conveyor belt loading lifts

[gmcunni]

saw a comment in another thread about conveyor belt loading lifts but didn't want to drag that thread down.

I'm not a fan -
I've been on 2 of these, 1 at okemo and 1 at mt snow. Don't really like either but prefer the Okemo one. Granted it might not be a fair comparison as the lift @ O is geared towards beginners as it services only the very lower mountain, where as Snow's lift is the (was the) main lift to the top, not too many newbies on it i'd guess.

@ Okemo, you get on the belt and stay on the belt until the chair scoops you up. you also exit onto a belt which takes you to 10 feet or so and deposits you on the snow with a very minimal off ramp. i don't really see the point to offloading on the belt but don't really care.

Mt Snow 's lift sucks (IMHO). you get on the belt but then it simply takes you forward a short distance and deposits you on solid ground for loading the chair. My last visit there i practically skied off the fixed spot, there was nowhere near enough friction to stop me. even on the belt i was sliding forward but accelerated when i hit the landing zone. Had I stuck my poles between my legs in anticipation of getting on the chair I'd have been f*cked. subsequent loads were the same but at least i was ready with my poles to brace myself.

 

[buellski]

I don't really like them either, but it probably just takes some getting used to. My kids and I tried the one at Okemo for the first time this year. The starting gates, as well as the conveyor, really threw my daughter off and she ended up riding up by herself on the next chair. I guess it's supposed to help people from getting caught in between by leaving too early or too late Other than that, I don't really see the benefit.

 

[thetrailboss]

I rode the one at Alta (Supreme) and it was weird at first but after that I had no problems. That lift is a triple, so I would think that a quad would be interesting...

 

[jrmagic]

Had I stuck my poles between my legs in anticipation of getting on the chair I'd have been f*cked.

Why would you stick your poles between your legs before you wre on the lift? To me that sounds like potential trouble even on a standard lift if something goes wrong.

 

[hammer]

Why would you stick your poles between your legs before you wre on the lift? To me that sounds like potential trouble even on a standard lift if something goes wrong.

Some people like to sit on their poles when riding on the lift...I do the same thing a lot of the time although the DW doesn't like it, mainly because it can be awkward getting the poles ready before unloading.

 

[jrmagic]

Some people like to sit on their poles when riding on the lift...I do the same thing a lot of the time although the DW doesn't like it.

I do as well but I don't do it until after I am on the lift.

 

[gmcunni]

I do as well but I don't do it until after I am on the lift.

i typically put under my leg after seated. occasionally i'll stick between my legs and just sit right down on them.

 

[speden]

I've only used them at Okemo. I found them a little awkward at first, but they seem to be an inexpensive way of getting much higher lift capacity out of a fixed quad. That's probably why Sugarloaf is going that way for the Spillway replacement. They need to move a lot of skiers per hour there, but probably didn't feel the cost of a detached was worth it. The conveyor lifts are probably more compact and reliable than a detached too. The wind resistance might also be a factor. With a fixed grip they can go with very heavy chairs, which might not work for a detached design.

Sounds like the one at Snow is probably an outdated design. The new ones don't seem to work that way.

 

[2knees]

Why would you stick your poles between your legs before you wre on the lift? To me that sounds like potential trouble even on a standard lift if something goes wrong.

Some people like to sit on their poles when riding on the lift...I do the same thing a lot of the time although the DW doesn't like it, mainly because it can be awkward getting the poles ready before unloading.

I do as well but I don't do it until after I am on the lift.

i typically put under my leg after seated. occasionally i'll stick between my legs and just sit right down on them.

this sounds like a job for super thread.....

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php?t=18682

 

[Glenn]

I like the one at Mount Snow. In my opinion, it's reducing loading issues on the Grand Summit quite a bit. Sure, new folks may gaff it up now and again. But the loading has been much improved since they installed it.

Some people dislike it. At the passholders meeting, they stated that the new 6 pack would not have a belt. People cheered.

 

[tjf67]

The first time you use them they are a little differant. There is very little to do and I am used to skiing up and getting in psoition. With the mats you just inch the tips out till they grab and let the mat do the rest. After the first time I liked them. You have more time to get your pole straps off and get ready for the load. That what she said

 

[drjeff]

Lean on gates (as it says to), gates open, keep your feet still (don't try and walk on the conveyor belt as many do), the belt puts however many # of people at the load line, at the same time.

Ski schools, especially those with younger kids and/or beginners love the belts.

From having now seen the one in Mount Snow in use for a few seasons, yup, every now and then the belt gets a little slick and folks with a bit more mass than other (myself included) can end up practically against the chair loading front of you. But more often than not when errors occur is because folks don't follow instructions and hang back from the gates waiting for them to open. If they don't get moving as it opens, its not uncommon for the gate to close back up before the person gets through it, and then 2 chairs go up not fully loaded.

As a whole though, the last few seasons that Mount Snow has had theirs, more chairs go up fully loaded and there's less stoppage of the lift. And that's what the carpet was put in to do

 

[puckoach]

Loon installed one at the Brothers lift infront of the Octogon Lodge.

By the third time thru, you get the hang of it. Certainly keeps the chairs full on a busy day.

Great Idea !!!

 

[Cannonball]

Stupid F'ing idea if you ask me. Adds a big and unneeded infrastructure cost which shows up directly in ticket/pass prices. I'm not spending $80 on ticket at these mtns to help pay for unnecessary overhead. Keep it simple, keep it cheap.

 

[gmcunni]

every now and then the belt gets a little slick and folks with a bit more mass than other (myself included) can end up practically against the chair loading front of you.

this. too slick for my skis or my skis were waxed too well. even when i hit the carpet (i think it was carpet) i kept sliding forward.

 

[bvibert]

I can see the advantage if it allows fixed grips to run at a faster speed. Aside from that it seems pretty dumb to me.

 

[Puck it]

They have there place. But I do think they are dumb, too.

 

[riverc0il]

I could possibly see the advantage on a fixed grip lift so the line can move faster (Shawnee did this, IIRC). But on a HSQ like Mount Snow, it actually made loading more complicated, not less, and I doubt they increased the line speed much if anything at all.

 

[RootDKJ]

I couldn't stand the one at Mt Snow. It felt awkward and like I was going to endo off the platform.

 

[4aprice]

I rode the one at Alta (Supreme) and it was weird at first but after that I had no problems. That lift is a triple, so I would think that a quad would be interesting...

I used the one on Supreme as well. I think it allows them to run the chair faster as that thing comes around the bull wheel fast even standing on the moving conveyor belt.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