Sugarloaf Superquad Cable Shortening

[K2Trav]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MflfQjXuHY

 

[Johnskiismore]

Cool stuff, pretty amazing how its done

 

[thetrailboss]

Interesting to see the insides of ski area management. How many feet were taken out? Were those Sugarloaf Staff or workers from CTEC? And how often do they have to readjust the line length? I know that new lifts have to see adjustments in the first year.

 

[bvibert]

Interesting to see the insides of ski area management. How many feet were taken out? Were those Sugarloaf Staff or workers from CTEC? And how often do they have to readjust the line length? I know that new lifts have to see adjustments in the first year.

Sundown had to shorten the haul rope on one of their main chairs last season. The haul rope was a few years old (IIRC) and had stretched enough that the tensioning carriage was back towards the rear part of it's travel. From what I understand there's only a few people in the country that can splice the haul rope. The guy came to Sundown and directed the Sundown staff to basically be the assistants. Again, I wasn't there, but that's how it was explained to me. I assume the operation at Sugarloaf was similar.

 

[Telemechanic]

I recognize the splicer in the video and he works for Daniel O'Connor and Sons a wire rope supplier in Massachusetts so the helpers are most likely Sugarloaf employees. Even when a lift manufacturer is responsible for a splice they hire an outside splicer and then its all hands on deck, both construction workers and ski area employees, to handle the strands. Your right about new haul ropes needing shortening in the first few years but after that it can be a decade or two before the next shortening is needed. I think the Super Quad was built in the early 90's so its possible this is its first shortening after the initial early shortening.

 

[K2Trav]

Interesting to see the insides of ski area management. How many feet were taken out? Were those Sugarloaf Staff or workers from CTEC? And how often do they have to readjust the line length? I know that new lifts have to see adjustments in the first year.

I think it was 10 feet. The guy in the overalls was the splicer, the rest of the people work for sugarloaf lift maintenance. It was an interesting thing to see, I had always wondered how the cable was spliced

 

[thetrailboss]

I think it was 10 feet. The guy in the overalls was the splicer, the rest of the people work for sugarloaf lift maintenance. It was an interesting thing to see, I had always wondered how the cable was spliced

It is very interesting to watch. I've seen splicing at Sugarbush (the new GMX) and Burke.

 

[Glenn]

I recognize the splicer in the video and he works for Daniel O'Connor and Sons a wire rope supplier in Massachusetts so the helpers are most likely Sugarloaf employees. Even when a lift manufacturer is responsible for a splice they hire an outside splicer and then its all hands on deck, both construction workers and ski area employees, to handle the strands. Your right about new haul ropes needing shortening in the first few years but after that it can be a decade or two before the next shortening is needed. I think the Super Quad was built in the early 90's so its possible this is its first shortening after the initial early shortening.

I beleive they're located in Monson MA. Funny thing, his wife was one of my teachers in Highschool. I think for a breif period, they made some smaller tow surface lifts. I've seen a few pics online.

 

[Telemechanic]

I beleive they're located in Monson MA. Funny thing, his wife was one of my teachers in Highschool. I think for a breif period, they made some smaller tow surface lifts. I've seen a few pics online.

Yes O'Connor and Sons is in Monson MA. I work with their splicer (not an O'Connor) a couple times a year during haul rope inspections and during two shortenings. Its a fascinating process.

 

[Glenn]

That's gotta be really cool to see.

 

[thetrailboss]

So O'Connor does work on all kinds of lifts? Nice gig....but I imagine that the last couple years have been slow as new lift construction has lagged.

 

[Telemechanic]

So O'Connor does work on all kinds of lifts? Nice gig....but I imagine that the last couple years have been slow as new lift construction has lagged.

One income they can count on is annual rope inspections which are required and rope shortenings which can be put off only to a point. They also supply rope for less expensive projects. They sold Loon the wire rope for their new zip-line across the East Branch.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Wire rope splices are fascinating things. I've worked on two. I may have posted about them before, but I don't feel like searching :wink: Both splices were done by Justin Knight of Knight Equipment (3rd generation splicer... his dad, RJ, is still active, and his brother Jason works on some as well).

These first photos are from the splice of a new wire rope on the Piney Basin Triple (Poma Alpha series prototype, electronics/PLC retrofitted by Doppelmayr) at Ski Cooper in Leadville, CO. See if you can spot me :wink:

The following set are from the splice on the new haul rope (Fatzer, I believe) on the new Montezuma Quad (Poma Alpha) at A-Basin:

I'd love to explain it all, but frankly I couldn't even begin to. I grasp the basics, but it's a true trade that you have to learn by experience over years and years.

 

[drjeff]

Great pics BMM!! I figure that I'd NEVER be able to do something like that given that I have immense difficulty just making a decent pony tail with my 6 year old daughters hair, let alone trying to braid it! :lol:

 

[bvibert]

Great pics BMM!! I figure that I'd NEVER be able to do something like that given that I have immense difficulty just making a decent pony tail with my 6 year old daughters hair, let alone trying to braid it! :lol:

I've tried to put a pony tails in my daughter's hair, the results were less than desirable.

 

[Telemechanic]

Splicing Manual

For your reading pleasure:

http://www.worksafebc.com/publications/health_and_safety/by_topic/assets/pdf/splicing.pdf

The common long splice is what we've been talking about here. Try it at home with some nylon rope or your daughter's (or daughters) hair.

 

[Glenn]

Great pics!

And that instruction manual shows how complicated it really is.