Mammoth has announced that they’ll be putting $20 Million into the mountain over the next 5 years. Most of this money will go to the same old crap ie: “faster access to the slopes, a transformed culinary experience, enhanced air service, and a snow tube park catering to the whole family.” But, they will also be replacing chair 5 with a high speed quad.
Chair 5 accesses good terrain at Mammoth and is key to survival on the many days that the top of the mountain is closed due to wind. The 5er can be killer on storm days and on those perfect Mammoth wind-buff days.
The new chair 5 will be called the High-Five Express (catchy) and will be a Doppelmayr high speed quad. The High-Five Express will pump 2,400 people per hour onto the hill compared to the 1,800 per hour the old chair 5 spat out. Both terminals will be moved and the new top terminal should be a better spot for access, prohibiting the normal traversing mayhem.
A bunch of other goofy crap you don’t need will accompany this $20 million including: a roaming burrito cart/snowcat, new RFID system, a snow tubing park, some tweaks to the already best in the universe terrain park, and more airline service.
They’ve been working on the new chair 5 all summer and it should be ready to roll for opening day.