We received our first real snow of the season.  The flakes started to fly shortly after we arrived at work on Monday morning and continued into the afternoon.  By mid-day we had picked up around 3″ of heavy, wet snow.  While much of this snow on the sunny slopes will melt in the next few days, it’s a sign that…

We recently conducted the acceptance testing on the Tomichi Lift in No Name Basin.  These tests were conducted by inspectors and engineers from the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, the USFS Ropeway Team, Iron Mountain Engineering, Skytrac, and our Lift Maintenance crew.  These tests involve a pre-operational verification that ensures the design and specifications of the lift have been met. …

The No Name Basin signage is going up.  The outstanding logo was designed by our Marketing team and the Mtn Ops crew has been handling the installation work.  All of our NNB signage was created by local sign maker, Ovierre Industries.  These signs are looking amazing and we can’t wait to see them with snow capped peaks in the background.

The aspen trees on Syncline Hill are spectacular this season.  This spot is located between the town site of Garfield, CO and Monarch Mountain.  Some year’s colors are more impressive than others.  This one is special.

Our Mountain Ops team really does it all.  They are the Swiss army knife of the No Name Basin project.  They install trail signs, build snowfences, work on revegetation of disturbed soils, install erosion control measures, install powerlines, clear slash, build RFID gates and unload ramps, install winch anchors, and so much more.  Here is a look at some of…

It’s a thing of beauty!  The Tomichi Lift now has its carriers on the line and the electric drive motor is spinning them up and down the line. The crew from Skytrac will now turn to match marking the carriers on the haul line, installing seat pads, further alignment of the haul rope on the sheave wheels, and fine tuning…

The lift chairs (carriers) have been assembled and are lined up and ready to go.  The crew from Skytrac has been working hard to build out the 98 carriers for the new Tomichi Lift in No Name Basin.  These three-person carriers still need to have the seat pad, numbers, and grips installed, but they are set to be loaded on…

The electricians from Xcel Energy, Mishmash Electric and Skytrac have tied the drive terminal into the grid.  The lift has come to life with a high voltage power supply and the bullwheel is turning!  The crew from Skytrac will now work on tensioning and alignment of the haul rope before moving to loading the lift chairs (carriers) on the haul…

Knight Equipment was on site today to take the lead on the rope splice.  This process brings the two ends of the haul rope together into one solid unit.  I posted earlier this summer on the arrival of our haul rope and described how the rope is actually made up of several different strands and individual cables.  The rope splice…

Here is a look at Monarch Mountain from the top of the Crest Tram.  It’s a pretty nice place we call home!