Bucksaw Express Announcement

[k2trav]

Heard they switched up towers 12 and 22

[goldenboy80]

That's interesting on the tower swap. It will be crazy to ride this lift on a powder day when it opens. Plus, with Bullies on top... So much potential for good times.

[cccski]

K2Trav, can you explain "heard they switched up towers 12 and 22"?

Does that mean the towers per se, meaning helicopters to put #12 where #22 is and visa versa? Yikes!

Or, does that mean they are switching the sheeve trains from #12 to #22 and visa versa?

Regardless, any idea how long it will take to address the problem?

Thanks for all your insights.

CCCSKI

[Rossignolsoul7]

Heard they switched up towers 12 and 22

Amateur hour on full display, if true.

[goldenboy80]

In recognition of the talented armchair quarterbacks, I open up the question of which other towers people would like to see swapped. Personally I think towers #7 and #23 are obvious candidates. Should have been swapped weeks ago if you ask me

[k2trav]

K2Trav, can you explain "heard they switched up towers 12 and 22"?

Does that mean the towers per se, meaning helicopters to put #12 where #22 is and visa versa? Yikes!

Or, does that mean they are switching the sheeve trains from #12 to #22 and visa versa?

Regardless, any idea how long it will take to address the problem?

Thanks for all your insights.

CCCSKI

guess they need to move the towers, don't know anything else or how they plan to fix the problem.

[essslsclsact]

I heard from friends who saw the load test being conducted this past Friday or weekend. That should be a good sign assuming Bucksaw passed.
If towers or sheave trains are being switched they should consider numbers 7 and 11. Might be a bit of luck they need now.

[Tree]

Heard they switched up towers 12 and 22

That is correct, they did swap towers. But they swapped towers for the old West Mountain Double Chair. That was done in late Summer for the reconfiguration of the new lower unloading area of the West Mtn Double Chair.

[High Ball]

So, what does all this sheaves and switched tower stuff mean for all of us that only ride on chair lifts ? Do the towers literally need to be taken down and reinstalled ? Doesn't seem like something that could be done this week.

[gondicar]

I heard that they positioned everything so Taylor and Travis could be there after the football season was over.

[Glade Monkey]

I heard that they positioned everything so Taylor and Travis could be there after the football season was over.

I don't think her jet could land at the local airport. Curious there has been no further mention of a new anticipated opening date. Although the school vacation schedule shows something on Tuesday ""This is West Mountain" video sharing the story of how this expansion came to lift." (sic)

[Alpiner]

I think someone would have noticed if they switched whole towers as that would require a helicopter. Probably just the shieve trains if anything. Hope Doppelmeyer is giving Sugarloaf a coupon for free hot chocolate for all this.

Anyway, it doesn't matter that the lift didn't open on Friday, as conditions were absolute dogshit last weekend through yesterday. It will matter for school vacation week. SQ line needs some relief.

I wonder....

• Will BE reduce lines at SQ enough to forego replacement with a 6?
• Will BE really run 7 days a week?
• Does Sugarloaf really have staff to run BE and groom and make snow in that area without sacrificing some of the rest of the mountain?
• Will the Bucksaw area get groomed 1st/2nd/3rd shift? Hopefully 1st. 3rd shift groomers (Haulback, etc) don't have time to "set up" and get good.
• Will it ever snow again this winter?

[Rossignolsoul7]

I think someone would have noticed if they switched whole towers as that would require a helicopter.

The tower swap mentioned here happened, but that was on the shortened WM. I noticed it last time I skied home. The information was right, but on the wrong lift.

[High Ball]

I think someone would have noticed if they switched whole towers as that would require a helicopter. Probably just the shieve trains if anything. Hope Doppelmeyer is giving Sugarloaf a coupon for free hot chocolate for all this.

Anyway, it doesn't matter that the lift didn't open on Friday, as conditions were absolute dogshit last weekend through yesterday. It will matter for school vacation week. SQ line needs some relief.

I wonder....

• Will BE reduce lines at SQ enough to forego replacement with a 6?
• Will BE really run 7 days a week?
• Does Sugarloaf really have staff to run BE and groom and make snow in that area without sacrificing some of the rest of the mountain?
• Will the Bucksaw area get groomed 1st/2nd/3rd shift? Hopefully 1st. 3rd shift groomers (Haulback, etc) don't have time to "set up" and get good.
• Will it ever snow again this winter?

All good questions, especially the 2nd one. Wonder what they’re telling the people that are spending a million plus for a house lot. Karl has been on record several times that they intend to run WM and BE every day.

