Originally, the only inbounds terrain on Peak 7 was the Bowls, accessible by hiking from the top of the T-Bar. The only thing below treeline was a catwalk allowing people to return from the bowls back to Claimjumper and the Peak 8 base area.
That all changed in 2002 when Breckenridge performed a major mountain transformation that created two Leitner-Poma chairlifts. They replaced a Riblet double chairlift, Lift #4, with a high speed quad, the Peak 8 SuperConnect, allowing for better access from Peaks 9 and 10 to Peak 8. The other major project was the opening of several blue runs in the below treeline areas around the Peak 7 Road. A six pack, the Independence SuperChair, was constructed to service the new expansion.
From 2002 until 2006, the Peak 7 area was basically untouched. Then in 2006, a base area started to take shape in the area below the Independence SuperChair's bottom terminal. When the BreckConnect Gondola opened in December 2006, a midway terminal was constructed at Peak 7, in anticipation of a new base area. During 2007, Ski Hill Road was realigned to make room for new lodges. In the 2007-2008 season, the lodges themselves started to take shape.
In the 2008-2009 ski season, one of the final stages of developing the new base area was done: the Independence SuperChair officially became part of the new base area. This was done by moving the bottom terminal down the hill from its original location to a new central location in between the two lodges: the Crystal Peak Lodge, and the Grand Lodge on Peak 7 (the bottom terminal was originally located where the run out from the trails Monte Cristo, Angel's Rest, Lincoln Meadows and Wirepatch emerges into the clearing). In the process, two towers were relocated, an additional tower was added, and six chairs were added (the lift had 23 towers and 113 chairs before the modification, and now has 24 towers and 119 chairs). No towers were renumbered, however, so the third tower on the lift is actually numbered "Tower 2A," and "Tower #3" is actually the fourth tower.
Another major change that resulted was the change of the loading area. Originally, the lift had 90 degree loading, like the Peak 8 SuperConnect, Imperial Express SuperChair, and Quicksilver Super6. The loading area was reconfigured to standard-style loading like on all detachable lifts built in Breckenridge prior to 1999. This allowed the lift maze to be doubled in size, with two queues (one on either side of the lift) starting next to the lift and merging behind the loading area.
The Independence SuperChair is a lift I regard as the windiest lift in Breckenridge. In fact, you can tell that the wind is howling at me for the entire lift ride. Peak 7 receives quite a lot of wind, as does the rest of the resort. It's really bad when you're on a chairlift and the wind is blowing right in your face. The problem is not bad on lifts that have trees to shield the wind from you (like the Rocky Mountain SuperChair and the Mercury SuperChair), but some other chairlifts (like the Peak 8 SuperConnect, the Independence SuperChair, and the Falcon SuperChair) have sections that are very high off the ground or not shielded by trees.
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Breckenridge Mercury SuperChairby TimeQueenofRome516 views
me going down there after some snappy s in the bar with Lisa.
xxxdids 7 months ago