snoloco
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2021
If you read this forum, you've probably found times where I complained about bad lift operations, whether that be chairs not being filled, lifts stopping too much, or running too slow. Most likely you've responded with something like "It's not a big deal get over it" or "why are you so entitled". Well, it is a big deal. On a busy day, your ability to take runs depends entirely on how many people are being sent up the lifts. Failure to maximize throughput will limit the number of runs you take. Have you ever skied a whole day and felt like there were trails you still needed to get to or wanted to repeat? What if you would've been able to take those runs, but missed out due to bad lift operations wasting your time? I think you'd be disappointed.
To demonstrate this, let's take Gore's gondola. It has a theoretical capacity of 2400 riders per hour. This requires all the cabins being on the line, running at full speed, filling every seat, and having no stops or slows. Because that scenario is not realistic, let's take a more realistic capacity of 2160 riders per hour, or 90% of the theoretical.
Unfortunately, Gore typically falls far below this mark. Today, the gondola was running at about 850 fpm, and never had full cabins. For this example, we'll assume every cabin is loaded with only 6. This results in a throughput of 1390 riders per hour. That's 57% of the theoretical capacity of 2400 riders per hour, or 64% of the more realistic capacity of 2160 riders per hour.
If the gondola has a 10 minute wait while achieving the realistic capacity, then that results in 360 people being in the queue at any given time. It also means if the lift operates for 7 hours each day that 15120 people will get to ride it in a day.
Now let's reduce the throughput to 1390 riders per hour. Now only 9730 people will get to ride the gondola in a day. That's a more than 5000 person difference. With the same 360 people in the queue, the line will now be 15.5 minutes. Not a big deal you say? Well if demand doesn't change, and the same number of people enter the queue every hour, then the line is quickly going to blow up to well over 20 minutes. Also, people will see that the line is ridiculously long and opt to take a different lift, making the lines longer at those lifts. Do you see the problem now? This also begs the question of why Gore is ok with their most popular lift running at such a low throughput. This isn't limited to Gore or ORDA though. I could point to a bunch of other lifts that have similarly terrible throughput when compared with the realistic capacity.
Oh, but if you don't want to wait then just stay on the upper mountain. Cool. That's what I try to do. But what if you need to meet someone, use the bathroom, or get to your bag that's in the lodge? Then you're going to burn a lot of time in line trying to get back to where you were. In this scenario, you could lose out on 2-3 runs just because you had to return to the base, compared to if the lift was running at the realistic capacity.
So now that we know the problem, how do we improve lift throughput?
I've identified 7 major causes for lift lines being longer than they should be, listed in no particular order of importance:
1. Improper Ramp Configuration (includes ski racks on gondolas)
2. Improper Queue Configuration (includes RFID gates)
3. Inadequate Staffing Levels
4. Inadequate Staff Training
5. Guests Unwilling to Pair Up
6. Priority Access (ski school)
7. Lift Running Too Slow (or too fast)
Now we'll look at the best practices for each:
Improper Ramp Configuration:
-Loading ramps, and the area just before it should be level or sloped down. Otherwise kids without poles, or lower level skiers in general will miss chairs.
-Unloading ramps should not be excessively steep, have sharp turns, or be icy.
-Gondola loading should utilize the entire platform and area where the doors are open.
-Gondola ski racks need to be able to accommodate most skis, and not be too narrow.
Improper Queue Configuration:
-Merge points between group and singles lines should be placed to facilitate full chairs.
-Busier lifts need staff to direct the line and fill seats.
-RFID gates should be placed at the end of the line if possible, and never after grouping takes place.
Inadequate Staffing Levels:
-Self-explanatory. Takes measures to ensure adequate staffing levels.
Inadequate Staff Training:
-Also self-explanatory. All lift staff needs to be trained in how to safely operate the lift, and also on how to maximize throughput.
Guests Unwilling to Pair Up:
-If this is a problem at a particular resort, then signage and directions by staff need to make it clear that the expectation is that guests pair up with others and fill all available seats.
-Refusing to ride with other people when there's a big line is really no different than cutting the line, and should be dealt with accordingly.
Priority Access
-If there are available seats, pair guests or staff in the priority line (like ski school or ski patrol) with groups or singles from the regular line. No reason to have one private lesson or one patroller taking up an entire chair.
-If there are a lot of ski school groups, then the regular line needs to be alternated in at times, so it isn't completely stopped.
Lift Running Too Slow (or Fast)
-To maximize throughput, lifts need to run at the most efficient speed, which is often full speed.
-If a lift is having excessive stops, then a lower speed might be better if it prevents them from happening.
