• 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!

chairlift geekery - Baldy Express at Snowbird

ceo

Active member
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
388
Points
28
I can't find links right now, but there's a couple of fixed-grip chairlifts in Europe that have turn stations similar to Snowflake.
Another solution is the "Baco-Kurve", illustrated here: http://www.seilbahnbilder.ch/galerie/displayimage.php?album=63&pid=1593 and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8REVehtt3GM
The inside bullwheel has pins around its circumference to support the cable, which are pushed up by a ramp built into the grips.
Then there's this bizarre solution at Ski Dubai: http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-738.html
It took me a bit to figure out that the inside bullwheel has a couple of cutouts to allow the grip to pass through, and the cable is supported on rollers so that the bullwheel can adjust itself independently of the cable to make sure the cutouts line up with the grips.
This one takes the prize for the wackiest ski lift installation ever: http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-12.html
This is actually 2 lifts with one cable in a T formation; the "crossbar", Trifides, has your basic outside curve, and the return line goes through the same sort of setup as Snowflake... except it's extended a long ways out to form a separate lift, Giroise. Which, just to make things even weirder, is suspended over a glacier for its entire length.
 

SkiingInABlueDream

Active member
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Messages
777
Points
28
Location
the woods of greater-Waltham
^^^ Very cool, I'd never seen those before. Thanks for posting.

Another lift I remember being fascinated with, was the Olympique at Val D'Isere. It's essentially a gondola, but the cars are supported, and roll along, fixed ropes, with a moving 3rd rope that tows the cars. So basically a gondola with a tram-like roping, which obviously complexifies the attachment & detachment mechanisms. I'll update with a link once I find one. The Olympique is not the only one of its kind.
 

ceo

Active member
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
388
Points
28
That's called a 3S. Peak 2 Peak at Whistler is another one.
 

octopus

Member
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
397
Points
16
Location
mass

thetrailboss

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
32,331
Points
113
Location
NEK by Birth
i remember the first time i saw this lift on the mountain.i stopped and was looking at it, and thinking where the f does this lift go and wheres the other half?

The story with that lift is that Pres Smith saw one in Europe and had to have one at Killington. I think the turn station used to be a mid-load.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone
 

skiNEwhere

Active member
Joined
Oct 29, 2006
Messages
4,141
Points
38
Location
Dubai
The story with that lift is that Pres Smith saw one in Europe and had to have one at Killington. I think the turn station used to be a mid-load.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

I've heard that. I also heard that he wanted to make two trails but only got approval for one and a lift, so.......
 

Newpylong

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
4,938
Points
113
Location
Upper Valley, NH
This is the best thread yet.

The pictures/video of the Breck double really threw me a curve (no pun intended) until someone was nice enough to draw it up.

Very cool engineering - and lots of maintenance!
 

thetrailboss

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
32,331
Points
113
Location
NEK by Birth
This is the best thread yet.

The pictures/video of the Breck double really threw me a curve (no pun intended) until someone was nice enough to draw it up.

Very cool engineering - and lots of maintenance!

Agree on both parts. Keep it coming.
 

thetrailboss

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
32,331
Points
113
Location
NEK by Birth
This is the best thread yet.

The pictures/video of the Breck double really threw me a curve (no pun intended) until someone was nice enough to draw it up.

Very cool engineering - and lots of maintenance!

Agree on both parts. Keep it coming.

And maybe folks can share upcoming projects this summer to follow. I know that Park City/Canyons is planning on doing the interconnect and replacing Motherlode and King Con lifts.

Sugarbush is doing the Gatehouse supposedly.

I think we can probably plan on Sugarloaf's King Pine being replaced.

And based on what I saw here it sounds like Black Mountain, NH will have to do something.

What is Pats Peak planning on doing with all of the former Ascutney lifts that they now have?
 

benski

Active member
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Messages
1,114
Points
36
Location
Binghamton NY
Sugarbush is replacing the valley house doubly with a carpet loading quad that will start were the mountain ops building is now. Gatehouse is not going to be replaced anytime soon.
 

thetrailboss

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
32,331
Points
113
Location
NEK by Birth
Sugarbush is replacing the valley house doubly with a carpet loading quad that will start were the mountain ops building is now. Gatehouse is not going to be replaced anytime soon.

Good catch. I meant Valley House.
 

steamboat1

New member
Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
6,613
Points
0
Location
Brooklyn,NY/Pittsford,VT.
Wasn't there also talk about Sugarbush replacing the Village double at some point? I would think with all the new condo's being built in that area they would.
 
Top