Olympic Express [Downloading] - Nakiska - Doppelmayr

History of the Lift: The Doppelmayr detachable quad at Nakiska, constructed in 1985, stands as a testament to the evolution of the resort. Emerging two years after the installation of the initial three lifts and just a year prior to the Olympic Games, Olympic Express was strategically positioned as a supplementary access point to the mountain. Its primary role was facilitating a convenient entry to the mid-mountain lodge and providing access to racing events originating from the Gold chair. Despite excelling in these aspects, including the ability for skiers to download, the lift falls short when it comes to skiing functionality. Its initiation and termination points are suboptimal, restricting access primarily to the Gold chair and a beginner run down the mountain. Two of its towers rise prominently as they intersect with the Gold chair express. In 2018, a notable alteration occurred with the removal of half the chairs from the line, although the rationale behind this change remains uncertain. Whether these chairs were relocated to the Silver express to enhance capacity is unclear. Olympic usually only functions on weekends and busy holidays, contributing to its status as a less frequented option for skiers.
Description of the Lift: The 1987 Doppelmayr CLD-260 detachable chair, in contrast to the Silver express, lacks windows on its terminals. Spanning a considerable length, the lift is predominantly flat, gaining steepness towards the end after traversing the Gold chair, marked by a prominent depression tower. Originally equipped with 168 chairs, a reduction by half occurred a few years ago, leaving the lift with 25 towers. Operating intermittently, the machine remains in excellent condition, with no apparent plans for replacement in the foreseeable future. The video capturing this lift's unique characteristics was taken on Nakiska's opening day for the 2023/24 ski season, providing a glimpse into the resort's rich history and distinctive lift infrastructure.
Specifications:
Design Speed - 1000 ft/min
Normal Operating Speed ~ 1000 ft/min
Design Capacity - 1300 p/h
Drive - Top
Return - Bottom
Tensioning - Bottom (Hydraulic)
Towers: 25
Chairs: 84
Recorded on November 4, 2023

[@stevengordon617]

I did this with snowshoes and it was so much fun. fun fact timber bowl express at ferine can do the same thing as Olympic with the downloading. I would like to see more downloading videos on this choanal. plus I ❤ Downloading.

[@lornetyndale7974]

I can recall from 1986 some of the discussions that led to this chair being installed. As indicated, the concern was that there would be no easy way for spectators to access the mid-mountain lodge during the 1988 Winter Olympics. At the time the access was to either walk up from the base area or walk down from the top of Silver. They wanted something that would be high capacity and be able to get spectators (those not on skis) to be able to get up and down the mountain to the mid-mountain lodge area. It was kind of understood that after the games the lift wouldn't be in the greatest spot for actual skiing mountain access, but that was not really a big part of the conversation (at least not the public one in newspapers / media). As for chair removal, I suspect one of the only times it ever ran at full capacity was during the 88 Olympics, so losing half its chairs probably was not a difficult decision.

[@Skier72]

Thanks for your comment! Yeah back in the 80's, there was a huge provincial government drama regarding this lift back in the 1980s that got quite ugly. If I recall, the government ended up footing most of the cost of this lift (can't remember the exact number off the top of my head.) If I ever create a video on the history of Nakiska, you bet I'll be talking about the backstory of this chairlift.

[@lornetyndale7974]

@@Skier72 I seem to recall the same thing - that the province paid for most of (or all of?) the cost of that lift. Nakiska for sure does have an interesting history. Built for the 88 Olympics, it was controversial right from the start. From the 2 potential locations for the hill (both of which had their supporters and detractors), the fact that there were also many who felt that a new ski hill wasn't even needed due to the existence of Sunshine and Louise not that much further away. The very Olympic-centered design of the hill right down to the naming of the chair lifts. And as you've mentioned the controversy over building the Olympic chair plus the "temporary platter" at the top of the hill which was to be removed after the Olympics but still stands and from what I understand is still functional (even if they won't let the public on it any more). I even recall during '88 a chinook that rolled in and melted a bunch of the snow. If memory is correct they had to delay some of the events and on the overnights had the snow guns running at max output go get the hill ready. Definitely a hill with a much shorter history then the others in the area, but still a fascinating history IMHO.

[@Skier72]

@@lornetyndale7974 Indeed it has a fascinating history. Another little known fact was that RCR planned to permanently close Nakiska in the mid 2000's under the leadership of Murray Edwards. Apparently Charlie Locke had also said the same threats about closing both Nakiska and Fortress. It would be quite a different ski scene if both mountains closed. Yeah the "temporary" platter is quite interesting (I have a video of it running on my channel). I believe it's diesel powered. My mom went up the platter in the early 90's. I don't think she was allowed to, but according to her, no one stopped anyone from going up. She said it was quite rocky at the summit, and skiing down was more about "survival," though the views were nice. I think the second location that the government was actively considering was Mt. Shark, close to Canmore. While Mt. Shark has superior snow conditions to Nakiska, the access road (I believe it's the Three Sisters Parkway?) was too dangerous for the Olympic traffic that would use it.

[@nathanjanuszewski]

Good ol Olympic, definetly not a fun chair to ski but it was definetly crucial to the resort. I hate going down it in the early season but its not bad if your a bit bored of Silver.

[@Skier72]

Downloading on Olympic is actually a pretty unique experience. I agree, it's always nicer to ski down, but I'd take Nakiska's Upper Mapmaker (with a ride up and down Oly) over Norquay's Cascade early skiing any day

[@nathanjanuszewski]

thats true@@Skier72 , its not that bad. Hopefully they open silver soon tho.

[@Skier72]

@@nathanjanuszewski You have any idea when that may be? I could see Grand Trunk or Easy Street opening with Silver in the next little while.

[@nathanjanuszewski]

@@Skier72 I hope so.

[@JamesRegister-np7gn]

You should use sad music when making videos about lost dki areas, because it's sad that they're gone, instead of using just your typical music, because it doesn't convey the mood as much as if you used sad music. You even said it in a video that when you made a video on a lost ski area, you get a feeling of sadness or something like that.