Summer 2018 Northeast Offseason Improvements

[thetrailboss]

You realize many hundreds of lifts of all ages in the western United States have no bars, right?

That number is shrinking. In Utah Alta and other places have started putting bars on their lifts or replacing lifts with those that have bars.

 

[speden]

Apparently retrofitting bars on old lifts has a downside of adding a lot of weight. I read this about a lift at Telluride:

"Another planned project that will surprise no one is a Plunge lift replacement. The existing 1985 CTEC triple has had a reduced hourly capacity of 1,042 pph ever since safety bars were installed, due to their added weight. At 6,260 feet slope length, a ride takes nearly 13 minutes."

 

[Jully]

You realize many hundreds of lifts of all ages in the western United States have no bars, right?

Not sure why that matters. It doesn't make it any less sketchy feeling as tuna described. Also seems like the safety bar is far from the whole picture of why its sketchy.

 

[Edd]

You realize many hundreds of lifts of all ages in the western United States have no bars, right?

How many, I wonder? It should be zero, IMO. I’ve seen a few but, of all the lifts I’ve seen, I’d put it at about 1%.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Amazes me how many regulations there are for so many things but it's still legal to have a slippery lift with no bar.

Fear of heights and vertigo are my biggest enemies while skiing -- part of the reason I like tree skiing and pucker in open bowls. So while others may not be frozen in fear riding up that chair (many are I guarantee you that), I would think there would be some other safety mechanism. As I said it was one of the most downward sloping slippery chairs I can remember as well. I felt that if I did not hang on to something it wouldn't have taken much to slide right off.

Telluride is supposed to be a world-class resort and all that so riding such a POS lift was a bit of a surprise -- and I only rode that lift once for that reason, sadly missing probably some of the best terrain on the mountain.


Anyway good to see they are replacing it. I imagine they got a lot of complaints!

 

[Smellytele]

How many, I wonder? It should be zero, IMO. I’ve seen a few but, of all the lifts I’ve seen, I’d put it at about 1%.

Loveland has a few as does Mount Rose.

 

[crystalmountainskier]

How many, I wonder? It should be zero, IMO. I’ve seen a few but, of all the lifts I’ve seen, I’d put it at about 1%.

Way over 1%. Still a large number of the lifts in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico and parts of California.

Vail Resorts will be buying a lot of bars for Stevens Pass. The Summit at Snoqualmie has 15 chairlifts without them. Red Lodge, MT even has a high speed quad without them.

Somehow millions grew up skiing in the Pacific Northwest for decades without falling to their deaths!

 

[Edd]

Somehow millions grew up skiing in the Pacific Northwest for decades without falling to their deaths!

Just doesn’t seem worth the risk to me. I work for a large corporation at which safety is discussed ad nauseam so my viewpoint is likely contaminated but a simple bar seems like such a no-brainer.

 

[So Inclined]

Amazes me how many regulations there are for so many things but it's still legal to have a slippery lift with no bar.

I often take 4-6 year olds - some of them really very small - on chairlifts while instructing, and it's easily the most stressful part of the job for me, even with safety bars. "Tyler, please turn around and stop kicking your feet. Kayla, PLEASE sit back a little..."

I've only been on a few chairs without bars out west (Lift 7 at Taos comes to mind first), none of them in beginner areas but kids lessons don't always stay in beginner-land and I can't imagine taking someone else's kids up on an old school open chair like that.

 

[Edd]

I've only been on a few chairs without bars out west (Lift 7 at Taos comes to mind first), none of them in beginner areas but kids lessons don't always stay in beginner-land and I can't imagine taking someone else's kids up on an old school open chair like that.

You’ve gotta get on the old school tough guy train like this person. How dare you expect reasonable precautions?!

Somehow millions grew up skiing in the Pacific Northwest for decades without falling to their deaths!

 

[ss20]

I often take 4-6 year olds - some of them really very small - on chairlifts while instructing, and it's easily the most stressful part of the job for me, even with safety bars. "Tyler, please turn around and stop kicking your feet. Kayla, PLEASE sit back a little..."

Worst part of the job...

 

[bdfreetuna]

I expect the most dangerous part of skiing to be "the way down". The way up is what you're paying for and if I recall Telluride was close to $130 for a day pass.

edit: $139, apparently. I might have got a deal with a 2 day pass.

 

[mtl1076]

Worst part of the job...

It is actually pretty interesting. No safety bar and the kids sit back on the chair. With a safety bar they scoot forward and use the bar to rest, etc.

 

[1dog]

You’ve gotta get on the old school tough guy train like this person. How dare you expect reasonable precautions?!

Raising everyone to blame everyone and anyone except the man in the mirror ( apologies to MJ). Lawyers - not all - but easily 30% of the cost of living is preventative legal protection at many levels.

Pendulum has swung way too far.

Warren got wealthy by understanding insurance - you pay us every year and maybe we have to pay you back once in a while, ( but highly unlikely more than a couple times in a lifetime)? I understand that says the Sage of Omaha. . . .

 

[JAM614]

Black Mountain of Maine; more than doubling their snowmaking capabilities with the addition of 17 tower guns;
http://www.skiblackmountain.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=354

https://www.facebook.com/skiblackmountain/videos/239613816724271/

The Angry Beavers continue to cut glades, adding another (4) for this year, pushing the count near 30, all off from (1) lift. BMOM has a modest trail map, there's way more than meets the eye.
See more here;
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BMOMbeavers/

 

[sull1102]

Just saw pics over on NESI of the "new" Loon gondola cabins. Man oh man was that one hell of a let down, the caption read something like "New and Old" and honestly I could not tell which one was the new one at first. New is kind of tough to say when it looks like they were purchased 30 years ago, wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in a humidity controlled warehouse somewhere overseas just waiting for the day they were needed at Loon.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I think it's pretty clear Boyne is not as well-capitalized as Alterra or Vail.

 

[AdironRider]

When was the last time you fell over while sitting in a chair?

I'm willing to bet never.

 

[Smellytele]

When was the last time you fell over while sitting in a chair?

I'm willing to bet never.

On the back side of Alpine Meadows I saw a woman fall of the lift. She actually fell asleep I was told by ski patrol. And this was with a bar on the lift.

 

[Gnarcissaro]

I’m more inclined to argue that Loon would be doing more of a disservice to the experience by putting in a bigger gondola. There’s already enough people on the slopes on a busy day, gotta keep some at the base. Trails off the gondola summit aren’t exactly ‘old New England’ style, but aren’t super wide boulevards either.

You want even more getting dropped off at the summit, and hence, on the trails with you? An 8 person gondy would be a shit show, I think. If you’re there on weekend you already should be accepting the normal line situation there.


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