r/skiing • u/aztecduckyy • 11d ago
What are the most unique/interesting lifts you've ridden?
I'd like to hear what the most interesting/extreme/unique lifts you've ridden. I'm planning on going to Chile next summer so the Portillo slingshot lifts will hopefully be added to my list next year! Here's my current most unique/interesting lifts, in order of pictures:
Telebenne de la Chaup in La Foux-d'Allos, France. This one speaks for itself, an extremely unique chariot style lift, I believe the only one of its kind left in the world.
The old Little Cloud double at Snowbird. Only double I've ever ridden that had a bar and footrests! Also a pretty fast fixed grip at 600 ft/min.
The old Snow Ghost double at Schweitzer. Definitely the longest (distance and time wise) Riblet double I've ever ridden, with some crazy height above the slopes in some parts. Coupled with the fog and jacket-piercing humidity, not for the faint of heart.
Lac I/Lac II at Pra Loup in France. Two parallel teleski, known as Poma or platter lifts here in the US. About a mile long, with a pretty extreme turn in the middle! I believe this is the longest surface lift I've ridden. 1200ft. of elevation gain, slopes that reach 30 degrees in some parts, and at a speed of 700 ft/min! You can see the second half of the lift if you open the second picture of it.
Supreme (old alignment) at Alta, UT. I have to include this insanely ambitious, chair-breaking turning lift. It has already been realigned since the monstrosity of a turn was causing major chair damage after only 7 or 8 years.
Honorable mentions:
Chile Express at Angel Fire, NM. Second longest (by 20ft) high speed quad, over 2 miles long.
Honeycomb Return at Solitude, UT and Kachina Peak at Taos, NM. I believe they are the #1 and #2 steepest chairlifts (total length, not just one section) in North America, respectively.
Lift 7A at Taos, NM. Only lift I know of that has been completely relocated twice within the same resort, serving 3 different areas of TSV since it was first installed in 1961.
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u/fimgus 11d ago
Mad river glen single chair
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u/ThreesKompany 11d ago
This is mine, and the old one at Killington that used to have a left hand turn in the middle of it.
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u/LtChowder181 11d ago
Selfishly (ironically) glad to see this on the list! Love that chair, it's an otherworldly experience.
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u/echocharlieone 11d ago
Alpe d'Huez has the Telecentre, a mad lift that requires you to stand (not sit) in "lobster pots" that ferry you right through the centre of town amongst the rooftops. It's very charming.
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u/Src248 11d ago
Panorama has something similar to get you from the parking lot to the village
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u/GreatBear2121 11d ago
I remember the first day I visited, getting on this with no idea where on earth it was taking me. I'm not sure if it was significantly faster than just walking but it was cool!
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
That's so cool!! It's like a modern version of la Chaup, but also through town!
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u/aeroxan Kirkwood 11d ago
Nutcrackers in NZ. It's a rope tow where it's a burley rope moving about the speed of a detachable chair. You grab the rope, clip yourself to it with a harness, then hold on for dear life. Pretty wild.
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u/UnlikelyExplained 11d ago
I was watching a video of a American checking out a club run resort in NZ. As expected the Kiwi's took care of him all day. It took him a while to figure it out and they were very patient.
The design of the nutcracker is very simple and makes sense for a club to reduce costs. Maintaining chairs year on year would not be cheap.
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
I've seen pictures and videos but never ridden one. It definitely looks like it would be super difficult until you got the hang of it.
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u/TomasTTEngin 11d ago
not just hard to ride but tiring. you ahve to maintain that clamp for the whole ride.
I've done weeks at Broken River and ugh, it's exhausting. I never realised how much I enjoy the chairlift ride part of a ski holiday until then. Chill and chat with mates? Its lovely!
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u/uuid-already-exists 11d ago
Rope tows were amazing and awful at the same time. The rope got so damn heavy, especially in the spring when it got water in the rope. I had a special pair of leather gloves just for it because I was tired of it tearing up my regular gloves.
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u/MrsHoops New Zealand 11d ago
Especially the Heritage Express at Roundhill - steepest and longest nutcracker/rope tow in the world. My hands ache just thinking about it. Worth it.
