dloveski
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Change is inevitable, but that does not make it good. The Millicent Lift runs for the last time today, April 15, 2007. The old 2-seater that has defined Brighton is being replaced by a high-speed quad!! I remember the one-seater in the early 70's.
Progress means that no more will trackless stashes of powder be available days after the storm. It will mean more people on a mountain that has never ever been crowded. It is, indeed, an end of an era and the beginning of "retail" skiing at Brighton. Sigh, many of us are sad today.
P.S. My youngest, the 'head' liftie on Millie, will shut it down today and work on the crew replacing our favorite lift this summer.
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Brighton dumps Millie for quad
By Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:
Brighton Resort veterans, say goodbye to Millie.
Millicent, the fixed-grip, two-seat chair lift that has carried skiers and boarders since 1974 to some of the steepest terrain on the resort's west side, will be replaced this summer by a new high-speed detachable quad.
The $3 million upgrade also will mark the demise of the even-older Evergreen lift, which has serviced mostly beginners since 1968.
For resort manager Randy Doyle, who has spent most of his life at Brighton, the impending removal of those lifts stimulates some sentimental memories.
"I bought my first car with money from digging holes for Evergreen and did the same thing on Millicent several years later," he said Wednesday. "It's sad to see them go, but it will be fun."
Brighton received U.S. Forest Service approval to replace the two lifts with a high-speed quad in 1996, but has not gotten around to it until now.
The Millicent chair was built by the now-defunct company Yan to replace a single-chair lift, also called Millicent, that had operated since 1946. Unlike most double chairs, the Yan model had a single pole in the middle between the two riders.
Millicent carried 1,000 riders per hour, climbing 1,125 vertical feet over its 3,900-foot length. Evergreen's capacity was greater - 1,100 riders per hour - but it climbed just 660 vertical feet over a 2,800-foot length.
Doyle said lift removal will begin shortly after the season ends April 15.
"We'll have those lifts out before you know it," he added, clearing the way for the high-speed quad being built by Salt Lake City-based Dopplemayer- CTEC.
"We hope the new lift will shift utilization of our mountain over there a little bit," Doyle said, referring to the fact that most Brighton pass holders flock to the more numerous runs and lifts on the resort's east side. "This lift will give us high-speed access to the top of all of our mountains. Everybody likes a fast lift."
Polly Popola, a Forest Service winter sports specialist, said her agency will "monitor construction whenever it starts, mostly just to see how the process is going. . . . This will benefit the resort, make it more convenient for people at the resort."
[email protected]
Progress means that no more will trackless stashes of powder be available days after the storm. It will mean more people on a mountain that has never ever been crowded. It is, indeed, an end of an era and the beginning of "retail" skiing at Brighton. Sigh, many of us are sad today.
P.S. My youngest, the 'head' liftie on Millie, will shut it down today and work on the crew replacing our favorite lift this summer.
===================
Brighton dumps Millie for quad
By Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:
Brighton Resort veterans, say goodbye to Millie.
Millicent, the fixed-grip, two-seat chair lift that has carried skiers and boarders since 1974 to some of the steepest terrain on the resort's west side, will be replaced this summer by a new high-speed detachable quad.
The $3 million upgrade also will mark the demise of the even-older Evergreen lift, which has serviced mostly beginners since 1968.
For resort manager Randy Doyle, who has spent most of his life at Brighton, the impending removal of those lifts stimulates some sentimental memories.
"I bought my first car with money from digging holes for Evergreen and did the same thing on Millicent several years later," he said Wednesday. "It's sad to see them go, but it will be fun."
Brighton received U.S. Forest Service approval to replace the two lifts with a high-speed quad in 1996, but has not gotten around to it until now.
The Millicent chair was built by the now-defunct company Yan to replace a single-chair lift, also called Millicent, that had operated since 1946. Unlike most double chairs, the Yan model had a single pole in the middle between the two riders.
Millicent carried 1,000 riders per hour, climbing 1,125 vertical feet over its 3,900-foot length. Evergreen's capacity was greater - 1,100 riders per hour - but it climbed just 660 vertical feet over a 2,800-foot length.
Doyle said lift removal will begin shortly after the season ends April 15.
"We'll have those lifts out before you know it," he added, clearing the way for the high-speed quad being built by Salt Lake City-based Dopplemayer- CTEC.
"We hope the new lift will shift utilization of our mountain over there a little bit," Doyle said, referring to the fact that most Brighton pass holders flock to the more numerous runs and lifts on the resort's east side. "This lift will give us high-speed access to the top of all of our mountains. Everybody likes a fast lift."
Polly Popola, a Forest Service winter sports specialist, said her agency will "monitor construction whenever it starts, mostly just to see how the process is going. . . . This will benefit the resort, make it more convenient for people at the resort."
[email protected]
