-
Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!
You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!
Why do chairlifts have to be so high?
- Thread starter zakyr
- Start date
Bene288
New member
I'm sure there's some math involved. Slope, run and pitch probably factor in somewhere, but I'm not certain.
ScottySkis
Well-known member
for the views.
abc
Well-known member
It's not the chair lift are high. It's the snow level that's low.
andrec10
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2008
- Messages
- 2,240
- Points
- 38
This year YES! You should see how high the towers are at Mt Hood Meadows at the start of the season! They get a lot of snow though!
:lol:
so the peeps below don't hit their head on the lift 
Hawkshot99
Active member
Because when they are driving cats and such under the lifts they have clearance.
Answer is..... they don't.
5 feet from top of seat to the ground (snow included) is all you need. Well,, unless you want to ski under it.
BenedictGomez
Well-known member
I suppose you could have lower lifts, but then you would need more stanchions, so it may come down to $$$$$. Cant say I've ever though about this!
speden
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2008
- Messages
- 913
- Points
- 28
The lifts have to be high enough so that if the cable derails at one tower, the chairs will be held off the ground by the adjacent towers and won't crash into the ground.
gmcunni
Active member
because otherwise they would be rope tows
Or Poma suface lifts....with really wide seats.
UVSHTSTRM
New member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 879
- Points
- 0
The way the US is headed, they might just be Poma surface lifts in the near future.
Telemechanic
Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2007
- Messages
- 218
- Points
- 16
Very true. I can tell you from experience having the gondola cabin you're riding in hit by a cat sucks.
BMac
Member
So you can ski under them.
steamboat1
New member
.
Last edited:
^ wish we had that problem
MadMadWorld
Active member
Some mountains like Smugglers, took off the top of their lift towers and lowered the cable to protect it from wind. It ended up being a great move for them. When Stowe's lifts are on wind hold, Smuggs lifts are spinning. It did make skiing Lift Line that much harder though!
Similar threads
