entailed the construction of two new chairlifts. The main addition was the opening of a new pod of intermediate trails on Peak 7, to the north of Claimjumper. The terrain was serviced by the resort's second high speed six pack, named the Independence SuperChair. At a time when high speed six packs were still very rare, Breckenridge became

8330-429: The lift has two separate loading areas, with an automated switch piece of railing being utilized to direct every other chair to the second loading station. Coinciding with this was the addition of a midway unload station on Lift A near where it passes the top of Quicksilver Super6, allowing skier traffic to bail out early for access to Ten Mile Station. Breckenridge carried out a massive expansion and lift upgrade in 2002,

8449-406: The lift to prevent carriers from colliding with or dragging any person. Also, if the exit area becomes congested, they will slow or stop the chair until safe conditions are established. The lift operators at the terminals of a chairlift communicate with each other to verify that all terminals are safe and ready when restarting the system. Communication is also used to warn of an arriving carrier with

8568-402: The lift's uphill capacity from 2,800 people per hour to 3,600 people per hour, easing congestion on Peak 8, especially during the early season when it is the sole intermediate terrain lift open. It is the sole six pack on the mountain to use a conveyor loading belt, similar to ones utilized at many European ski resorts, which cuts down on stops and slows due to falls in the loading area. It is also

8687-419: The mid-station, a system of automatic loading gates was introduced. These gates open when the chairs are turning into the loading area and activate a sensor. During busy periods, the gates are programmed to send select chairs through the bottom terminal empty, to be filled by people loading at the midstation. A big drawback of the Peak 8 alpine bowls from the beginning was that much of the terrain required taking

8806-420: The minimum and maximum rope tension, and speed feedback redundancy are monitored. Many—if not most—installations have numerous safety sensors which detect rare but potentially hazardous situations, such as the rope coming out of an individual sheave. Detachable chairlift control systems measure carrier grip tension during each detach and attach cycle, verify proper carrier spacing and verify correct movement of

8925-411: The most common, though AC motors and AC drives are becoming economically competitive for certain smaller chairlift installations. DC drives are less expensive than AC variable-frequency drives and were used almost exclusively until the 21st century when costs of AC variable-frequency drive technology dropped. DC motors produce more starting torque than AC motors, so applications of AC motors on chairlifts

9044-417: The motive power ( prime mover ), the rope speed, the carrier spacing, the vertical displacement, and the number of carriers on the rope (a function of the rope length). Human passengers can load only so quickly until loading efficiency decreases; usually an interval of at least five seconds is needed. The rope is the defining characteristic of an elevated passenger ropeway. The rope stretches and contracts as

9163-680: The mountain, the Falcon SuperChair rarely has a wait time longer than 5 minutes. The second oldest peak, the lower part of Peak 9 is a beginner learning slope, accessed by Quicksilver Super6 and Lift A. On the upper part of Peak 9 are intermediate blue runs serviced by the Mercury SuperChair, Beaver Run SuperChair, and Lift C. On the north side of Peak 9, facing towards Peak 8, are the North Chutes, double black-rated chutes serviced by E chair which also functions as an access lift to transition from Peak 8 to Peaks 9 and 10. Lower Peak 8

9282-532: The north part of the main Peak 9 face. Lift D ran from near the bottom of the Beaver Run SuperChair to near the top of the EpicMix course on Sundown. Lift B ran alongside Cashier, running from the top of the Quicksilver Quad and offloading at the top of the Mercury SuperChair. In 1979, Lift 6 replaced the Peak 8 platter lift. Also in 1979, an alpine slide was constructed on Peak 8 under Lift 5. The slide

9401-401: The only alteration being a redesign of the lower section of the layout for both tracks as part of One Ski Hill Place construction in 2009. Breckenridge and other ski resorts faced a severe drought in the winter of 1980-1981 and installed snowmaking systems the following year. In 1981, Breckenridge installed the world's first high speed detachable quad chairlift, the Quicksilver Quad running from

