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Magic's Red Chair down again!

KD7000

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Magic is on my hit list for this season, as I've never been there. Hopefully they get their issues sorted out.
 

Scruffy

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Do NOT take Magic off your hit list, in fact double down and make an extra effort to get there. Magic is a special place, go after a dump, esp. if you like glades.
 

gmcunni

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i read they were giving day trippers vouchers for a return visit, were season pass holders comp'd in any way?
 

billski

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Passenger Tramway Safety Rules

[h=1]Passenger Tramway Safety Rules[/h]2006 Vermont Passenger Tramway Rules & Addendum to ANSI B.77.1-2006



...

1002.6 Incident Reports
Items, which may warrant immediate tramway shut down by the Department, are:

1) Failure of protection circuits, operation circuits, supervision circuits etc.

2) Improperly functioning brakes or back stops. [h=1]
[/h]

3) Line sheave failure or potential failure condition, sheave train misalignment.

4) Non-functioning or misadjusted APU

5) An incomplete daily preoperational lift inspection log

6) Any other condition, which may affect safe operation of tramway.
...
1002.8 Inspections and Maintenance

All aerial tramways shall be load tested at intervals not exceeding seven years. An acceptance test may be required by the Department when changes or modifications occur as defined in ANSI B.77.1-2006 section 1.2.4.4 - Ropeway modification.

Each year on all aerial tramways, the minimum grip, clip, hanger and carrier NDT shall be a rotating sample of 10 units or 20% of total units, whichever is greater. If any of the 20% or 10 units, whichever is greater, is rejected per manufacturer’s criteria, another 20% or 10 units, whichever is greater, shall be tested. Any rejects in this second sample group shall be cause for 100% testing. If the manufacturer’s recommendations are stricter than this, then those recommendations shall be followed. The Passenger Tramway Technician shall be notified of these rejected components.

During the annual inspection, the area operator shall be prepared to demonstrate APU operation and related emergency procedures during a loss of control power.

1002.9 Brake Testing

All brakes shall be torque tested at an interval not to exceed 30 days of operation.

A brake testing log shall be posted at each drive which will give the most recent test results, the date, and shall be signed by the person performing the test on all brakes.

All dynamometers and torque wrenches used for brake adjustment shall be calibrated annually and the documentation shall be posted in the brake testing log.

...
1007.2 Chairs

Each chair shall be equipped with a restraint bar, which shall not yield to forward pressure applied by passenger(s).

The passenger(s) must have the restraint bar fully closed except when they are embarking or disembarking the lift.

...
1008.2 Annual Wire Rope Inspection

An annual wire rope inspection shall be performed by an independent wire rope inspector who has been approved by the Department. A copy of this inspection report shall be filed with the department and with the operator.

The annual wire rope inspection report shall include haul rope, counterweight rope and backstay support rope or other auxiliary ropes.
 

KevinF

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Dec 19, 2003
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I was last at Magic in the 2010 / 11 season, and back then, I heard that the Black Chair was going to be fixed. I forget the details as to what was wrong with it, but has the Black Chair ever run since Magic was re-opened?
 

thetrailboss

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I wonder if this will make the management rethink the priorities for the mountain. IIRC the intent was to (1) buy the mountain, (2) invest in snowmaking, and (3) do whatever else was needed. Too bad they could not have gotten their hands on that Ascutney HSQ or even one of Ascutney's used fixed grips.
 

SKI-3PO

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The Black chair definitely ran last season. I rode it one of the holiday weekends last year.
 

SKI-3PO

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Now that you mention it, I recall it being not very comfortable. Had to ride it though since I had never seen it run before. I think it was President's Day, but it could have been MLK Sunday when we were also there. I don't think it ran for long - definitely didn't run all day.
 

thetrailboss

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Now that you mention it, I recall it being not very comfortable. Had to ride it though since I had never seen it run before. I think it was President's Day, but it could have been MLK Sunday when we were also there. I don't think it ran for long - definitely didn't run all day.

It has the old Yan chairs that I know some here despise because it has a shaped back for each person (instead of it being flat).
 

jimmywilson69

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These sort of things happen everywhere. Ski Roundtop which just managed to get open with a few slopes here in Central PA had their main quad breakdown 3 days ago. They already had lost most of X-mas week and then their main lift broke. Luckily they have some redundant lifts, but still it was a black eye and what I would assume to be a pretty expensive cost at their hands. They had to replace the gearbox, which isn't exactly the type of part you keep lying around.

Hopefully Majic get's it rolling again, and perhaps will refocus their investors on lift maintenance so that everyone can enjoy what the mountain has to offer.
 

MadMadWorld

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It has the old Yan chairs that I know some here despise because it has a shaped back for each person (instead of it being flat).

