Lift Throughput: Why it Matters and How to Improve it

[Brownski]

it cost us 29 dollars with tip for an Irish coffee and a beer

So probably the beer was $10 and the Irish coffee was $12 or 14 and you left a tip. Not sure I’m all that outraged. I mean, I doubt you were drinking PBR and they probably put real Jameson and Baileys in the coffee since it’s a big corporate operation... I doubt you’d do much better at your average nice place in Manhattan. Beers are like $15 at Yankees Stadium now.

 

[Benny Profane]

Beer was 11, Irish coffee 14. That's fucked, sorry for the French. And, for the same reason I don't go to Yankee Stadium anymore, because I refuse to pay those ticket and food prices, I now refuse to spend that kind of money for a damn draft beer in the K lodge. It was a damn Long Trail, which is like the Bud of Vermont. And then they make a big deal of opening a "coffee bar" which excited this espresso junkie, but it's just another third world employee pushing a button on some machine and charging me six bucks for the bland result.

Another ritual gone in my life. All I want is a cold beer after a day of skiing as I change out of my boots, and they treat me like a rube with that pricing. Somebody has to pay the bill for the million dollar World Cup show every November, right? Well, ain't gonna be me.

If it wasn't for the excellent snowmaking, plentiful and excellent grooming almost into April, and reliable lift operations that make the 4 to 4.5 hour drive worthwhile, along with the high altitude (for Vermont) snow quality, I wouldn't come back. But, I always do. Time to shop for flasks.

 

[Brownski]

Heh. I guess that’s fair. Nobody’s forcing you to pay. Pocket beers are good and Jameson comes in a variety of convenient package sizes. I suggest a 200 ml for your needs.

 

[Benny Profane]

Pffft Jamesons. Tryconnell or Redbreast. But maybe a good rum and a coke. We'll see. I'll stick it to the man, with class.

 

[snoloco]

Regarding item 5 (guests unwilling to pair up), what you say about it is true. However, solving the problem is not very easy at all. When I was in college, I was a ride operator at Disney World, and one of the rides I operated was Spaceship Earth, a continuously-loading dark ride where guests continuously load similar to a chairlift.

At a certain point, the operator needs to make a tradeoff between courtesy and efficiency, as enforcing a "no seat goes empty" in the rapid paced area of the loading zone can frequently end up with more seats going empty, despite efforts to the contrary.

Lift operators should certainly encourage full utilization of the lifts capacity when demand is more than a couple chairs worth. But beyond that, my experience is that enforcement is typically unproductive.

You can't expect perfection, but can at least get close to it. Sometimes someone will miss a chair, not ride the group they were supposed to, or not go when called. A target of 95% is on the high end of what's achievable, and would be a major improvement over current numbers at many lifts.

I view getting all the way up to the front of the line and demanding that no one else ride in the same chair or cabin as really no different than cutting the line. You're making the wait longer for anyone who is behind you.

 

[jasonwx]

don’t blame kton
Platt is guilty of charging insane prices for food and beverage. My buddy paid four dollars for a small, hot coffee. It is what it is.

 

[Campgottagopee]

don’t blame kton
Platt is guilty of charging insane prices for food and beverage. My buddy paid four dollars for a small, hot coffee. It is what it is.

Right?
I don't understand how expensive F&B at ski areas is anything new.
As you say, is what it is.

 

[Benny Profane]

Oh sure, never been cheap, but this is getting ridiculous.

 

[Warp daddy]

First world problem

 

[raisingarizona]

We don't buy food at the mountain anymore. I'll get a happy hour beer to two or three once a month or so but generally we and everyone we know brings their own food and beverages these days. The lot 5 and 6 tailgating scene is pretty darn awesome.