[k2trav]

I think someone would have noticed if they switched whole towers as that would require a helicopter. Probably just the shieve trains if anything. Hope Doppelmeyer is giving Sugarloaf a coupon for free hot chocolate for all this.

Anyway, it doesn't matter that the lift didn't open on Friday, as conditions were absolute dogshit last weekend through yesterday. It will matter for school vacation week. SQ line needs some relief.

I wonder....

• Will BE reduce lines at SQ enough to forego replacement with a 6?
• Will BE really run 7 days a week?
• Does Sugarloaf really have staff to run BE and groom and make snow in that area without sacrificing some of the rest of the mountain?
• Will the Bucksaw area get groomed 1st/2nd/3rd shift? Hopefully 1st. 3rd shift groomers (Haulback, etc) don't have time to "set up" and get good.
• Will it ever snow again this winter?

All good questions, especially the 2nd one. Wonder what they’re telling the people that are spending a million plus for a house lot. Karl has been on record several times that they intend to run WM and BE every day.

THis mornings report says tomorrow is the day.

[Rossignolsoul7]

All good questions, especially the 2nd one. Wonder what they’re telling the people that are spending a million plus for a house lot. Karl has been on record several times that they intend to run WM and BE every day.

I'd be shocked if BE doesn't run everyday. They'll sacrifice another lift (TL or KP) for this one if staff is short.

For WM, there's absolutely no reason to run this 7 day/week. This new shortened lift will be useful for about 5 houses (at most) on the lower part of Penobscot Circle and the Timberline condos. Anyone above that will prefer to ski down to the new WM X-cut directly to BE. During the week, there's hardly anyone in the Timberline condos so there's no way this will run 7day/week.

For anyone building in Dutchman Woods, the WM lift is totally obsolete, they'll ski directly to BE.

[Alpiner]

Bit of a hike from Timberline to WM trail though. I agree I can see BE taking priority over KP. TL is its own priority on nice days as everyone wants to enjoy the summit.

[High Ball]

All good questions, especially the 2nd one. Wonder what they’re telling the people that are spending a million plus for a house lot. Karl has been on record several times that they intend to run WM and BE every day.

I'd be shocked if BE doesn't run everyday. They'll sacrifice another lift (TL or KP) for this one if staff is short.

For WM, there's absolutely no reason to run this 7 day/week. This new shortened lift will be useful for about 5 houses (at most) on the lower part of Penobscot Circle and the Timberline condos. Anyone above that will prefer to ski down to the new WM X-cut directly to BE. During the week, there's hardly anyone in the Timberline condos so there's no way this will run 7day/week.

For anyone building in Dutchman Woods, the WM lift is totally obsolete, they'll ski directly to BE.

Not completely true, but I get your point. Timberline Lodges has 44 houses. I'm not sure how many are in the Cirque condos or the condos at the beginning of lower Penobscot circle.

[blkdiamondskier]

I was able to head to Sugarloaf this past Sunday and ski the new trails now that we are no longer in the blackout period for my pass. Here are my notes:

- As others have said, it feels like a whole new ski area with very, very wide trails, like you would find out west. I enjoyed having so much space to carve!
- The lift has been kept quite close to the ground, so I do think it will operate on windier days as planned. I would not be surprised to see wind fencing at the very top, at least until they grow in the trees on U. West Mountain trail.
- I would say that the trail difficulty seems roughly on par with Wiffletree, but with wider trails, it should feel less crowded, and therefore better for beginners. The steepness worked well with my slalom skis but was a bit flat towards the bottom to carve hard on my GS skis. The bottom of the trails felt a bit like Candyside, while the upper parts had a little more pitch.
- All of these trails felt super long. I kept on expecting them to end, but they kept on going. It makes sense, given that the new lift has a vertical drop of over 1,400 ft!
- I look forward to skiing Cutter next year, as it looks like it is a little steeper than Hatchet. It's not opening this year unless March is a complete turnaround for snowfall.
- The expanded horseshoe skis nice when they groom it, and the blasting was effective at removing the uphill slog.
- The line was never more than two minutes long at Superquad, and there was none at Bucksaw Express, despite filling all the parking lots. While some days will be busier, the new lift did seem to distribute skiers well
- Being able to ski in and out of lot E was very nice, though most of the other people there didn't seem to understand this was an option. They may want to promote it more with signage.
- The left turn onto Bucksaw from Windrow is quite abrupt. I am surprised they didn't make it an easier merge that is more noticeable, especially given that lower glancer is ungroomed. Speaking of Glancer, it will see more skiers with the new lift, so I wonder if they will add snowmaking there in the next few years.
- The large turn in the Chipper trail seemed much wider than is needed and does line up with the Timberline lift line, giving more credence to the idea of an extended lift, which would likely have to be detachable.