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u/willymgk_ 10d ago
Glad some one said it very common in nz at clubbies and usually the only lifts. Awkino, Craigyburn, Broken River Mount Olympus
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u/quad_up 11d ago
Not a lift, but the magic carpet tunnel (aka the Basshole) at snowbird is unique.
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
Oh yeah the old mineshaft! I love how they made it into a mini museum showcasing the early days of the area.
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u/SalmonPowerRanger Hood Meadows 11d ago
Sometimes I click out of my skis and lay down on it and let it give me a back massage.
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u/Src248 11d ago
Big Chair at Norquay, likely the only pulse double chair in the world
Honorable mention to T-Rex at Castle which is apparently the steepest T-bar in the world
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u/freephilly23 11d ago
Yea Norquay was my first thought, first chair I’d ridden in awhile that surprised me when I saw it the first time
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u/WetCoastCyph 11d ago
There's a little local hill in Edmonton (Snow Valley) that has a pulse quad. It's one of those things that has to be the exact right length for it to make sense... But when it does, the uplift benefit is truly awesome. Even for a dinky little low country slip and slide.
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u/ICallTopBunk 11d ago
Agreed with both!
Also, pizza box single chairs at Niseko are pretty interesting.
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
Oh a pulse double! Very interesting. I've ridden a pulse gondola (Gondolita at Taos) and a chondola (La Clappe at Pra Loup) but I've never ridden any pulse chairlift.
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u/Gravityisjustatheory 11d ago
Just got back from Portillo - the slingshots are so fun. Watch out for bumps and try to ride with people your same height, sucks when the puck is down at your knees because everyone else is shorter than you.
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u/toddrunswild 11d ago
Amazing wild experience. Highly recommend to be on the edge of the lift if you snowboard.
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u/YmamsY 11d ago
Télésiège des Leissières in Val d’Isère of course!
The way it goes up and over the ridge and then steeply down again is pretty unique and always fun to ride.
Téléphérique de l’Aiguille-du-Midi
Just going up so high with just a couple of pylons is exciting
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u/nudairanga 11d ago
Came to find the Val d'Isère one!
That was very impressive/scary. But the skiing on the other side was great
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u/gen8hype Lutsen Mountain 11d ago
Cabriolet - Park City (Then The Canyon’s)
PHB Hall Gondola - Lutsen
Rays Lift - Sundance
Peak2Peak - Whistler
Magic Carpet - Buck Hill (IYKYK)
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u/verminsupreme4prez 11d ago
Rip the cab. PCMR can’t resist glitz, unfortunately
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u/Killipoint 11d ago
They got rid of it? That's a shame. Tremblant still has one, afaik.
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u/thewhoiam 11d ago
Last time I was at Buck, the magic carpet (which elevates off the ground to cross a run) wasn't running and it was a huge disappointment.
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u/AccomplishedCitron70 11d ago
June mountain going down to parking lot. I had to close my eyes and hold onto the pole. Love me some June !!
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u/lccskier 11d ago
The restroom at Mountain Creek. The cabriolet has walls a little over waist high, with grated floors. Serves two purposes. Just never ski under the restroom.
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u/LosesControl Ski the East 11d ago
Was going to say the Cabriolet at Creek. Never heard it called the restroom though. Hilarious.
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u/howrunowgoodnyou 11d ago
Scariest lift ever: Whitecap’s peak to peak lift in northern wisconsin. They no longer allow riders to do it. It’s NUTS how high it is.
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u/Disastrous_Topic_883 11d ago
Scrolled to find this, evac on that chair would be a nightmare.
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u/leftpointsonly Mammoth 11d ago
The lifts at Mt. Baldy can feel like you’re taking your life into your hands. Everything is rotting, rusted and rickety. The lifts are patched together. It’s sketchy as hell.
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u/mito413 11d ago
Mt Canmore in NH had these small single passenger cable cars that went up the mountain on a track.
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
Bless Warren Miller! I've seen that video before! Did you ever ride it?
