chairlift geekery - Baldy Express at Snowbird

[ceo]

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]

^^^ 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]

That's called a 3S. Peak 2 Peak at Whistler is another one.

 

[tumbler]

What are the best websites for chairlift geekery?

 

[octopus]

http://blog.ctnews.com/snowzone/2011/10/18/want-to-buy-a-chairlift/
Haven't been to K in a long time but remember the Jerking motion and thought this things going to shake itself to pices over time . Guess not

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?

 

[thetrailboss]

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.


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[skiNEwhere]

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.


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

 

[ceo]

What are the best websites for chairlift geekery?

For the US, http://skilifts.org.
For Europe, http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/; for that one it helps to know French.
There's also http://gondolaproject.com/, which is focused on the use of ski lift technology for urban public transport.

 

[ceo]

Oh, here are those Snowflake-like lifts:
http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-3785.html
http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-4031.html

 

[SIKSKIER]

I'm a little puzzled as to why those lifts don't go a direct route.

 

[thetrailboss]

Oh, here are those Snowflake-like lifts:
http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-3785.html
http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-4031.html

Wow. Bizarre. And a lot of money sitting there.

 

[Newpylong]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[steamboat1]

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.

I believe the mountain ops building is the old bottom terminal of the gondola.

 

[thetrailboss]

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.

 

[benski]

Mountain opps is the old gondola terminal.

 

[steamboat1]

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.

 

[thetrailboss]

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.

Yes. It has been on and off over the years.