At many resorts, I believe wait times could be substantially reduced, simply by taking measures to improve the throughput of the existing lifts. Are there any lifts that you think achieve close to their realistic capacity, or others that you think miss it by a mile? For example, I've always thought that Killington does a really good job with their gondolas.
To demonstrate this, let's take Gore's gondola. It has a theoretical capacity of 2400 riders per hour. This requires all the cabins being on the line, running at full speed, filling every seat, and having no stops or slows. Because that scenario is not realistic, let's take a more realistic capacity of 2160 riders per hour, or 90% of the theoretical.
Unfortunately, Gore typically falls far below this mark. Today, the gondola was running at about 850 fpm, and never had full cabins. For this example, we'll assume every cabin is loaded with only 6. This results in a throughput of 1390 riders per hour. That's 57% of the theoretical capacity of 2400 riders per hour, or 64% of the more realistic capacity of 2160 riders per hour.
If the gondola has a 10 minute wait while achieving the realistic capacity, then that results in 360 people being in the queue at any given time. It also means if the lift operates for 7 hours each day that 15120 people will get to ride it in a day.
Now let's reduce the throughput to 1390 riders per hour. Now only 9730 people will get to ride the gondola in a day. That's a more than 5000 person difference. With the same 360 people in the queue, the line will now be 15.5 minutes. Not a big deal you say? Well if demand doesn't change, and the same number of people enter the queue every hour, then the line is quickly going to blow up to well over 20 minutes. Also, people will see that the line is ridiculously long and opt to take a different lift, making the lines longer at those lifts. Do you see the problem now? This also begs the question of why Gore is ok with their most popular lift running at such a low throughput. This isn't limited to Gore or ORDA though. I could point to a bunch of other lifts that have similarly terrible throughput when compared with the realistic capacity.
Oh, but if you don't want to wait then just stay on the upper mountain. Cool. That's what I try to do. But what if you need to meet someone, use the bathroom, or get to your bag that's in the lodge? Then you're going to burn a lot of time in line trying to get back to where you were. In this scenario, you could lose out on 2-3 runs just because you had to return to the base, compared to if the lift was running at the realistic capacity.
So now that we know the problem, how do we improve lift throughput?
I've identified 7 major causes for lift lines being longer than they should be, listed in no particular order of importance:
1. Improper Ramp Configuration (includes ski racks on gondolas)
2. Improper Queue Configuration (includes RFID gates)
3. Inadequate Staffing Levels
4. Inadequate Staff Training
5. Guests Unwilling to Pair Up
6. Priority Access (ski school)
7. Lift Running Too Slow (or too fast)
Now we'll look at the best practices for each:
Improper Ramp Configuration:
-Loading ramps, and the area just before it should be level or sloped down. Otherwise kids without poles, or lower level skiers in general will miss chairs.
-Unloading ramps should not be excessively steep, have sharp turns, or be icy.
-Gondola loading should utilize the entire platform and area where the doors are open.
-Gondola ski racks need to be able to accommodate most skis, and not be too narrow.
Improper Queue Configuration:
-Merge points between group and singles lines should be placed to facilitate full chairs.
-Busier lifts need staff to direct the line and fill seats.
-RFID gates should be placed at the end of the line if possible, and never after grouping takes place.
Inadequate Staffing Levels:
-Self-explanatory. Takes measures to ensure adequate staffing levels.
Inadequate Staff Training:
-Also self-explanatory. All lift staff needs to be trained in how to safely operate the lift, and also on how to maximize throughput.
Guests Unwilling to Pair Up:
-If this is a problem at a particular resort, then signage and directions by staff need to make it clear that the expectation is that guests pair up with others and fill all available seats.
-Refusing to ride with other people when there's a big line is really no different than cutting the line, and should be dealt with accordingly.
Priority Access
-If there are available seats, pair guests or staff in the priority line (like ski school or ski patrol) with groups or singles from the regular line. No reason to have one private lesson or one patroller taking up an entire chair.
-If there are a lot of ski school groups, then the regular line needs to be alternated in at times, so it isn't completely stopped.
Lift Running Too Slow (or Fast)
-To maximize throughput, lifts need to run at the most efficient speed, which is often full speed.
-If a lift is having excessive stops, then a lower speed might be better if it prevents them from happening.
At many resorts, I believe wait times could be substantially reduced, simply by taking measures to improve the throughput of the existing lifts. Are there any lifts that you think achieve close to their realistic capacity, or others that you think miss it by a mile? For example, I've always thought that Killington does a really good job with their gondolas.
