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Quiz: Highest lifts


Baka Dasai

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Which resorts have the:

<ol><li><p>highest lift in the world?

<li><p>second highest lift in the world?

<li><p>third highest lift in the world?</ol>

The answers may surprise you and give you some new places to add to the <a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=902">"What resort do you want to go to?"</a> thread...

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Originally posted by jeffnstefanie

I think this has your answer

Yep, you got it. For those who can't be bothered to click the link, the answers are:

<ol><li><p><a href="http://www.goski.com/bolivia.htm">Chacaltaya</a>, Bolivia, 5,421 metres (17,785 feet). Note that Bolivia is in the tropics, and that this place is so high up that it's only open in summer.

<li><p>Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, China, 4,516 metres (14,816 feet).

<li><p>Mérida, 4,200 meters (13,779 feet), Venezuela. Another place in the tropics - in fact it's damn close to the equator!</ol>

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OK....I guess that's been sufficiently answered. Along the same lines but with a slightly different twist, there was a lift at Whistler that scared the bejezus out of me. Keep in mind I don't get out of town much. I don't remember how high it is but suffice to say there's a hell of a lot of air between you and a huge pile of nasty rocks below. The scary part is that the exit from the lift is JUST past the lip of a shear rock cliff. That, of course, means that you must lift the bar while dangling precipitously hundreds of feet over some of the nastiest looking terrain on the planet. And you know how us boarders like to scooch forward on the lift.....forget that ****!:eek: I, of course was stuck in the middle with nothing to hold onto except my wife. I seriously thought I might wet my pants on that one! Any othe world's scariest lift stories?

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Originally posted by Miguel

Along the same lines but with a slightly different twist, there was a lift at Whistler that scared the bejezus out of me.

I know that lift well. Nice bowl under there (if you can see that far down). I remember a lift at Mammoth that freaks people out on the first few rides, did me anyway. Just when you think that you are going to be at the top of the lift you start going down hill. Maybe Sean2 can tell us which one that is.

kt

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Originally posted by Miguel

Along the same lines but with a slightly different twist, there was a lift at Whistler that scared the bejezus out of me.

The Summit Poma at Louise is no picnic. It serves some pretty steep terrain, and one of the pitches it goes up is well over 30 degrees. There's knotted ropes on either side in case you fall and don't feel like sliding through all the other skiers and riders equipment on your way down. Totally worth it, though - they keep it a poma for the express purpose of discouraging the tourists from going where they don't belong.

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The biggest direct drop from a lift used to be off the luftseilbahn at the Kitzsteinhorn, above Kaprun, in Austria. This is a tram which has a lift tower perched at the edge of a huge cliff. It's 30 years since I skied there, so I can't remember whether it's 1000 feet or 1000 meters, but it was pretty scary either way. The liftie used to make a practice of opening the doors at that spot to sweep out the meltwater.

This is the resort which had the fatal fire a few years ago in the railway tunnel.

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Originally posted by k_t

I know that lift well. Nice bowl under there (if you can see that far down). I remember a lift at Mammoth that freaks people out on the first few rides, did me anyway. Just when you think that you are going to be at the top of the lift you start going down hill. Maybe Sean2 can tell us which one that is.

kt

Not sure if it's the one but I was never fond of the lift that went over/beside Stump Alley and Mammoth...it did that up/down thing

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The lift at Mammoth is the old Chair 10, you would go up this steep mountainside only to reach the top of the peak and have the bottom fall out of it. Also, the span between the lift towers at that point was huge, the chair was at its maximum sag and then you would get some young kooks that would begin to bounce the chairs. Not a good feeling!!!

That lift has been jerked out and replaced by a highspeed six.

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That was another favorite at Whistler! It was also my first and only experience trying to ride the T Bar on a snowboard. It took me at least six exasperating tries to finally reach the top. I must admit it was kinda cool after you got the hang of it, and the terrain was totally worth the effort. Damn, I miss that place!:(

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There used to be a "Jet T-Bar" at Jay Peak that took you straight up the face of the mountain at extremely high speeds. The snow and ice would build up at the sides of the track to the point where you couldn't see over the sides. It was like riding in a bobsled track.

If you let go or fell, you were screwed. You had to basically take off your skiis and slide on your ass all the way back down.

It was the first time I had ridden a lift that was for experts only. The lift, not the trail. That was 20 years ago.

That Whistler T-bar is a killer. I've hung onto that thing and been dragged up the last few yards. My arms were killing me at the end of it.

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There's a hill here called Whitecap Mtn. that has 2 peaks. There is a lift thats start at the bottom of one and then runs from the top of one over the valley and over the top of the 2nd with places to get off on both peaks. It ios the only way to get to one of the peaks, although you can ride other lifts once there. Over the valley there is only 1 lift tower that is a lift pole attached to the top of what looks like a huge TV antennae thing. It is a good 150 feet in the air. The best part is this lift is about 30 years old...a classic 2 seater with the lift bar in the middle, and no protective bar in front to bring down. The hill is up near LAke Superior and the winds can come howling down throug hthere quite often which really makes it a fun ride. :eek:

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