drjeff
Well-known member
If they still loaded people at the same time interval they do now, there would be the exact same number of people on the mountain as there currently can be
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Jay Peak and I are not BFFs.
- Thread starter VTKilarney
- Start date
If they still loaded people at the same time interval they do now, there would be the exact same number of people on the mountain as there currently can be
drjeff
Well-known member
Yup, a few more people in line at the base, but if there aren't any more people per hour trying to make a run on the single than there are now, the overall "total lift time" (waiting in line + ride up) would be the same as now
marcski
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2005
- Messages
- 4,576
- Points
- 36
High speed lifts generally have fewer chairs on the line than a similarly situated fixed grip chair. Hence, on crowded days high speed lifts tend to create longer liftlines but have shorter ride times. Usually, as noted above, the uphill capacity remains the same when a fixed grip quad is replaced with a hsq.
VTKilarney
Well-known member
If anything, it is easier to control skier capacity with a high speed lift. You can always turn the speed of the lift down 20% or so. If you tried doing that with a fixed grip chair, there would be a near riot.
fbrissette
Well-known member
That's in theory if the loading rate is the same. If the loading rate is the same, the efficiency of the fixed-grip is significantly lower than that of the detachable (I was told 80%) because you get more problems when loading because of the higher speed and more frequent stops, as well as having to slow down for beginners. To compensate for these problems, the fixed grip ends up having a smaller loading rate.
Note: I'm no chairlift expert, my info comes from a Dopplemayr guy I met on a ski trip a few years ago.
bobbutts
New member
They vary wildly. Just look around, some fg lifts are faster with wider spread chairs, some are slower with more chairs. Same for HS.
I think at the fastest/most chairs setting for efficiency a HSQ will take 3000/hr and FGQ 2400/hr
Real world numbers are likely lower in almost every case.
I think at the fastest/most chairs setting for efficiency a HSQ will take 3000/hr and FGQ 2400/hr
Real world numbers are likely lower in almost every case.
Cannonball
New member
Is like those "if a tree falls" questions?
MadMadWorld
Active member
No but that would just be so silly it might attract people
VTKilarney
Well-known member
I've mentioned before that I view Jay's tram as a negative. I did some Googling, and found that the tram capacity is 360 people per hour. The Flyer's capacity is 2,400 people per hour.
In an entire eight hour day, the tram only carries 20% more skiers than the Flyer carries in just one hour!
I understand that the trails at the top of the tram can't handle many skiers, but that's just an indication that the problem is multi-faceted.
Based on Jay's current design, the reality is that the peak is not at all accessible on busy days. If ski lifts were the internet, the tram would be the equivalent of a 24.4k modem.
Not that I expect it to happen anytime soon, but a bubble chair or a gondola to the peak would be a HUGE improvement. I wonder how many towers would need to be installed for a gondola. I suspect it would be fewer than for a chair. Are gondolas any less prone to wind holds compared to trams?
In an entire eight hour day, the tram only carries 20% more skiers than the Flyer carries in just one hour!
I understand that the trails at the top of the tram can't handle many skiers, but that's just an indication that the problem is multi-faceted.
Based on Jay's current design, the reality is that the peak is not at all accessible on busy days. If ski lifts were the internet, the tram would be the equivalent of a 24.4k modem.
Not that I expect it to happen anytime soon, but a bubble chair or a gondola to the peak would be a HUGE improvement. I wonder how many towers would need to be installed for a gondola. I suspect it would be fewer than for a chair. Are gondolas any less prone to wind holds compared to trams?
I would like to see them install a funicular.
VTKilarney
Well-known member
That would be an engineering marvel!
fbrissette
Well-known member
It's less than 360 people an hour. They rarely pack 60 people in there and the return time exceeds 10 minutes (less than 6 trams per hour). It could be 10 minutes but they are not very efficient during the loading portion.
I fail to see where it is multi-faceted. The Vermonter gets icy with less than 360 skiers per hour. Imagine 2400.. The steep stuff of the face is fun but we're talking 5 to 10 turns at best. Nobody needs to lap this.
The top is accessible early in the morning and late in the day with minimal wait. You can walk from the flyer to the top in 10 minutes if you want, which is much less than the wait for the tram. I highly recommend it on wind hold day.
According to Jay Peak, both options are not feasible because of the high winds.
On another front, the tram is a huge attraction year-round an that's part of the reason it's not going to get replaced anytime soon.
VTKilarney
Well-known member
That is exactly my point. You have absurdly low capacity coupled with a trail system (at the peak) that can only handle a very small fraction of skiers upon it. That's not a good combination when you think in terms of how much that tram must cost to operate in relation to the number skiers who actually use it.
Have they ever considered converting the Flyer to a bubble chair? Or would that create too many wind-holds?
fbrissette
Well-known member
I don't know for what historical reasons they replaced the double chair that used to go to the top with a tram. One thing is sure it is now a landmark for the area and it sees quite a bit of use year round. With weddings and celebration now happening on top, I would think it is profitable overall.
Yes. The combination of a detachable (already more iffy with the winds) and the bubbles made the chair way too susceptible to windholds.