9520-604: The original Quicksilver SuperChair. The original quad was relocated to Owl's Head resort in Quebec, where it operated until 2019. Quicksilver Super6 runs from the Village base area up the Silverthorne trail (to the south of Lift A) and ends at Ten Mile Station. Until the opening of the Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World in 2019, it was the only double loading aerial lift in North America. The bottom terminal of

9639-428: The original chairs that had been used since the lift's original construction. In 2013, Breckenridge carried out a massive expansion with the opening of a long-awaited 543 acre expansion onto Peak 6. The expansion was first conceived in 2005, but construction of it was delayed due to opposition from groups that alleged that the expansion would destroy lynx habitat. Peak 6 expanded the resort's in-bounds terrain by 23%, and

9758-418: The original owners' lease expired at the end of the 2013–2014 season. For 2016, a new restaurant, Pioneer Crossing, was opened at the top of the Independence SuperChair, replacing a warming hut that had existed there since the opening of Peak 7. For the 2017–2018 season, the Falcon SuperChair, at this point more than 30 years old, was upgraded to a high speed six pack by Leitner-Poma. With the upgrade, each of

9877-557: The plan for the New Year's party (1968–1969), Bill Bergman, a corporate lawyer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, agreed. At 3 a.m. on New Year's Day, Bill and Max founded the Keystone International. Bill and Max hired lumbermen to hand-cut the ski trails, which Max laid out to follow the natural contours of the mountain. They used the old timber and mining roads and installed the lift towers with helicopters. A wetland easement

9996-414: The position of the bullwheel carriage to maintain design tension. For most chairlifts, the tension is measured in tons . Either Diesel engines or electric motors can function as prime movers. The power can range from under 7.5 kW (10 hp ) for the smallest of lifts, to more than 750 kW (1000 hp) for a long, swift, detachable eight-seat up a steep slope. DC electric motors and DC drives are

10115-470: The primary way to travel from Peak 8 base area to both peaks. At the same time as the Rocky Mountain SuperChair's construction, Lift 2, which supplemented the Colorado SuperChair, was removed. In 1998, Ten Mile Station opened at the bottom of the Falcon SuperChair, replacing the Falcon's Aerie restaurant at the top of Peak 10. The following year, Breckenridge installed their first high speed six pack to replace

10234-657: The project. Mont Tremblant , Quebec opens in February 1938 with the first Canadian chairlift, built by Joseph Ryan. The ski lift had 4,200 feet of cable and took 250 skiers per hour. The first chairlift in Europe was built in 1938 in Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic ), from Ráztoka, at 620 m (2,034 ft), to Pustevny, at 1,020 m (3,346 ft), in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids mountain range. New chairlifts built since

10353-407: The region. The Teller Lift was a Yan 1000 model triple chair installed in 1984 as part of the North Peak expansion. On December 14, 1985, the upper bullwheel disconnected from the main gearbox shaft, resulting in dozens of lift riders being thrown from their chairs onto the slope below. Two riders were killed and an additional 47 were injured. Faulty welding was blamed for the accident. The lift

10472-465: The replacement River Run Gondola, which had its base area terminal moved from adjacent to the Summit Express to a new location across the river. The new gondola also features a mid-station, allowing guests to upload or download from midway up Dercum Mountain, as well as a new learning area. In 2014, the Outback Express was given a capacity upgrade to 2,400 pph, using chairs transferred over from

10591-453: The right gear, and must be prepared for anything. The backcountry of Breckenridge is not maintained by ski patrol or the avalanche team. You are responsible for your own safety and survival. Peak 10 is the southernmost peak on the mountain. This is the "expert" side of the mountain containing only black and double black trails which are made accessible from the Falcon SuperChair. The speedy Falcon SuperChair allows skiers and snowboarders to gain

