Lift Throughput: Why it Matters and How to Improve it

Twirlnhurl said:
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.
Click to expand...
Here’s an opinion that I can actually respect coming from someone who has actually dealt with this “problem”. I was a lift line attendant years ago at Attitash and the shit we had to deal with would make some people around here have a nervous breakdown.

I’m not sure how people go to a major northeastern ski area on a weekend after a storm and complain about parking, lift lines and the price of beer. Do you actually expect a different result?

I was in that crowd too. Had two great powder runs and met a new friend. Peanut skied for the first time without us and we drank expensive beer to celebrate. It was a huge clusterfuck and we loved it.

Years ago the Civilian Conservation Corps, born from the depression, hiked into the mountains to cut the first trails that would later become the first ski areas in the country. Some of those original trails are still skiable.

Looking at how our sport has evolved and what people have come to expect is just silly.
 
Last edited:
This is where I am coming from too. I've never figured out how to express that without people hearing things, that I just don't mean.

After the CCC built the first ski trails, humans began to innovate and other humans loved it. They loved it so much they became a new kind of people called skiers. People who, to whatever extent, re-organize their life around skiing. This includes us flatlanders too.

It's a business now. Skiers expect the business owners to invest in infrastructure and labor to make it as fun and seamless as possible. When we get the improvements we want in certain spots, we go there and make them crowded.

But over the last 20 years skier visits are relatively flat. I think, that when you consider that fact, the amount of investment that is happening in skiing is significant.

Yea sometimes stupid shit that is easy to fix doesn't get fixed and it makes us cranky. I get it, we all get it.

The pass we buy gives us access, but not decision making power. To actually make the decisions, we'd have to pony up some real coin.

Or you can vote with your wallet. Leave the mountain that disappoints you and find another. Buy a Plattekill pass and walk right into Laz's office when you have an opinion. He might not do what you want, but I tell you, he will listen to a customer.
 
As mentioned earlier, I stopped by chair 5 lot for some pregame cabin beers. Great scene on a fun day as GP was 100% open. My mind was blown when I heard multiple people bitching and moaning about the muddy parking at chair 5. Really? It's a field that people park in and we just had gotten 6" of heavy wet snow on top of an unfrozen surface. What did you expect? Have you never been over there on a spring day? Yeah, you're going to get some mud on your ride and gear. Big deal. Go ski hard!
 
Campgottagopee said:
As mentioned earlier, I stopped by chair 5 lot for some pregame cabin beers. Great scene on a fun day as GP was 100% open. My mind was blown when I heard multiple people bitching and moaning about the muddy parking at chair 5. Really? It's a field that people park in and we just had gotten 6" of heavy wet snow on top of an unfrozen surface. What did you expect? Have you never been over there on a spring day? Yeah, you're going to get some mud on your ride and gear. Big deal. Go ski hard!
Click to expand...
I think a lot of people that are either socially awkward or simply can't think of anything else to talk about go right to complaining about things. Or......they're just pussies.
 
In regards to not filling chairs, where I ski most they have 3 to 4 queue lines with one for singles and they have a person telling people when to go to the loading area and they will fill the chair unless for example on the triple there are two people in line and there are no singles in line
 
raisingarizona said:
I think a lot of people that are either socially awkward or simply can't think of anything else to talk about go right to complaining about things. Or......they're just pussies.
Click to expand...
LoL
Most likely just pussies.
Other ones complain about potholes in the main parking lot. Do these people not get it? It's supposed to be cold and snowy this time of year, which would fill the potholes and freeze the field. Maybe it's because I'm older now but I don't ever remember whining about dumb shit like that.
 
Campgottagopee said:
As mentioned earlier, I stopped by chair 5 lot for some pregame cabin beers. Great scene on a fun day as GP was 100% open. My mind was blown when I heard multiple people bitching and moaning about the muddy parking at chair 5. Really? It's a field that people park in and we just had gotten 6" of heavy wet snow on top of an unfrozen surface. What did you expect? Have you never been over there on a spring day? Yeah, you're going to get some mud on your ride and gear. Big deal. Go ski hard!
Click to expand...
My boots are caked with mud and drying out now. The older fellow who parked next to me said yer gonna get yer new sneakers all muddy.
I said, "they ain’t new but thanks for the compliment." Booted up by by just kneeling on top of em. No harm, no foul.
Skiing was good fun. Gore has garnet-sand lots which are nice and drain well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
© Copyright 2008 - 2024 NYSkiBlog
Join | Subscribe | Advertise | Privacy
NYSkiBlog is for the rest of us: regular people with a sense of adventure, who love to ski.
We zig when they zag. To connect with us, follow us:
NYSkiBlog Facebook.
NYSkiBlog Twitter.
NYSkiBlog Instagram.
NYSkiBlog RSS.
Back
Top