Big Sky: Shedhorn 4

In fall 2018, the Ramcharger high speed quad was moved to the South Face of Lone Peak to replace a Heron-Poma double which coincidentally was replaced by this lift back in 1991 in it's original location.  This time the old lift was not so lucky and it was scrapped.

Doppelmayr performed the relocation and did several upgrades to the 28 year old lift.  Both terminals received new UNI-G skins to improve accessibility for maintenance personnel.  The control system and haulrope are completely new as well.  The old towers from Ramcharger were reused where possible, but have a new galvanized finish for easier maintenance.  Several new towers were also added.  Capacity was reduced from 2900 to 1600 for a few reasons.  Shedhorn is not a base area lift and a high capacity isn't needed.  The vertical is also greater so fewer chairs can be put on line to allow the same motor to be used.  Lastly, they wanted to use fewer towers to preserve the character of the terrain.

Length and vertical for Shedhorn 4 is 4738 and 1487 feet respectively.  While it doesn't run at the design speed of 1000 feet per minute, it still moves at a good clip, completing the trip in 5.5 minutes.  With these upgrades, Big Sky's first detachable quad is ready for many more years of service on the South Side of Lone Peak, with it's successor Ramcharger 8 viewable in the distance.  This project is another example that instead of scrapping an old detachable, it can be refurbished and relocated to a secondary trail pod to provide high speed lift service to an area where the cost of building a new one can't be justified.