10710-599: The rope and prevent it from falling if it should come out of the track. They are designed to allow passage of chair grips while the lift is stopping and for evacuation. It is extremely rare for the rope to leave the sheaves. In May 2006, a cable escaped the sheaves on the Arthurs Seat, Victoria chairlift in Australia causing four chairs to crash into one another. No one was injured, though 13 passengers were stranded for four hours. The operator blamed mandated changes in

10829-403: The rope to eventually unload passengers. In the event of a failure which prevents rope movement, ski patrol may conduct emergency evacuation using a simple rope harness looped over the aerial ropeway to lower passengers to the ground one by one. A steel line strung alongside a mountain is likely to attract lightning strikes. To protect against that and electrostatic buildup, all components of

10948-410: The rope, worst case environmental conditions, and the type of terrain traversed. The bullwheel with the prime mover is called the drive bullwheel ; the other is the return bullwheel . Chairlifts are usually electrically powered, often with Diesel or gasoline engine backup, and sometimes a hand crank tertiary backup. Drive terminals can be located either at the top or the bottom of an installation; though

11067-421: The safety and construction of both existing as well as the next generation of chairlifts. As mentioned above, there are multiple redundant braking systems. When a Normal Stop is activated from the control panel, the lift will be slowed and stopped using regenerative braking through the electric motor and the service brake located on the highspeed shaft between the gearbox and electric motor. When an Emergency Stop

11186-475: The second lift on the mountain to have such a carpet belt, after Rip's Ride (also on Peak 8). Alongside the Colorado SuperChair, the replacement chairs installed on the original quad were relocated to the Beaver Run SuperChair to replace that lift's aging Competition chairs. The Peak 9 Restaurant at the top of Lift C was renovated and turned into a new facility known as the Overlook Restaurant, after

11305-447: The sheaves detect the rope coming out of the track. They may also be placed to detect counterweight or hydraulic ram movement beyond safe parameters (sometimes called a brittle fork in this usage) and to detect detached carriers leaving the terminal's track. If a brittle bar breaks, it interrupts a circuit which causes the system controller to immediately stop the system. These are small hooks sometimes installed next to sheaves to catch

11424-507: The southern half of the Tenmile Range . The peaks are numbered from southernmost (Peak 10) to northernmost (Peak 6) 'til 2012. Prior to development of Peak 6, directional trail signs between peaks were color coded: Peak 9, orange arrows, Peak 10 yellow, Peak 8 purple, Peak 7 red, Backcountry skiing and snowboarding, also called ski mountaineering, alpine touring or skinning has become a popular way to ramp up aerobic fitness or head into

11543-455: The strands such as a broken wire, pitting caused by corrosion or wear, variations in cross sectional area, and tightening or loosening of wire lay or strand lay. If passengers fail to unload, their legs will contact a lightweight bar, line, or pass through a light beam which stops the lift. The lift operator will then help them disembark, reset the safety gate, and initiate the lift restart procedure. While possibly annoying to other passengers on

11662-464: The summer of 1936. Prior to working for Union Pacific, Curran worked for Paxton and Vierling Steel, also in Omaha, which engineered banana conveyor systems to load cargo ships in the tropics. (PVS manufactured these chairs in their Omaha, NE facility.) Curran re-engineered the banana hooks with chairs and created a machine with greater capacity than the up-ski toboggan ( cable car ) and better comfort than

11781-401: The summer. For the gondola's first two years of operation, the Peak 7 base area had not yet been developed, and the Peak 7 station merely functioned as a turn terminal. In 2008, Breckenridge began developing Peak 8 and Peak 7, intending to make Peak 8 the mountain's central hub. This was noticeable in that beginning in 2008, the mountain started opening with Peak 8 first before opening Peak 9 in

11900-417: The system are electrically bonded together and connected to one or many grounding systems connecting the lift system to earth ground. In areas subject to frequent electrical strikes, a protective aerial line is fixed above the aerial ropeway. A red sheave may indicate it is a grounding sheave. In most jurisdictions, chairlifts must be load inspected and tested periodically. The typical test consists of loading

