Detachable vs Fixed Grip Lifts

[tirolski]

New article about delays in the lift making world.

Supply chain issues prevent yet another thing from spinning: new Colorado chairlifts

Supply chain challenges at overseas factories has delayed the opening of most new chairlifts installed at North American ski areas for 22-23.

coloradosun.com

 

[Ripitz]

Chairlift Ripped Off Cable In High Winds With Skier Onboard At Breckenridge

High winds at Breckenridge today caused a chair to be ripped from the cable and fall to the ground. The chair was occupied at the time of the fall.

unofficialnetworks.com

 

[MarzNC]

Chairlift Ripped Off Cable In High Winds With Skier Onboard At Breckenridge

High winds at Breckenridge today caused a chair to be ripped from the cable and fall to the ground. The chair was occupied at the time of the fall.

unofficialnetworks.com

From the Liftblog News on Dec. 23:

• Breckenridge reopens the Peak 8 SuperConnect after yesterday’s incident. Updated statement from the resort copied below.

Breckenridge Ski Resort confirms at approximately 10:35 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22, a chair dislodged from the haul rope of the Peak 8 SuperConnect as it was reaching the top terminal. One guest was on the chair at the time and fell approximately 13 feet. Ski patrol responded immediately. No injuries were reported and the guest declined further care.

The Peak 8 SuperConnect was closed for the remainder of the day on Thursday. The resort’s lift maintenance team was on site at the time of the incident and worked with the Colorado Tramway Safety Board to report the incident.

At the time of this event, the resort was following all standard operating procedures. The wind direction was predominantly favorable for operation of the Peak 8 SuperConnect when it opened for the day at 10 a.m., however an abnormal wind gust across the top terminal, in addition to the chair coming into contact with components of the upper terminal, created the circumstances of this event.

Since the event, the resort’s lift maintenance team has conducted a thorough inspection of the Peak 8 SuperConnect and consulted with the Colorado Tramway Safety Board. The lift resumed operations at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23.

 

[DHA]

You can run it at top speed. I hate those things, they are somehow counter intuitive, to me.

Why? Gate opens, you slowly move forward in lane.

 

[DHA]

Berkshire East has one and it works perfectly there. The one at Greek was fine last year- way better than the first time I went there. Once the Lifties and skiers get used to them, there’s no problem.

The one at Greek doesn't go any faster than old Chair 1 that is next to it. It stops less because the carpet and gates make loading simpler. The lift isn't run as fast as it can go.

 

[DHA]

When do you think summer ops became a priority in New York ski areas/resorts? It's relatively recent in the west where most resorts use US Forest Service land due to the changes in the rules that didn't happen until around 2014. There are resorts that have been 4-season for decades, or at least had revenue generating activities during the summer months.

Summer operations became important at Greek about 15 years ago when they put in the lake, water park, adventure center, and bike trails. Latest additions are campground and wedding center. Winter improvements have also been made to snowmaking, lifts and trails but obviously the place is trying to do 4 seasons. And there are plenty of golf courses nearby.

 

[MarzNC]

Summer operations became important at Greek about 15 years ago when they put in the lake, water park, adventure center, and bike trails. Latest additions are campground and wedding center. Winter improvements have also been made to snowmaking, lifts and trails but obviously the place is trying to do 4 seasons. And there are plenty of golf courses nearby.

Interesting . . . That's about the same era when Massanutten opened up the indoor/outdoor waterpark. Planning and actual construction took about a decade. Mountain biking trails for lift-served MTB were created around the slopes a few years afterward. Massanutten started as a 4-season resort in the early 1970s with a ski hill, along with a golf course and outdoor pool on the mountain. The original owner wasn't smart and went bankrupt after buying the Lake Placid Club Lodge property to convert it a timeshare resort. The Massanutten property included thousands of acres for potential future expansion or green space. Made it easy to expand slowly into the valley with another golf course (easier), more timeshare condos, pools, and other activities.

In 2023, a high-speed detachable quad will be installed for the upper mountain. All the other lifts are fixed-grip. The original lifts from the 1970s were replaced along the way, with conveyor loading for the two base lifts that serve beginner trails. The new lift goes with adding blue and black trails from the top for 2022-23. They were in the original Master Plan but it took a long time to upgrade snowmaking infrastructure enough to support 100% snowmaking on the proposed additional trails. What's cool is that the senior managers for Snowsports are locals. A few have worked there since the 1980s in one role or another. There are new trail names that honor a few of the long time managers.

 

[snoloco]

Apparently Whiteface's ability to get things going quicker after a storm is due to their storage shed. Not knocking Gore just sayin'

To avoid continuing a tangent in the Gore Conditions thread:

Indoor storage is absolutely essential for gondolas and bubble chairs. Not only does it make it a lot easier to reopen the lift after adverse weather, but gondola cabins and bubble chairs can be damaged by extreme weather conditions or heavy snowmaking. Gore's gondola had at least a dozen cabins with broken doors today. Those cabins were unusable, causing the line to be longer than necessary.

Unfortunately, many resorts have omitted cabin parking on their gondolas. While it does cost extra and require additional space, if a resort is spending many millions of dollars on a gondola, you'd think they would at least invest in the proper facilities and equipment to keep it in good condition. If you compare Whiteface and Gore, Whiteface's gondola was in far better shape, even before the cabin replacement. Belleayre has no cabin parking at all, and I fear that lift is not going to age well without it.

For open-air detachables, most resorts get along just fine without chair parking, but it is still desirable to have it so that chairs can easily be removed during severe weather, heavy snowmaking, or for maintenance reasons. Indoor storage isn't necessary. Grip-covered rails are fine. Ironically, Gore has chair parking for the Adirondack Express and uses it regularly, despite the fact that they never completed the gondola cabin parking.

 

[Campgottagopee]

Summer operations became important at Greek about 15 years ago when they put in the lake, water park, adventure center, and bike trails. Latest additions are campground and wedding center. Winter improvements have also been made to snowmaking, lifts and trails but obviously the place is trying to do 4 seasons. And there are plenty of golf courses nearby.

I'll say that I'm impressed the place is still open. When they built it I thought for sure it wouldn't make it 10 years due to the debt load it created. I guess it did put the place into BK, but it seems to be doing good now?

 

[MarzNC]

Indoor storage is absolutely essential for gondolas and bubble chairs. Not only does it make it a lot easier to reopen the lift after adverse weather, but gondola cabins and bubble chairs can be damaged by extreme weather conditions or heavy snowmaking. Gore's gondola had at least a dozen cabins with broken doors today. Those cabins were unusable, causing the line to be longer than necessary.

Unfortunately, many resorts have omitted cabin parking on their gondolas. While it does cost extra and require additional space, if a resort is spending many millions of dollars on a gondola, you'd think they would at least invest in the proper facilities and equipment to keep it in good condition. If you compare Whiteface and Gore, Whiteface's gondola was in far better shape, even before the cabin replacement. Belleayre has no cabin parking at all, and I fear that lift is not going to age well without it.

As I remember, when Boyne Resorts installed the first D-line at Big Sky, the indoor storage building wasn't ready for the first season. It's at the top where it was easier to make more space for that building.