The "Sugarbush Thread"

[mikec142]

I think a fixed-grip quad is really the most logical and appropriate choice for HG. You don't need a high speed lift up there. Lowering the profile to reduce wind issues in a few spots is a big upgrade. A brand new lift in and of itself is a rather significant upgrade as well as in theory it would be more reliable just by virtue of being a brand new lift.

Completely agree.

Random fixed grip lift question. Can they be sped up? Is there some sort of known top end speed that if exceeded makes it too hard to load and unload? I'd love to see Heaven's Gate and Summit run a bit faster. There are times when I'm on the lift and it cold and feels like a long ride.

One more question...does anyone know the speed of HG vs. Summit vs. Inverness. Inverness feels like it's crawling.

 

[Hawk]

Summit and Inverness I feel are equally as slow. HG isi definately not as bad. I know that they can run just a little faster but the have to be careful. Too fast and they get complaints from people getting whacked in the back of the legs.

 

[cdskier]

Completely agree.

Random fixed grip lift question. Can they be sped up? Is there some sort of known top end speed that if exceeded makes it too hard to load and unload? I'd love to see Heaven's Gate and Summit run a bit faster. There are times when I'm on the lift and it cold and feels like a long ride.

One more question...does anyone know the speed of HG vs. Summit vs. Inverness. Inverness feels like it's crawling.

Per Dopp's specs, 550/ft/min is the top speed if you utilize a loading carpet (assuming I did my math right...they list it as 2.8 meters per second on their brochure for new lifts). Not sure of the line speeds on HG/Summit/Inverness. Liftblog has line speeds listed in their database on their website, but they seem wrong (all 3 of those are listed as in the 500-550 range which sounds too high considering that puts it in the max speed of a lift with carpet loading). Those could be original design spec speeds though and maybe they're simply not actually run at those speeds today.

 

[mikec142]

Summit and Inverness I feel are equally as slow. HG isi definately not as bad. I know that they can run just a little faster but the have to be careful. Too fast and they get complaints from people getting whacked in the back of the legs.

Thanks. I've definitely had some incredibly cold, slow rides on Summit and Inverness.

There was a day during the first covid season where there was a wind hold on pretty much the entire mountain except for Inverness. I did about 7-8 solo rides up the lift (freezing my ass off) to explore Semi-Tough Woods. Halfway up each ride I would say, this is the last run, but then the skiing would be so good that I would do another lap.

 

[HowieT2]

IIRC from when we were discussing the new valley house quad, the max recommended speed for a fixed grip without a carpet loader was something like 400-450 ft/min

 

[SkiingInABlueDream]

Carpet loaders, ugh I don't like them. For some reason the loading always feels awkward to me. I've been skiing almost my entire life, I've self-bumped chairs for myself many times over the years (think fast moving old school doubles and inattentive liftys circa 30+ yrs ago). I'm not a gaper chair rider but for some reason carpet loading is usually not smooth for me

 

[ThatGuy]

My girlfriend hates carpet loaders.
My bil almost fell off the lift on one.
I’ve never had a problem with them…seems to be a snowboarder issue in my anecdotal experience.

 

[flakeydog]

For some reason the new VH quad often whacks the loadees. I feel it is slightly better than the 1st year or 2 they had it. Key seems to be have all riders lined up and it softens the blow a bit, just never be the one standing 2 feet behind the other 3 or you get creamed. They have a couple of these out at Bridger. I remember being there a few years ago and it was notable how much smoother the load was. It is possible that they ran those chairs a little slower since they were lower mountain mostly blue/green terrain but I cant say for sure.

 

[HowieT2]

For some reason the new VH quad often whacks the loadees. I feel it is slightly better than the 1st year or 2 they had it. Key seems to be have all riders lined up and it softens the blow a bit, just never be the one standing 2 feet behind the other 3 or you get creamed. They have a couple of these out at Bridger. I remember being there a few years ago and it was notable how much smoother the load was. It is possible that they ran those chairs a little slower since they were lower mountain mostly blue/green terrain but I cant say for sure.

I take a step forward on the carpet before the chair gets me

 

[drjeff]

Loading carpets, the concept that on paper seems like good thing, but when put into use by the general public, very oftens doesn't live up to the hype and often due to user error/apathy/ignorance, ends up caussing more issues than the benefits it can bring *IF* used properly...

 

[Newpylong]

The carpet loader adds 50 FPM of LEGAL rope speed to the lift and is specified in ANSI B77.1 based on number of persons.

Design speeds differ from lift to lift based on various factors (lift profile, motor HP, target ridership, etc). Liftblog and other sites are only going to know this number - its usually placarded at the bottom of the lift. They are not going to know the "dial a speed" that the operator either has it currently set to run at or what the various presets (normal, slow) equal in terms of FPM.

Hope this helps.

IMHO Summit and Inverness always seemed equal/equally slow to me. Actually all Poma FGQs from that era regardless of ski area feel around 400 FPM.

 

[Hawk]

I take a step forward on the carpet before the chair gets me

Yes the trick is to have all 4 take one large step forward(like 3 or 4 feet) and it works much better. I also take the left position and grab the left side hand rail to slow it down.

 

[djd66]

I take a step forward also,... seems like maybe the carpet is not running at the correct speed? (right position you get whacked if you don't grab the chair)

 

[cdskier]

Odd...I rarely have a problem with the carpet loader not positioning me correctly. I didn't think I did anything special...but maybe I do subconsciously without even realizing it.

 

[drjeff]

Odd...I rarely have a problem with the carpet loader not positioning me correctly. I didn't think I did anything special...but maybe I do subconsciously without even realizing it.

Likely you're just a "normal" person who can follow the instructions about how to properly use it, correctly!

 

[Dickc]

If I time my “sit” just right, I do OK with a carpet load. Otherwise, I get whacked in the calf right at the boot top, and it friggin hurts. I think they should still bump the chairs to prevent getting whacked. My other complaint is that as I sit, I frequently get the boot top caught under the lip of the chair as they are so low where they have to be low enough for kids to get on. This is not exclusive to carpet loading chairs either!

 

[Hawk]

If you haven't actually tried the chair how would you even know what we are talking about.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

i dont understand why its so hard to look over your shoulder to see the incoming chair and place your hand around the back of your knee to bump the chair yourself. we all spend an inordinate amount of time on a skiing message board, are we really complaining about not knowing how to ride fixed grip chairlifts without help from a liftie?

 

[Hawk]

We are not talking about a typical fixed grip chair. We are talking about a carpet loader.
Also no one is complaining, we are offering advise.
I have ridden all kinds of carpet loaders. The one at sugarbush is different so you have to pay attention. its not hard but it is surely different.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

yea, but also still really not complicated whatsoever. slide out. stand. wait. put your hand down to soften the impact if you want.