12019-418: The tension exerted upon it increases and decreases, and it bends and flexes as it passes over sheaves and around the bullwheels . The fibre core contains a lubricant which protects the rope from corrosion and also allows for smooth flexing operation. The rope must be regularly lubricated to ensure safe operation and long life. Various techniques are used for constructing the rope. Dozens of wires are wound into

12138-489: The top of Lift 6 and topping out just below the summit of Peak 8 at 12,840 feet (3,910 m), the Imperial Express SuperChair services the Imperial Bowl and cut the 45 minute hike to a 3-minute lift ride. The T-Bar was retained, as it provides round-trip access to trails in the Contest Bowl and the area immediately north of it. Construction of a new eight-person gondola was announced on March 12, 2006, meant to serve as

12257-446: The top they have the option of 15 different expert chutes. Breckenridge has a total of 24 chairlifts, with 11 surface lifts. Of the 24 chairlifts located across the mountain, 13 of them are high-capacity detachable chairs, which Breckenridge calls "SuperChairs". Breckenridge also has a Gondola called the BreckConnect Gondola, which connects the town of Breckenridge to base areas of Peak 7 and 8, as well as Shock Hill station. The gondola

12376-415: The top-drive configuration is more efficient, practicalities of electric service might dictate bottom-drive. The drive terminal is also the location of a lift's primary braking system. The service brake is located on the drive shaft beside the main drive, before the gearbox. The emergency brake acts directly on the bullwheel. While not technically a brake, an anti-rollback device (usually a cam) also acts on

12495-429: The unmarked and unpatrolled backcountry to “earn your turns” outside of the resort. While Breckenridge is a hub for backcountry exploration, going into the “backcountry” can be extremely dangerous and requires appropriate gear, education and terrain knowledge before stepping a foot on the snow. Before entering through skiers and snowboarders must have great background knowledge and training, a plan of what they intend to do,

12614-515: The uphill chairs with bags of water (secured in boxes) weighing more than the worst case passenger loading scenario. The system's ability to start, stop, and forestall reverse operation are carefully evaluated against the system's design parameters. Load testing a new lift is shown in a short video. Frequent visual inspection of the rope is required in most jurisdictions, as well as periodic non-destructive testing. Electromagnetic induction testing detects and quantifies hidden adverse conditions within

12733-608: The use of safety bars on dangerous or windy lifts, with forfeiture of the lift ticket as a penalty. Vermont and Massachusetts state law also require the use of safety bars, as well as most Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Restraining bars (often with foot rests) on chairlifts are more common in Europe and also naturally used by passengers of all ages. Some chairlifts have restraining bars that open and close automatically. Some lifts also have individual canopies which can be lowered to protect against inclement weather. The canopy, or bubble,

12852-415: The woods adjacent to Lift 7. The alpine coaster runs winter and summer and supplements the fun park's activities. The 2011–12 ski season marked the ski resort's 50th anniversary season, with the resort implementing a year-long celebration in honor of a half-century since the resort was founded on December 16, 1961. While no new lifts were built in 2012, the Colorado SuperChair received new chairs, replacing

12971-488: The world who use the parks to prepare for such events as The Dew Tour and X-Games. The upper part of Peak 8, is composed of advanced and expert terrain. This area is made up of expert chutes, the lower part being accessed by the Peak 8 SuperConnect, while the upper part is accessed from 6-chair. Two lifts on Peak 8 go above tree-line: the T-Bar, accessible from the Rocky Mountain SuperChair, services northern Peak 8's chutes. The Imperial Express SuperChair, reachable from Lift 6,

13090-550: Was also included in the development, so no building would be directly on the Snake River. Keystone was opened on November 21, 1970. In May 1974, Keystone was acquired by Ralston Purina . Independence Mountain was an Olympic finalist and nearly selected for the alpine skiing downhill event for the 1976 Winter Olympic Games , initially awarded to Denver, United States. Lands owned by the Denver Water Board at

