HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter From Chris Jarnot to Adjacent Property Owners 010312January 3, 2012
Dear Neighbor:
On December 19, Vail Resorts began planning for its 50th anniversary of Vail Mountain with our announcement to replace the existing Vista Bahn Lift (#16)
with a state-of-the-art gondola in Vail Village. We rung in the New Year having selected Leitner-Poma of America to build the gondola.
With a speed of 1,200 feet per minute, the gondola
will be the fastest single-cable, 10-passenger gondola in the world. The 10-passenger gondola cabins will feature heated cushioned seats and complimentary Wi-Fi access for guests. Ski
and snowboard racks will be mounted on the exterior of the cabins for added interior comfort. The new gondola, which will have the number “1” to commemorate Vail’s original gondola in
that location, will provide a 40 percent improvement in uphill capacity over the existing Vista Bahn Express Lift (#16) – the highest of any gondola in North America – that will help
substantially to lessen early morning crowding at the Vail Village portal.
The gondola is replacing the technology of the existing high-speed quad lift that was installed in 1985, approximately
26 years ago, and reintroducing a gondola to Vail Village not experienced since the 1970s. It is proposed to be installed in the spring and summer of 2012, and be operational for opening
day of the 2012-2013 ski season, just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vail Mountain.
The base lift facility will be similar to the existing equipment but instead of chairs
hanging from a cable, there will be gondola cabins. Unlike the Eagle Bahn Gondola (#19) in Lionshead, which is an enclosed facility, the new gondola will be an open terminal, similar
to the existing Vista Bahn lift. The new terminal will be located 65 feet downhill of the existing Vista Bahn footprint, while the top of the new terminal will be three feet lower than
the elevation of the existing lift. At Mid-Vail, the upper terminal moves 55 feet east and will be 12 feet lower in elevation.
I have received a few questions about the expected noise
levels of the gondola. I’m very pleased to let you know that one of the deciding factors in selecting Leitner-Poma is their assurances that the new gondola as well as the first tower
will generate significantly less noise than the Vista Bahn Lift. The design of the new station is many generations advanced from the old Vista Bahn technology. The open station enclosure
of the Vista Bahn allows most of the machine noise to reflect out towards the ground, and its sheet metal construction does little to absorb or contain it. The new gondola has a state-of-the-art
station enclosure that fully envelopes the gondola station machinery.
The new gondola is subject to Town of Vail and U.S. Forest Service approval. Additional details on the design
and approval of the proposed gondola will be available in the coming months. As neighbors, we wanted to provide you will a little extra notice about this exciting improvement and dramatic
investment to enhance the experience for our guests. If you have any questions about the new lift installation, please feel free to contact me at 970-754-3020, or Kristin Williams,
our director of mountain public affairs, at 970-754-2712.
Best regards and think snow!
Chris Jarnot
SVP & COO
Vail Mountain