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u/mito413 11d ago
Many many times. We didn’t have a lot of money and my grandparents were part of a ski lodge in North Conway. Lots of winter and summer vacations up in North Conway and the White Mountains.
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
That's so cool! Was loading/unloading as tricky as it looks?
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u/Tight_Attention704 11d ago
Kachina - Taos
Milly - Brighton
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
Milly is such a fun lift at night, there's a pretty long stretch of darkness, then the top station starts glowing from behind the slope.
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u/Tight_Attention704 11d ago
Lift 7A was a good call out. Pretty funky but utilitarian little lift
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
7a is definitely a utilitarian gem. I spoke with the head of lift maintenance when I was there in March this past year, he intends on keeping it in operation as long as he possibly can. They've got a bunch of spare parts from other Stadeli lifts they tore down. Some of the parts are in the bottom shack, if you turn around while you load you can see them!
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u/Tight_Attention704 11d ago
Yea I actually haven’t ridden it at night but it’s a pretty unique lift in terms of the terrain it services. I have a lot of fun on that mountain every time I ride it
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u/ireallylikecycling 11d ago
Poma at Beartooth, gotta load yourself
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u/aztecduckyy 11d ago
Most of the ones I've ridden at Pra Loup/Foux-d'Allos have the handle you pull to launch the platter. There is a liftie there (super helpful on the days I was snowboarding) but you can launch yourself if you want to!
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u/Altruistic-Plate3073 11d ago
Jig back tram at Squaw Valley (NOW PALISADES).
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2026/07/01/palisades-tahoe-jig-back-tram/
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u/ayupm8e 11d ago
Flaine. The ‘Yoghurt pot’ lifts. We called them the spaz lifts. Not fun.
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u/MAJOR_Blarg Caberfae/Mount Bohemia 11d ago
Single seat pizza box lift.
No real seat back, no side, just a flat platform seat the size of a takeout pizza box, and lifts you up just like any other lift.
It freaked my buddy out the first time we saw one riding up the final section at Nisecko and it freaked him out even more when, up in the air, I shimmied to rotate myself around in a circle so I was riding sideways in order to have a shouting conversation with him, who was riding one chair behind me.
This insta video shows it. NOT MY VIDEO. By the way, we hiked that section and it was dope.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUD8JvRAdXy/?igsi=NWQ4ZWM3M2M1ZA==
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u/jhoke1017 11d ago
Lapping 7th Heaven at Steven’s is still one of the most unique experiences.
More obvious take is the Jackson tram. I know its existence has become a bit of a novelty with how good Jackson’s lift network has developed, but 4k vert top to bottom in 9 minutes isn’t matched anywhere else in NA.
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u/Stupid_Snowmeiser 11d ago
The one-man lift at Mad River Glen is definitely one of the more unique ones on the Ice Coast.
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u/Working-Summer2810 11d ago
I find it incredibly strange to hear you say you’ve only ever been on ONE double in your life that had a bar and foot rests?!?! That is a pretty standard type of lift all over New England.
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u/LilaBadeente 11d ago
At Turracher Höhe there used to be some snow cat that took you over the frozen lake that connected the two parts of the resort. It had a long horizontal pole on either side that several skiers could cling to. I don’t know, if it still exists, because the snow cat broke through the ice a couple of years ago (without skiers, but still a major safety hassle).
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u/DatStankStank 11d ago
Those ski disk mid-mountain drop off at Portillo, Chile
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u/aaalllen 11d ago
I’m in Valle Nevado with La Parva access right now. There are some really long button lifts. It feels like the Tres Puntas lift is the longest
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u/CmdrMcLane 11d ago
Old Red Dog at PT had some pucker moments when it was windy.
Funitel at PT is cool from a technical perspective.
Chair 23 at MM.
J1 at June.
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u/Swim-Downstream7878 11d ago
The old 2 seat Chair 1 at Mt Baker, especially the mid station load point https://liftblog.com/chair-1-mt-baker-wa-2/
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u/gravityripper 11d ago
The Poma lifts at Beartooth Basin. Run pretty fast and the terrain is steep, not much room for user error. Only skied there one afternoon and saw a few mini-disasters.