[Pow on the Mao]

parking lot G is fucking glorious. we average 6 runs on tuesday mornings and got 8 today by eliminating the walk from C to SQ ad reverse.
my new reggae spot.

[loafman207]

Was able to spend some real quality time over there the last few days and I’m very very impressed. Chipper is a lot like lollapalooza at Sunday River. Also was very clear that the whole Buck saw area will soak up the people on busy days. Seems like a great skiing decision (we all know sugarloaf lacks beginner terrain) and a great business decision as well. Kircher seems to have his act together when talking about the future, that’s for sure

[SpillwayEast]

Anyone surprised Bucksaw is on wind hold today?

[gondicar]

Anyone surprised Bucksaw is on wind hold today?

Not at all based on the forecast, ie screaming winds out of the south/southeast, but I’m not there so I don’t know if that is actually what is happening.

[SpillwayEast]

Anyone surprised Bucksaw is on wind hold today?

Not at all based on the forecast, ie screaming winds out of the south/southeast, but I’m not there so I don’t know if that is actually what is happening.

King Pine and Skyline are running but not Bucksaw

[gondicar]

Anyone surprised Bucksaw is on wind hold today?

Not at all based on the forecast, ie screaming winds out of the south/southeast, but I’m not there so I don’t know if that is actually what is happening.

King Pine and Skyline are running but not Bucksaw

So?

[Rossignolsoul7]

Anyone surprised Bucksaw is on wind hold today?

Not at all based on the forecast, ie screaming winds out of the south/southeast, but I’m not there so I don’t know if that is actually what is happening.

King Pine and Skyline are running but not Bucksaw

As a WM resident, I can attest that winds are often worse there than any other spots on the mountain, even if it's at a lower elevation. Could be just a matter of direction and it may hit the lift very badly at the top terminal, which is very exposed. Doesn't have its cheese grater yet!

[heavysquad4]

parking lot G is fucking glorious. we average 6 runs on Tuesday mornings and got 8 today by eliminating the walk from C to SQ ad reverse.
my new reggae spot.

Years ago we skied to lot F from West Mountain, there is a stream in there and a huge pine tree across it. It is too low to go under and too high to ski over. We had to lay on it and then kick our legs over. I always thought it would be awesome to be able to ski back to the car even if you don't get up early enough to catch Lot D. It was never going to happen without using a chainsaw. Noe it is ski in and ski out, probably the best feature of this expansion.

[Glade Monkey]

To avoid any negativity - let me saw I like the new lift and the new trails. Bucksaw Express is smooth and fast. The new trails are wide and can make an intermediate feel like an expert... "Mom, look I'm a Whistle Punk!"
Glad they are taking good care of the new lift!

From the afternoon mtn rpt (I was checking trail count for the Weather Log)
BUCKSAW EXPRESS: Bucksaw Express will be closed this Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31 for a haul rope shortening. As happens with all new haul ropes, they stretch during the first season of operation. Depending upon how much they stretch, the ski lifts tension system can compensate for that amount. In the case of Bucksaw Express, the haul rope has stretched beyond what the tension system can make up. Therefore, the haul rope needs to be shortened. Due to the specific nature, availabilty and specialty of the trade, this is the only window for the shortening to occur. We look forward to reopening the lift Monday, April 1st, pending completion of the work.

[JAC487]

And yet radio silence on the "mechanical issue" that plagued King Pine. Transparency isn't setting you up for bad PR but keeping the public uninformed is bad marketing. https://www.sugarloaf.com/lifts still brings you to a page that is no longer easy to find on the website. This except from the page has not aged well

Another important part of our work is a commitment to observe and listen, and to communicate transparently with our guests.

Oh and did anyone else hear about the avalanches (yes plural) on Sunday? If so, it definitely wasn't via an official channel.

[Glade Monkey]

And yet radio silence on the "mechanical issue" that plagued King Pine. Transparency isn't setting you up for bad PR but keeping the public uninformed is bad marketing. https://www.sugarloaf.com/lifts still brings you to a page that is no longer easy to find on the website. This except from the page has not aged well

Another important part of our work is a commitment to observe and listen, and to communicate transparently with our guests.

Oh and did anyone else hear about the avalanches (yes plural) on Sunday? If so, it definitely wasn't via an official channel.

Just saw a report on channel 6 about one avalanche. They interviewed Roddy.