8 pack speculation

[snoseek]

High capacity lifts serve their purpose to shuttle bodies up from the base but I cringe whenever a six (or future 8?) is installed. This isn't about a better experience yet it's always marketed like it's doing everyone a favor....saving 5 minutes in a lift, trade off being a sea of people and widening of trails. This is especially true in New England where the charm is those nice little hardwood lined ribbons...You can't have those with eight packs

 

[C-Rex]

i was thinking it might be a bit of a clusterf@ck getting 8 off a lift. hate to admit it but i still sometimes get a bit out of control with 1 foot strapped in getting off the lift, and i've got many years under my belt snowboarding.

I still duff it a few times each season and I've been riding for around 16 years. Usually happens when the unload area is a block of ice and/or the group in front didn't clear out fast enough so I have to turn or stop quickly. Always embarrassing but at least it makes some of the beginners I ride with feel better. I can't imagine being in the middle of an 8 pack of all snowboarders. Ugh.

 

[Quietman]

I'm the opposite of most in this thread. I find 6 packs uncomfortable and enjoy Gondolas. Of course, I have to take my board off of 1 foot so a second isn't that big of a deal. But seriously, I dislike 6 packs enough that I try to avoid them.

Have you ridden on the Bluebird 6 pack at Mt Snow? I did for the 1st time last year and completely understand the nickname of the flying sofa. The chairs are very comfortable. Of course the line was so long during the day that we only rode it after 3pm.

My brother and I did also enjoy having the 8 person Strawberry Express gondola at Snowbasin to ourselves all day a few winters ago. It was nice to lay out on the seats and relax for the 12 minute ride, sometimes with a nice cold ale. If my wife was skiing with me, I would have told my brother to take the next cabin!

 

[jimk]

i was thinking it might be a bit of a clusterf@ck getting 8 off a lift. hate to admit it but i still sometimes get a bit out of control with 1 foot strapped in getting off the lift, and i've got many years under my belt snowboarding.

Looks like 8 passenger chairs have been used in Europe since at least 1999, see link: http://www.lift-world.info/en/lifts/Ort/8-sessellift/page1.htm
If we haven't seen any yet in the US, we may never see any. Even with detachable technology I'd guess loading these lifts could be chaotic on busy days. Also, on quieter days they might be tricky for a couple of younger children to handle by themselves? Maybe something like this new "child-safe" 8 pack with automatic safety bar would catch on in the US? http://www.worldsnowboardguide.com/news/story/20120919almenweltlofer.cfm
Then you wouldn't have to wonder if someone will pull the bar down and hit you on the head, it will be guaranteed.:grin:

 

[Quietman]

Thanks for the link on the European 8 packs! One thing that stands out to me is that the 8 packs average about 3,000 persons per hour, while a HS Quad does 2,400 per hour. I completely understand about increased chair spacing for loading and unloading, but why put in an 8 pack if you only gain 600 people per hour?

 

[Nick]

Maybe Wachusett will replace all their lifts with 8 packs

 

[St. Bear]

Thanks for the link on the European 8 packs! One thing that stands out to me is that the 8 packs average about 3,000 persons per hour, while a HS Quad does 2,400 per hour. I completely understand about increased chair spacing for loading and unloading, but why put in an 8 pack if you only gain 600 people per hour?

10 more people every minute at the top of the hill is significant.

 

[x10003q]

Thanks for the link on the European 8 packs! One thing that stands out to me is that the 8 packs average about 3,000 persons per hour, while a HS Quad does 2,400 per hour. I completely understand about increased chair spacing for loading and unloading, but why put in an 8 pack if you only gain 600 people per hour?

Hunter's 6 capacity is 2600 and the 4 capacity is 2400.

 

[Smellytele]

10 more people every minute at the top of the hill is significant.

If all have 8 people on them which will be limited

 

[snoseek]

Thanks for the link on the European 8 packs! One thing that stands out to me is that the 8 packs average about 3,000 persons per hour, while a HS Quad does 2,400 per hour. I completely understand about increased chair spacing for loading and unloading, but why put in an 8 pack if you only gain 600 people per hour?

I could be wrong here but couldn't you simply just add more chairs to increase capacity down the road?

 

[catskills]

1) It's zero degrees with 20 MPH wind. During a lift evacuation, do you want to be on an open 8 pack or warm cozy gondola? An 8 pack is going to take a lot more time to get you roped down to the ground then a 4 or 6 pack.

