Alta is going to look a bit different in the 2017/18 ski season, as a new high-speed quad is being installed this summer. The Supreme and Cecret lifts will run for the last time on Sunday, April 16th when Alta closes for the season. Those two lifts will be dismantled and a new quad will be installed.
In a letter on Alta’s website, General Manager, Onno Wieringa says that work has already begun to to prepare for construction.
“Our crews are proceeding with the prep work for the removal of Cecret and Supreme lifts. We will replace the two lifts with a detachable quad that will have its base terminal near Alf’s Restaurant. The top of the lift will be in the same location as Supreme is now,” Wieringa says. “The detachable technology gives us greater control over skiers delivered per hour, while at the same time giving our skiers a shorter ride time. The detachable lift technology does not necessarily mean that we will be transporting more skiers up the mountain. Our operational teams determine “people per hour” depending on conditions.”
As Wieringa says, the new quad, which will be built by Leitner-Poma, will begin at the current Cecret base terminal near Alf’s Restaurant. The lift alignment will have a curve (much like the Collins lift) at a mid-point to bring the route in alignment with the current Supreme chair. But instead of a mid-angle station like Collins, the curve will be implemented using canted tower sheaves. The lift will then end in the same place as the current Supreme Lift.
The Supreme lift was installed in 2001, using the former Sugarloaf Triple when that lift became a high-speed-quad. Cecret dates back to 1981. There is no word yet what Alta management plans to do with the chairs after removal.
This lift replacement is the first of many that Alta has plans for. In a list of proposals that has been submitted for approval by the Forest Service, Alta also wants to replace the Wildcat lift with a high-speed-quad. They also are looking into building a tram from the top of Collins at Germania Pass to Mount Baldy, and install a new lift named Flora that will start at the bottom of Sugarbowl and end at the top of the Collins lift to eliminate the need for skiers to use the East Baldy Traverse (EBT) to get from Sugarloaf to Collins.
The new Supreme high speed quad will be operational in time for the 2017/18 ski season. For more information and updates, visit alta.com.
supreme…ly long runout