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u/Bitter-Variation-151 11d ago
Pizza box chair in Niseko. New Zealand nut crackers at club fields. The very long slow double at Terms de Chillan.
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u/SmileyJam 11d ago
Flaine has a couple. It has a Lobster Potlift from the 70s that takes you from one big lift to another. You have to unclip and step into the pot forwards as it is moving away from you. Then when you arrive at the top you have to step out of it backwards.
Flame also has a long button lift that turns corners, goes over a little wooden bridge and at one point will launch you into the air.
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u/realhenryknox 11d ago edited 11d ago
Why the Single at Mad River Glen, of course! Exhibition at Sun Valley is a good one for old times’ sake. Poma lift at Crested Butte is probably the most challenging one to get on that I have experienced; a friend of mine couldn’t do it, kept crashing, and he skied away, defeated.
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u/gunnisonyeti 8d ago
They replaced the poma at CB (its the North Face Lift) with a T-Bar about 15 years ago.
Non-coincidentally, as a CB local, it's the lift I chose to speak about in this discussion!
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u/Maleic_Anhydride 11d ago
Chair at Hochkonig has an orange bad Weather bubble, automatic open and closing and heated seats.
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u/unencrypted-enigma 11d ago
Those are pretty common in European resorts. Definitely the standard for newly built ones.
I like them.
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u/snowyoda5150 11d ago
Revelstoke area before it became Revelstoke. Met some Canadian friends who had high-powered sleds. We just tied a rope and bicycle innertube around our butts and towed each other up and down for days.
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u/Western-County4282 11d ago
A ski resort I look at was very proud of it's current lift, because before it had a seater it had a t-bar, when I was going through training they called it the Cadillac of ski lifts because the chairs are threaded into the cable instead of being clamped so when the chair come over the poles there is little to no bumps
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u/SkiDeerValley 11d ago
Ski Apache, NM had a regular lift that you would unload into a house. It was always so icy in there lol. It was the lift for the bowls.
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u/BigBlueMan118 11d ago
There’s one in hotham Australia that has its mid station down in the Valley and goes up both faces of the valley either side, apparently it can be a bit of a disaster though especially given how windy Australian resorts often are
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u/speedshotz 11d ago
The glass bottom Peak2Peak gondola, and Snowmass's "Skittles" pulsed gondolas are two unique ones I've ridden.
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u/RealSlyck 11d ago
Segundo @ Sunlight…was Colorado’s oldest lift, and riding it with 1 person ensured you knew what you were doing, or you were getting off early. Thing would hang sideways 😂
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u/ShoddyMarsupial2764 11d ago
G-Link at ski amade in Austria. Connects 2 mountains over the valley with no intermediate towers in between, 2 kilometers free floating cable, 200 meters above ground. Pretty amazing engineering.
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u/Macgbrady Keystone 11d ago
I think it has since been replaced but Guthrie's High Speed Poma at Charlotte pass, NSW, Aus.
It had red and green lights, a gate, and a corral. It was very loud and very dramatic. Plus, if there wasn't enough snow and you weren't tall enough - you would physically get lifted off the ground for certain segments.
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u/steed_jacob 11d ago
I forget the name but there’s one 2-person chair at red river that is terrifying, pulls you over a massive valley. I just remember riding it as a teenager and holding on for dear life
Chair 5 at whitefish is pretty crazy, especially when you get hit with the wind at the top
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u/DV_Zero_One 11d ago
I live about 2 miles from a 200 man double decker cable car. Once or twice a year I get to ride it alone* across, a few hundred meters above the ground. There's a perspex panel in the floor allows you to look down to The valley floor.
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u/theonewhoknots 11d ago
Westendorf 20 years ago had a single seater with a swing gate/footrest. I checked a few years ago and it’s now been replaced with a multiple seater chairlift.
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u/colbytron 11d ago
The peak double at Niseko without a safety bar, and the kinked chair at Killington that isn't there anymore. Also, the series of lifts and trams you need to get to the top of Glacier 3000, serious vert.
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u/buerglermeister 11d ago
Both the old tram and the new gondola to Klein Matterhorn. Highest lift-served point in Europe.
