Chair Swing Video

[fixedgrip16]

If there's any question why chairs can't run sometimes, here's one big reason that affects the higher New England peaks (and the Dacks). . . you want a fun ride up the hill not a thrill ride-- imagine? The lift wouldn't travel far if you did try to run it. She'd derail in a heartbeat. . . not good times. :-o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtcFa2lB1lc

 

[mister moose]

I had the thrill of hitting a tower hard on stage 3 of the old Killington gondola just before coming into the peak station. Didn't shut itself down, but the liftie went white and called it in.

 

[campgottagopee]

I've banged off a few towers in my day at Smuggs. That M1 lift can be a real fun ride at times. Also at WF we've caught a breeze or 28)

 

[davidhowland14]

anyone remember loon last year?

 

[downhill04]

After watching that vid this one popped up. Crazyness!

 

[thetrailboss]

I just love it how that chair is swinging like crazy and the only thing the folks on the lift can do is sit and watch it....

 

[BushMogulMaster]

After watching that vid this one popped up. Crazyness!

That was experimental testing done on the Eskimo lift at Winter Park. That footage is from a $250 NSAA video.

They got to have lots of fun. They dropped trees on the lift, they lit it on fire, they tested the strength of towers by yanking on them with big machines, they oiled up the haul rope, they watched it rollback (although not 100% intentionally... they meant to hit the e-stop to engage the bullwheel brake, but instead hit the normal stop, and the caliper driveline brake was disconnected!). Good stuff.

 

[bvibert]

That was experimental testing done on the Eskimo lift at Winter Park. That footage is from a $250 NSAA video.

They got to have lots of fun. They dropped trees on the lift, they lit it on fire, they tested the strength of towers by yanking on them with big machines, they oiled up the haul rope, they watched it rollback (although not 100% intentionally... they meant to hit the e-stop to engage the bullwheel brake, but instead hit the normal stop, and the caliper driveline brake was disconnected!). Good stuff.

That is a great video. I would have loved to be there to partake in the tests myself. I like when they lit the engine room on fire while the lift was running.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

That is a great video. I would have loved to be there to partake in the tests myself. I like when they lit the engine room on fire while the lift was running.

That was a perfect demonstration of why you DO NOT EVER STOP A LIFT THAT IS ON FIRE! That experiment is why we have today's better designed brake lines. Lift brake systems are failsafe, meaning that if they loose pressure or have an electrical failure, they will set on and stop the lift. But if you're in a fire situation that compromises the system, you want the lift to keep running. So they learned from this test how to design fire-proof brake systems so that you can clear the line and try to avoid snapping the haul rope. Extreme heat combined with high tension is bad!

 

[bvibert]

That was a perfect demonstration of why you DO NOT EVER STOP A LIFT THAT IS ON FIRE! That experiment is why we have today's better designed brake lines. Lift brake systems are failsafe, meaning that if they loose pressure or have an electrical failure, they will set on and stop the lift. But if you're in a fire situation that compromises the system, you want the lift to keep running. So they learned from this test how to design fire-proof brake systems so that you can clear the line and try to avoid snapping the haul rope. Extreme heat combined with high tension is bad!

Thats interesting. I know about not stopping a lift that's on fire, but I never thought about the fire proofness of the brake system. I guess it wouldn't take long for your typical hydraulic line, or the hydraulic pump itself, to fail from the heat of a fire, causing the lift to stop.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

That's why you should always keep the bar down..

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Thats interesting. I know about not stopping a lift that's on fire, but I never thought about the fire proofness of the brake system. I guess it wouldn't take long for your typical hydraulic line, or the hydraulic pump itself, to fail from the heat of a fire, causing the lift to stop.

Exactly. That's why in the NSAA vid, the lift stops and the haul rope eventually succumbs to the heat. It stopped because the heat melted through a hydraulic line, the brake system lost pressure, and thus the brakes set (which, in the failsafe system, in the event of pressure loss, is the natural reaction). Pretty much all lifts since this test have been retrofit or built with fireproof brake systems. In fact, I don't have the code in front of me, but I believe ANSI B77 specs for such a setup. Most states with skiing have made B77 law.