13209-668: Was also opened on Peak 8, but it was destroyed in an explosion (suspected to be caused by a gas leak) shortly after completion. Breckenridge expanded into high alpine terrain with the construction of a platter lift from near the top of Lift 2 to near the top of the current Lift 6 in 1967. In 1970, Breckenridge was purchased by the Aspen Skiing Company. From 1970 to 1978, the resort expanded onto Peak 9, opening four Riblet double chairlifts (Lift 4 on Peak 8, Lifts B, C, and D on Peak 9) and one triple chairlift (Lift A). Lift A serviced beginner terrain, while Lift C services trails on

13328-534: Was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 3, 1997. In 1997, the Erickson triple chairlift on Dercum Mountain was removed and replaced with a new Doppelmayr high speed quad, named the Summit Express, running parallel to the River Run Gondola for its entire length. That same year, a new triple chairlift known as the Ranger was built to open up a learning area at the summit of Dercum Mountain. In 1998,

13447-638: Was further developed by the people living in the Alpine regions of Europe, progressed rapidly and expanded due to the advent of wire rope and electric drive. World War I motivated extensive use of military tramways for warfare between Italy and Austria. The world's first three ski chairlifts were created for the ski resort in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1936 and 1937, then owned by the Union Pacific Railroad . The first chairlift, since removed,

13566-521: Was installed on Proctor Mountain, two miles (3 km) east of the more famous Bald Mountain , the primary ski mountain of Sun Valley resort since 1939. One of the chairlifts still remains on Ruud Mountain, named for Thomas Ruud a famous Norwegian ski racer. The chairlift has been preserved with its ski jump and original single chairs as it was during WWII. The chairlift was developed by James Curran of Union Pacific's engineering department in Omaha during

13685-528: Was rebuilt by Yan as the Ruby Lift, free of charge. Settlements between Yan and injured skiers topped over seven million dollars. During the summer, visitors to Keystone resort often participate in hiking, horseback riding, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, paddle boat and standup paddle board rentals and mountain biking. Additionally, Keystone provides lift access for mountain hiking events and hundreds of miles of single-track mountain biking . Keystone Resort

13804-407: Was removed and replaced with the Mercury SuperChair. The replacement lift, while ending at the same place as Lift B, was built parallel to the Beaver Run SuperChair, originating just uphill from the bottom of Lift A to make it accessible from Peak 10, Ten Mile Station, and the north Peak 9 trails. The Mercury SuperChair is not the first lift on Peak 9 to use this name, as the name was previously used on

13923-485: Was the Ten Mile Flyer on Peak 8, constructed immediately adjacent to the GoldRunner Coaster's lift hill, and opened on January 22, 2014. By 2014, the original Colorado SuperChair was beginning to show its age and had become a bottleneck for congestion. Consequently, for the 2014–2015 season, Leitner-Poma replaced it with what became the resort's fourth high speed six pack. The upgraded Colorado SuperChair increased

14042-568: Was the first major lift-serviced expansion at a Colorado ski resort since the construction of the Independence SuperChair in 2002. A new fixed-grip quad and high speed six pack were built as part of the expansion: the quad, known as the Zendo Chair, originates on Peak 7 at the junction of Monte Cristo and Angel's Rest, and travels to the Horizon Warming Hut at 10,800 feet, and is the primary route to access Peak 6. To avoid crowding

14161-435: Was upgraded to a high speed quad and renamed the Falcon SuperChair. Runs on Peak 10 were named by mountain manager Jim Gill after World War II planes, like Crystal, Cimarron, Doublejack and Mustang. Also in 1986, another high speed quad named the Colorado SuperChair was built by Poma on Peak 8, replacing Lift 1. The replacement lift ran a different alignment from its predecessor, running up the south side of Spruce and ending at

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