The lift looks very familiar to me. I think they still have one of these at Lake Louise. I could be wrong though. If I remember correctly the back is very uncomfortable and the people on the end have to sit kind of sideways. Oh well, I think people will just be happy with a running lift.
 

jrmagic

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I wonder if this will make the management rethink the priorities for the mountain. IIRC the intent was to (1) buy the mountain, (2) invest in snowmaking, and (3) do whatever else was needed. Too bad they could not have gotten their hands on that Ascutney HSQ or even one of Ascutney's used fixed grips.
Improving the snowmaking is still the top priority of the partnership. There is no need at all for a HSQ but I wouldn't mind them eventually replacing the black chair with a fixed grip quad. I won't try and play armchair ski area operator but my family and I were certainly dissapointed with the breakdown. The really sad part is that many of the people I saw on Thursday and Friday were day ticket holders. With the snow conditions as good as they were, the events that occurred caused Magic to lose a substantial revenue stream. The new part was actually delivered at 3:00 in the Morning on New Year's Day as I was leaving the lodge from the NYE party. On New Year's Day there was work being done to ready black for the annual inspection. I am hopeful that both chairs will be inspected and ready to go for next weekend.
 

steamboat1

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It has the old Yan chairs that I know some here despise because it has a shaped back for each person (instead of it being flat).

The Bear Mountain fixed grip quad at K has these chairs & is uncomfortable. The Snowshed HSQ still has the old Yan chairs too but for some reason don't seem as uncomfortable. I believe the Pico quads have the same chairs as Snowshed also.
 

MadMadWorld

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Improving the snowmaking is still the top priority of the partnership. There is no need at all for a HSQ but I wouldn't mind them eventually replacing the black chair with a fixed grip quad. I won't try and play armchair ski area operator but my family and I were certainly dissapointed with the breakdown. The really sad part is that many of the people I saw on Thursday and Friday were day ticket holders. With the snow conditions as good as they were, the events that occurred caused Magic to lose a substantial revenue stream. The new part was actually delivered at 3:00 in the Morning on New Year's Day as I was leaving the lodge from the NYE party. On New Year's Day there was work being done to ready black for the annual inspection. I am hopeful that both chairs will be inspected and ready to go for next weekend.

Uphill capacity should be way at the bottom of the totum pole. Reliable lift service and snowmaking should keep them plenty busy for the near future.
 

Smellytele

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[FONT=&quot]1/2/13[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Re: Lift Update[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Dear Passholders and Friends:[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I want to advise you all as to the progress on the lift front the past two days. On Monday we pursued five different leads throughout the country for the necessary part on the Red Chair, and were able to get it shipped from Detroit to Boston on New Year’s Eve with the part eventually arriving at Magic at 2:30 AM yesterday. We arranged for a mechanical engineer in Springfield, VT to come in on New Year’s day. He worked all day removing the faulty parts, milling news fasteners, and installing the new part on the shaft. The shaft and braking mechanism are being installed this morning. The lift inspector will review the installation as soon as it is completed, and thereafter he has required that we load test the lift. A load test consists of putting weight on every chair by filling barrels of water on each chair and then executing a complete battery of tests. As part of the test, an electrical engineer will be on site making any necessary adjustments to the electrical and safety systems.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]On the Black chair we arranged for a cable inspection which occurred yesterday with a positive result. Also, the lift inspector approved a process to be performed on each grip which will allow the chairs to swing freely (a requirement for the lift to pass inspection). With approval of that process the work on that task has begun on every chair.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Snowmaking also continued through the night at both the Beginner Tow Handle area and Tube Park to create enough base depth for the tow lifts to operate properly and last us though March. Now that there is enough machine-made snow, the lift tracks can be groomed out today and angled properly for safety purposes so they can be inspected this week as well.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This is obviously a great deal to accomplish in a short period of time, but we have the experts, the inspector and personnel in place to accomplish it. All hands are on deck in an effort to get the Red Chair, Beginner Handle Tow and Tube Park tow prepared to run on Saturday. I will update you all as to the progress on the above tasks as they move forward. If there are any questions, feel free to contact me.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sincerely,[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Jim Sullivan[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]President[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Magic Mountain[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 

jrmagic

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i read they were giving day trippers vouchers for a return visit, were season pass holders comp'd in any way?

This was sent in the same email that smelly just posted...

We will continue to keep you up-to-date on progress as we work to start anew in 2013 this Saturday. We truly appreciate all those who came out in force early in the Holiday Week and the support shown by so many in the face of the lift shut down and closure. It has been a frustrating time for many loyal supporters and every one here at Magic, but the Magic Crew is focused on doing everything we can to try and get you out on the snow at Magic this weekend.
For our season passholders, we will be providing a ticket voucher that can be used by any family member or friend you choose to give it to, plus a voucher for food at the Black Line Tavern as a thank you for being there with us through this time.
On behalf of every one at Magic, we wish you a wonderful 2013 and look forward to seeing you on the slopes again soon.
- The Magic Team
 
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