Mt. Southington Lift Replacement?

TomWhite

Below is a post on Liftblog. In a quick look on their web-site n Face Book, I saw no reference to lift replacement.

ONE THOUGHT ON “NORTHSTAR – MT. SOUTHINGTON, CT”

WOODCORE
May 18, 2023 / 7:54 pm
Appears that this Hall is being replaced this summer. Saw a picture posted to social media showing all the towers on the ground.

NewEnglandSkier13

I don't see such a picture on their social media. However, they have replaced lifts under the radar before. Last year, they installed the new Avalanche Double and it wasn't noticed on here, NE Ski History, or Lift Blog until around when the season actually started.

DrJeff

Wish I had scanned SJ yesterday afternoon. Had to drive right by Mount Southington early evening yesterday on my way home from a charity golf tournament. Would have driven the mile or so off of I-84 to the mountain to check it out myself!

woodcore

Here you go.

sotto

New Partek going in

NewEnglandSkier13

I wonder why it is that Southington likes to keep their lift replacements so under the radar.

Peter

sotto;c-60658 wroteNew Partek going in

Double, triple or quad?

DrJeff

Peter;c-60660 wrote
sotto;c-60658 wroteNew Partek going in
Double, triple or quad?

Not that they say anything, but guessing no more than a triple, for that beginner area former double

TomWhite

Sam would know better. But I've seen it said that a quad (of 2,3,4) is nicer for an instructor to take more (3) students. I have no idea which lifts are used for ski school.

NewEnglandSkier13

TomWhite;c-60664 wroteSam would know better. But I've seen it said that a quad (of 2,3,4) is nicer for an instructor to take more (3) students. I have no idea which lifts are used for ski school.

It's often impossible for an instructor to effectively help more than one student load/unload at a time while also loading/unloading themselves. Depending on how much assistance is needed, sometimes it is possible to help two on either side of you. I actually prefer doubles for teaching because the safety bar is lighter (easier for kids to pull down), the chairs are lighter (causes less injury if something goes wrong), and it is easier for an instructor without skis on to load kids onto at the base.

Peter

A few more details: https://liftblog.com/2023/05/22/mt-southington-to-install-new-triple-chair/

joshua_segal

NewEnglandSkier13;c-60665 wrote
TomWhite;c-60664 wroteSam would know better. But I've seen it said that a quad (of 2,3,4) is nicer for an instructor to take more (3) students. I have no idea which lifts are used for ski school.
It's often impossible for an instructor to effectively help more than one student load/unload at a time while also loading/unloading themselves. Depending on how much assistance is needed, sometimes it is possible to help two on either side of you. I actually prefer doubles for teaching because the safety bar is lighter (easier for kids to pull down), the chairs are lighter (causes less injury if something goes wrong), and it is easier for an instructor without skis on to load kids onto at the base.

Doubles and triples are fine. It's fairly easy to help one student on either side. Quads and bigger can be a problem if the riders not adjacent to the instructor need help.

NELSAP

Liftblog is stating that the double is going to another New England area in a few years. Let the speculation begin...which mountain needs a beginner double chair?

Magic?
Ski Ward?

NewEnglandSkier13

NELSAP;c-60671 wroteLiftblog is stating that the double is going to another New England area in a few years. Let the speculation begin...which mountain needs a beginner double chair?

Magic?
Ski Ward?

Hermon?
Blue Hills?

Or it could possibly be a surface lift ski area upgrading to a chairlift, although I can't think of any which would be doing so.

DrJeff

Unless some major upgrades are planned by whatever resort that lift will be spinning at in a couple of seasons, it almost certainly will be for a beginner area, as that lift at Southingon wasn't very long at all (not that any lifts at Southington are lengthy ;) ) and didn't even serve 100 feet of vertical rise, so they're buying a lift with minimal carriers, a drive with not a lot of horsepower and not a lot of towers, and given the vintage of that lift, while components could likey be found to make it into more of a lift than it was, at that point, the resort it's going to, probably would of found it almost as economical, and likely more reliable, to talk with the folks at say Partek, about a new lift

TomWhite

Liftblog.com

Mt. Southington to Install New Triple Chair
May 22, 2023Peter Landsman

Construction has already begun on the only lift project in the state of Connecticut this year at Mt. Southington. The new Northstar triple, built by Partek Ski Lifts, will replace a Hall double of the same name and improve access to beginner terrain. Partek, based in Pine Island, New York, supplies economical fixed grip chairlifts exclusively to small and mid sized mountains. Mt. Southington already operates two Partek lifts called Avalanche and Thunderbolt. Partek is also building a new chairlift for Trollhaugen, Wisconsin this year.

