Telluride Begins Gondola Replacement Project

[ChrisC]

Perhaps one of the most used lifts in North America is Telluride's Gondola. The gondola runs daily from 6:30 a.m. to midnight during summer and winter with just a few weeks of rest in spring/fall. It rapidly accumulates hours - the best measure of usage.

The Telluride Gondola is an incredible success like few others. It is used by everyone: skiers, visitors, employees, commuters, mountain bikers, hikers, etc. Most similar projects do not achieve this. For example, look at High Camp at Squaw Valley/Palisades. Left in the dustbin. And yes, other Rocky Mountain resorts run their gondola/trams in the summer; none run 18 hours a day. Telluride also allowed pets/dogs to go on the Gondola before it became commonplace.

My only issue is that Telluride cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. This time will likely even get Telski sucked in, which has nothing to do with the project for the most part. It will distract from other desperately needed infrastructure, such as lift upgrades for Chairs 7, 10, etc, and indoor dining facilities - almost none outside of Gorrono.

Also, the issue that needs to be resolved is capacity!!! The gondola has about as much capacity as Mad River Glen's single chair. In each direction, less than 1000 person/hr. That is less than a double chair. At the end of the day, lines of an hour can be standard for returning to Telluride from Mountain Village. Very commonplace. Also, the gondola cannot handle any event. For example, if The Telluride Film Festival shows a movie in the Conference Center at Mountain Village, an hour line can build in each direction. It's poorly thought out in that regard.

Any standard North American or the Alps gondola could likely support 1800-3000 persons per hour. And that is what Telluride needs to do.

However, the town and its occupants are a trainwreck. It succeeds in spite of itself. So, I hope the Gondola Replacement Plans include an increase in capacity, otherwise its a missed opportunity.

Another issue is how to deal with lightning. It can shut the lift down for hours in the summer. There must be some remedy for this.

Gondola project turns towards station planning​

Public workshops will discuss station development in Telluride and Mountain Village​

Gondola project turns towards station planning

The next phase of the gondola project will focus on station planning in Mountain Village and Telluride. The San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), Towns of Mountain Village and

www.telluridenews.com

 

[ChrisC]

And, of course, we have the inevitable lawsuits - for a typo concerning campaign finance donation groups.

Telski originally had to finance the gondola and Mountain Village, and most of the operations were done as a settlement with the EPA in the 1990s: public transportation requirements for continued real estate development, wetlands destruction reparation, and winter smog mitigation.

(Yes, Telluride (town) had worse air quality than hazy, hot days in LA in the 1990s. The cold air gets trapped in the narrow box canyon with any particulates. No more fireplaces are allowed, and grandfather exemptions to this ordinance are one of the hottest real estate assets for new homes - telling a wealthy individual 'NO' to a ski house dream to sit next to the fire after skiing is laughable. Allowed some locals to take value out of their homes bought in the 70s/80s/90s without selling the home).

New 3A election complaint filed against Mountain Village by area residents

The saga of the contended results of a local ballot issue from the most recent election continued this week as Michael Saftler and Todd Creel of Telluride and Cindy Putnam

www.telluridenews.com

 

[ChrisC]

More Schitt’s Creek episodes over a simple lift replacement:

Telluride Ski Resort declines to help fund a new Mountain Village gondola so the town looks to pass a lift ticket tax.

Mountain Village Town Council gives preliminary approval to lift tax

When the San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) came to voters asking for a $8.2 million annual tax increase to pay for replacing and maintaining the Gondola after the

www.telluridenews.com

 

[ChrisC]

Good news. I was impressed that a 53-year-old lift was able to pass inspection; however, this article explains "With proper maintenance and timely component replacement, fixed-grip chairlifts can last for decades, often up to 70 years.

Telluride and Aspen are testing out this statement with key lifts serving their respective towns. Both resorts have linked any lift improvements to an entire redevelopment of both base areas, allowing some of the most geriatric, uncomfortable and possibly unsafe lifts in all of ski country to exist. Ever try putting a safety bar down on either lift? Nearly impossible for a 6ft+ individual.

• Telluride's Chair 7 Coonskin was built in 1973. There was supposed to be redevelopment in the late 2000s, featuring a new hotel, businesses, and a high-speed quad, but Telluride NIMBYs became upset. Nothing happened. Telluride's owner has linked a new lift for the town, allowing more Airbnbs to try to improve its lodging base, since almost no 'hot beds' are getting built. Any reasonable lodging in the Town of Telluride was converted to local cheap housing & condos in the 2000s. Locals are now upset that the longer-term housing in the Town of Telluride has been converted to higher-end short-term rentals via Airbnb/VRBO.
• Aspen's Chair Lift 1A/Shadow Mountain was built in 1972. The Lift One Corridor project is taking forever, but it should result in a High-Speed TeleMix lift extending two blocks longer into Aspen proper. Again, lodging permit delays and planning. The Nell-Bell lift replacement is likely to be completed more quickly.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

If I were an expert skier, I'd certainly make a point of going to Telluride based on ChrisC's repeated praise; however, hearing about all of the town's local controversies would make me less likely to go. Kinda like wanting to go to a premier restaurant but knowing how many arguments are taking place in the kitchen and that the business is mismanaged.

 

[ChrisC]

Most recent casualty. Owner Chuck Hornig fired his son over the summer, who held a roving position at the Ski Company but had no official title (never a good thing - common practice that often results in no responsibilities, yet allows for involvement in any interesting matters). However, he became a bit too close to Telluride Town and Mountain Village planners, who lamented the lack of investment in Telluride, general management malaise, and ineptitude.

 

[Tony Crocker]

If I were an expert skier, I'd certainly make a point of going to Telluride based on ChrisC's repeated praise

You better have some Sherpa lungs for hiking above 12K feet to go along with those expert ski skills. I still strongly prefer Aspen to Telluride.

Chuck Horning sounds like a real piece of work, the ski area owner equivalent to Dan Snyder in the NFL or Donald Sterling to the NBA.