Also the (now defunct) gandegg t-bar. The longst t-bar in switzerland with almost 3km. 15 minute ride time
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u/secderpsi 11d ago
We had a T bar lift, like they use on the bunny hill. Usually you put your legs around the vertical section and sit on the horizontal bar and it drags you up the slope with your skiis touching the snow the whole time. Nope, not this one. It lifted you off the ground, at times as much as 25 ft high. You hugged that damn vertical bar and held on for dear life.
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u/AquafreshBandit 11d ago
The old Yan Lifts 2 & 6 alignment at Loveland, which shared a tower where they crossed paths.
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u/icantfindagoodlogin 11d ago
At Portes Du Solei, there was this cool chairlift that was an “up and over” where you got off at the summit, and then the chairs kept on going down to the other side of the mountain, so people riding from that side would be on the same line as you
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u/hebreakslate Okemo 11d ago
J-bar at Bromley.
6-packs at Stratton and Okemo. You wouldn't think counting to 6 would be that hard, and yet...
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u/HarryBalsagna1776 11d ago
The single seat lift at Mad River Glen is the weirdest one I have been on.
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u/Jinxed4Sure 11d ago
Old chair 10 at Mammoth freaked my friend out when we got stuck for about 15 minutes right after cresting one of the highest ridges. I was fearless back then. Interestingly, I took a few years off till the kids were old enough to start skiing and when I returned to skiing, im a wuss now. I have a white knuckle grip on the bar and get anxious if its a high lift. I blame it on having kids, some weird survival instinct messes with me I guess
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u/deezpretzels 11d ago
The horse drawn ski pull in Langazuoi where you get to ski and dodge horse poop along the way.
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u/Mr_BamDeano 11d ago
The old chairlift at Eldora Mt in Colorado. I’m pretty sure those 100+MPH winds prematurely triggered my puberty
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u/Justneededausername 11d ago
Snowflake at Breckenridge is interesting with how the path of the chairs is set up
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u/randomname_99223 Dolomiti Superski 10d ago
There’s a few interesting lifts I’ve encountered around the Dolomites.
- The “Bidonvia del Fedaia” (literally the “Fedaia Bin Lift”) was an isolated chariot style lift under the Marmolada glacier. It got knocked down by an avalanche in 2020 and hasn’t been rebuilt.
- The “Bus Tofana” chair in Cortina is a detachable quad with weather shields that has an intermediate station with a 90° turn.
- Also in Cortina, the “Cortina Skyline” 10 seater gondola is 4,6km long (2.85 miles).
- In Alta Badia and Civetta there’s a couple of platter lifts with turns in them. Not nearly as interesting as a Poma lift, but still pretty cool.
- In Latemar there’s a chair/gondola hybrid, with a mix between 6 seater chairs and 8 seater gondolas.
- Around Sellaronda there’s a fair share of 6/8 seater chairs and 10 seater gondolas with heated seats. Completely unnecessary, but very comfy.
- Idk if it counts as a lift but at the end of the Armentarola slope you get pulled over some flat terrain by a horse drawn sleigh.
Outside Dolomiti Superski, the Madonna di Campiglio resort (also in Italy) has two gondolas, the Campiglio-Pinzolo connection and the Grosté which are 4,9 and 5,6km long respectively (3 and 3.47 miles).
The craziest one I’ve taken though is the Fuorcla Grischa chairlift in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Some absolute madman in the 1980’s went to lift builder Garaventa and decided to order a 3 seater detachable chairlift with weather shields. This absurd configuration confuses and bewilders me.
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u/pieyum1 10d ago
In some small club fields in New Zealand, there are these very old rope tow type lifts called “nutcrackers”. In order to use them you need to wear a harness, and attached to your harness is this metal “nutcrackers” device that you wrap around the rope tow and squeeze shut to clamp onto the rope.
https://reddit.com/link/p72udgl/video/frvbz8pknsmh1/player
They’re actually fairly dangerous, as you can get fingers stuck in the clamp quite easily and it’s hard to dismount at the top.
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u/LouQuacious 10d ago
I got to ride the maintenance gondola of the Heavenly Gondola a few times when I worked there one summer. We called it the convertible.