Mt. Southington’s outgoing Hall double has been sold to another New England ski area and may be re-installed for the 2024-25 ski season. That mountain would be the lift’s third home following stints at Craigmeur, New Jersey from 1976 to 1997 and Mt. Southington from 2001 to 2023.

woodcore

Original configuration at Craigmeur was 1500 feet in length and roughly 180 feet of vertical.

DrJeff

TomWhite;c-60675 wroteLiftblog.com

Mt. Southington to Install New Triple Chair
May 22, 2023Peter Landsman

Construction has already begun on the only lift project in the state of Connecticut this year at Mt. Southington. The new Northstar triple, built by Partek Ski Lifts, will replace a Hall double of the same name and improve access to beginner terrain. Partek, based in Pine Island, New York, supplies economical fixed grip chairlifts exclusively to small and mid sized mountains. Mt. Southington already operates two Partek lifts called Avalanche and Thunderbolt. Partek is also building a new chairlift for Trollhaugen, Wisconsin this year.

Mt. Southington’s outgoing Hall double has been sold to another New England ski area and may be re-installed for the 2024-25 ski season. That mountain would be the lift’s third home following stints at Craigmeur, New Jersey from 1976 to 1997 and Mt. Southington from 2001 to 2023.

I always found it a little funny that at a ski area that has the word "South" in it's name, that the Southern most lift on their property has the word "North" in it's name!

And having spent many nights a week during the highschool ski racing season in CT at Southington the last 4 years helping coach my kids highschool ski team, I can fully say that the folks that run Southington know what they are doing, and do it very well, and it was really interesting to see how in particular during the "Covid restiction heavy season" that the '20-'21 season was how they really thought outside the box and imagined ways that worked quite well to handle things like food and beverage, bathroom access and temporary pop up style tents in the parking lots that the various highschool teams were assigned to use to keep their cohorts together and bot have to change into their ski gear on a bus

NewEnglandSkier13

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NewEnglandSkier13

DrJeff;c-60677 wrote
TomWhite;c-60675 wroteLiftblog.com

Mt. Southington to Install New Triple Chair
May 22, 2023Peter Landsman

Construction has already begun on the only lift project in the state of Connecticut this year at Mt. Southington. The new Northstar triple, built by Partek Ski Lifts, will replace a Hall double of the same name and improve access to beginner terrain. Partek, based in Pine Island, New York, supplies economical fixed grip chairlifts exclusively to small and mid sized mountains. Mt. Southington already operates two Partek lifts called Avalanche and Thunderbolt. Partek is also building a new chairlift for Trollhaugen, Wisconsin this year.

Mt. Southington’s outgoing Hall double has been sold to another New England ski area and may be re-installed for the 2024-25 ski season. That mountain would be the lift’s third home following stints at Craigmeur, New Jersey from 1976 to 1997 and Mt. Southington from 2001 to 2023.
I always found it a little funny that at a ski area that has the word "South" in it's name, that the Southern most lift on their property has the word "North" in it's name!

And having spent many nights a week during the highschool ski racing season in CT at Southington the last 4 years helping coach my kids highschool ski team, I can fully say that the folks that run Southington know what they are doing, and do it very well, and it was really interesting to see how in particular during the "Covid restiction heavy season" that the '20-'21 season was how they really thought outside the box and imagined ways that worked quite well to handle things like food and beverage, bathroom access and temporary pop up style tents in the parking lots that the various highschool teams were assigned to use to keep their cohorts together and bot have to change into their ski gear on a bus

It does seem like a well run area. Do you have any idea why they like to keep their lift replacements so under the radar?