2) Conveyor belts used to load any high speed chair lift can improve capacity simply by reducing the frequency the lift must be stopped.

3) My understanding is Hunter's 6 pack is not run to full capacity on purpose due to trail capacity.

 

[Quietman]

I did find one in the list that states capacity is 4,000 per hour, and it does have a loading carpet. I'd love to watch the unloading ramp as 8 people arrive every 7.2 seconds! Although it does appear to be a nice wide open area.



Chair interval 7,2 s
Maximum capacity 4000 Pers/h
Travel time 6,3 min
Driving speed line 5,0 m/s
Transport uphill 100 %
Transport downhill 50 %
Drive direction left
Garage type ground floor
Garage place Valley station
Situation of entrance parallel
Situation of exit parallel
Loading carpet yes

 

[drjeff]

I did find one in the list that states capacity is 4,000 per hour, and it does have a loading carpet. I'd love to watch the unloading ramp as 8 people arrive every 7.2 seconds! Although it does appear to be a nice wide open area.
View attachment 9508


Chair interval 7,2 s
Maximum capacity 4000 Pers/h
Travel time 6,3 min
Driving speed line 5,0 m/s
Transport uphill 100 %
Transport downhill 50 %
Drive direction left
Garage type ground floor
Garage place Valley station
Situation of entrance parallel
Situation of exit parallel
Loading carpet yes

This is EXACTLY the type of unloading area that you need to make a 6 or 8 seater work IMHO!

It's not too steep, WIDE, and by the appearance of it, you don't have trails immediately to the right, left and straight ahead that make people want to try and move right, left or stay straight. If upon unloading, EVERYONE has to go in the same direction for say at least 100 feet before options to take trails off to one side or the other present themself, it tends to work much better

 

[Smellytele]

This is EXACTLY the type of unloading area that you need to make a 6 or 8 seater work IMHO!

It's not too steep, WIDE, and by the appearance of it, you don't have trails immediately to the right, left and straight ahead that make people want to try and move right, left or stay straight. If upon unloading, EVERYONE has to go in the same direction for say at least 100 feet before options to take trails off to one side or the other present themself, it tends to work much better

That is why MT Snow kind of works with the 6pack because of the wide open flat at the top

 

[deadheadskier]

Yup unloading area design matters more than lift capacity. The northridge triple at K has a very narrow unload ramp. I was noticing people struggling with it on Monday and that chair is only a triple.

 

[Domeskier]

I did find one in the list that states capacity is 4,000 per hour

Yeah, but that's before correcting for their use the metric system. What is the conversion ratio? 1 American for every 2.2 European? In all seriousness (well, with somewhat less frivolity perhaps), I will never get used to the use of a comma in place of a decimal point.

 

[drjeff]

That is why MT Snow kind of works with the 6pack because of the wide open flat at the top

It "kind of" works when the Grand Summit Express isn't running. When the Grand Summit Express is running, even as a diehard Mount Snow fan, I will say that the unloading configuration at the summit is awful!! Unloading from the Bluebird, with the 90 degree unload (which they had to do since there wasn't enough space to unload "straight" off the lift with the summit lodge there) you're immediately fed down what can be a short, but steep ramp that is typically wind blown and often slick with maybe 50 or 60 feet until you get into the immediate unloading path of the Grand Summit Express, and then when unloading from the Bluebird you have trails options that can have one going almost 180 degrees to the right or to the left, slightly to the right or left and straight too. Lots of trails that quickly have people wanting to head every which way AND often having to quickly turn one way or another to avoid the folks getting off the Grand Summit.

As much as my Mount Snow biased self thinks that the Bluebird is the best lift in the East, I will also readily admit that at peak times when both the Bluebird and the Grand Summit are operating, it has one of the worst unloading areas in the East. And that is why, you often see a continuous evolution of the snowgrading around the ramp in the unloading area to try and make a less than desireable configuration better.

My hunch is that if they ever redo the summit lodge, that they will, if permitting allows it, try and move it back towards the Sunbrook side of the mountain a bit to allow a straight unload from the Bluebird

 

[Newpylong]

An 8 pack would be a nice replacement for the K-1, I can't stand taking my skis off and on and waiting in that giant line. I't would be awesome to see someday.

No it wouldn't be. The gondola is perfect despite having to take your skies off due to car spacing. There isn't that much terrain off the top for people to go. You could say space out the chairs, but then there is little advantage of swapping out the gondola cabins for chairs, infact it's worse.

 

[ScottySkis]

Can a bowl be passed on this chair?