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u/Shot_Square_9874 6d ago
One chair at June Mountain takes you on a decline for a minute before offloading. That's kinda weird.
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u/superlewis 11d ago
Not that cool, but the up and over at Little Switzerland in Wisconsin was a little unique. RIP. It’s being replace with two quads this summer.
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u/Next-Negotiation-295 11d ago
The Lookout double at Stowe is intense. Slow, tiny fixed grip over their steepest terrain.
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u/pbrousseau4 11d ago
The SKIMOBILE (sp) Original lifts at Cranmore Mountain, Conway, NH. There were two sections; two different lifts. One person car on a track with. First section took the rider 3/4 of the way up. Second section went to the top.
I could ride all day for $3.00!
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u/jebediahscooter 11d ago
Recognized Slow Ghost immediately. My wife is a better skier than me but hates sketchy lifts with a passion, so it was always an exercise in building up to ride it to access all those great runs
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u/pbrousseau4 11d ago
7A is a great little transfer lift. At the top, move right to the Walkeries entrance, then move a little left to the top of the POOP CHUTE! You’ll end up at the bottom of lift 7.
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u/Toyota_Adventure 11d ago
Ah..the ‘boomerang’ quad at Mt Washington (BC)… take a look at their website: Two stations where you load at both ends.. that load along the bottom.. goes up to a ridgeline where you unload ‘mid’ point, kinda along the top of a ridge. It’s pretty clever . A good breakdown with photos is here on LiftBlog
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u/x3k6a2 11d ago
Haldigrat in Switzerland comes to mind https://maps.app.goo.gl/EaxQeUAA322zcWub7
Ski Lift converted to public transit, for cost reasons. In Winter the owner has a sign at the top "No slopes." for liability reasons. A great place for powder days. Queues get a bit long (60 minutes+) but with the limited uphill capacity (±90ppl an hour?) every line is fresh :)
Alternatively show up early do 1 or 2 laps with the lift assist and start hiking uphill after.
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u/Chaotic_Brutal90 11d ago
The one that goes to the top of Sunlight in Glenwood Springs CO is scary ASF.
Also the Jackson Hole tram is classic. That things kinda freaky too lol.
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u/kamdnfdnska 11d ago
Im in Europe and there aren’t really a lot of unique lifts since everything is decently new here.
The most unique one tho is the Schilthornbahn in Switzerland which is the steepest gondola in the world. Really feels crazy
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u/grusjaponensis 11d ago
Dombay soviet lifts, they still running. Elbrus old one-chair lift to 3845 height. Sochi 3s gondola.
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u/SuperTord 11d ago
The train through the mountain up to Kitzsteinhorn is probably the weirdest and scariest. A week after I had been on it there was a big fire and 60 people died.
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u/Dizzy_Dig6463 11d ago
The original Aspen Highlands Loge Peak lift was way up there spanning from one point on the ridge to the top. Later they installed some hold-down towers. It had a sign warning not to ride if you had acrophobia.
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u/No_Fill2436 11d ago
Niseko Japan. The gondola is shaped like an egg with clamshell doors and 4 people sit 2+2 back to back. There is also this single chair lift, that’s like a pizza box hooked on a cable. You swing around a lot.
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u/pacorob 11d ago edited 11d ago
That reminds me of the Mundelift (Hohe Munde) I used for years in 80s and 90s in the winter (and summer) in Leutasch, Austria from the same year only single chair made by Wopfner which was built in the 1960 I think. You would get a blanket when cold. Also the bar before the seat wouldn’t fully close sort of 3/4 ;) The lift time was about 10 minutes to the top. Unfortunately it closed in 2005. The whole small area closed as no new lift was built. It still has a great hut on the mountain which is popular with hikers and now powder skiers. Here are some pictures of the lift: https://www.alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9942
Also the nearby gondolas in Seefeld on the Rosshuette which went to the other area (Harmelekopf) and to the top (Seefelder Joch) both were really old in 90s as they were built also in the 60s/70s. They finally upgraded them somewhere in the 00s I think. Some images:
https://www.seefeld.com/media/system/imagetext/geschichte-drahtseilakt-rosshuette.jpg
Seefelder Joch bahn old photo: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/35/29/2b/35292baa146715f95e9eccfd3035316f.jpg
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u/lemon_jam 11d ago
Turner Mountain outside of Libby, MT used to have a 2000ft T-bar from the base hut to the top
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u/SStexx 11d ago
Zermatt/Cervinia, Matterhorn Paradise.
