Whistler-Blackcomb | Peak Express

Описание: Whistler Mountain famously has a rivalry with Blackcomb Mountain, and when Blackcomb Mountain added High Alpine T-Bar in 1986, Whistler installed Peak Chair, a Poma triple, the same year. It was relocated from Pike's Peak, a ski resort which had just closed. Peak Chair had a mid-station, to serve a run called Last Chance, running around where The Saddle is. Chances are it was a coincidence, but the following year, 1987, Blackcomb upgraded High Alpine T-Bar to a high speed quad, 7th Heaven Express, effectively being better than Peak Chair. A year after Big Red Express and Emerald Express replaced the previous high speed quads in 1997, and since they had a detachable on Little Whistler (Harmony Express, 1994 Poma high speed quad), Whistler Mountain replaced Peak Chair with a detachable quad. The replacement was a huge capacity upgrade, and made the ride shorter.

Peak Express is a Doppelmayr high speed quad. It runs to the highest point on Whistler Mountain, and accesses the famous Peak to Creek run, a continuous 5,000 foot vertical drop run. This lift uses custom-fabricated terminal skins over the current UNI technology at the time. The chairs are galvanized, have wind slats, and a full chair parking facility fits all chairs, because the entire lift is above treeline. The lift also hugs the terrain of the mountain, with a low profile. Tower 3 recently had its support assemblies on both sides modified to become combination assemblies. This was to make sure this tower, the tallest on the entire lift line, and the only two-section tower, can hold the haul rope better in higher winds, even when the lift isn't running. Peak Express has been kept in excellent shape, still feeling almost brand new, despite being 24 years old, as of 2022.

Timestamps:
0:00 Bottom Terminal (and startup)
0:45 Ride Up
4:25 Top Terminal

Recorded on April 14th, 2022
GoPro Hero 10 Black, 4k Video Quality, 30 fps and Horizon Leveling