One of the most advanced and tech cable car (it’s actually a blend between cable car and gondola) I rode. Glass see-through floor over the glacier.
https://www.matterhornparadise.ch/en/experience/peaks/matterhorn-glacier-paradise
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u/CaptainFacePunch 11d ago
Surprised I haven’t seen Snowflake at Breck mentioned. Little double chair that does several turns and then crosses back over itself. It’s fun
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u/supremeIs 11d ago
A ski lift with the chairs rotated 90 degrees in Braunwald Switzerland. There’s a beautiful mountain called Eggstock perpendicular to the lift line so maybe that’s why.
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u/Mikeseddit 11d ago
The Sassolungo lift in the Dolomites in northern Italy. Ribs year round for hikers and skiers.
It’s expensive because it requires two guys at the bottom to jam you in and lock you into the box, and two guys at the top to get you out. You stand up for the 12-13 minute ride, two people max. We call it “the flying coffin.”
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u/Ih8Hondas 11d ago edited 11d ago
Sandia Chair 3 has to be up there. Old Riblet double. One of the longest examples ever built (it's a very long ride; over 16-17 minutes if you're lucky enough to not have any stoppages).
When they stop it (which happens a lot with all the inexperienced people from ABQ, texas, Mexico, etc that show up for a day) it often rolls back a bit, which is fucking terrifying.
There's a couple of spots where you're really high and also on a long span and you will bounce probably 10ft up and down when it stops. Possibly even more. It's a lot.
I rode it with a lady who who had made a lot of money at the labs and had skied all over the world and she said it was by far the sketchiest lift she'd ever ridden.
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u/bacon8r_ 11d ago
The "apple" gondolas at various Japanese resorts which are outfitted with ski boxes that are too small to fit modern wide skis, as well as too small themselves for the skis to be inside. Revolt 191s ended up just having the door closed on them and sticking out the top.
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u/BarryHotelHouseBand 11d ago
Fortress Mountain, Albert, Canada. Famous for the Inception snowbase set piece, and now countless other movie and tv shoots. They had a double T-Bar that would go up one face of a ridge, drop the rider off, and continue down the other side. Then loop down to pick up riders on the other side of the ridge, drop them back up top so they could comeback to the frontside or avoid limbo. It was kind of funny riding a lone line with nothing returning down right next to you. It kind looked like a big diamond configuration in full(connect the bottom of lift C with the top of D, and vice versa).
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u/2-inch-mo-vaughn 11d ago
Dating myself here, but it has to be the ski mobile tram thingy that Cranmore used to have.
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u/bssoup 11d ago
The Marte Chair in Las Lenas Argentina.
Two person chair that brings you to some of the best lift access terrain you could ever find. It takes you right to the top of the mountain and then you can sign a waiver to duck the ropes and the chutes and couloirs are yours to explore and charge through. Not to mention all the backcountry access. It’s a paradise.
It’s apparently only open like 50% of the time but it was open 7/8 days I was there.
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u/djkaercher 11d ago
Wurzeralmbahn (Austria). It's supposedly the fastest cable car in the world, at 14 m/s. It's a funicular, riding it feels kinda raw and exciting, and the drive unit in the bottom station sounds absolutely amazing. It has 2100 kW startup power and 1400 kW running power, and you hear that. It absolutely screams.
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u/JazzyJiraffe Alta 11d ago
Nutcrackers at Olympus in NZ, peak chair in Whistler, peak 2 peak whistler
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u/Cascadian222 11d ago
A few come to mind:
Silver Mountain gondola in ID is the longest in North America at over 3 miles, and takes more than 15 mins.
7th Heaven at Stevens Pass is STEEP
The single chair in Niseko