Lifts that load with a conveyer belt

[SkiGAP]

If anyone is barely having enough time to shuffle to the loading spot with a detachable, how do they manage a fixed grip?

That's my question. I never really thought about people being fast enough, more about them being in the right place at the right time (forward back and left and right). Which now that I think about it, is the same thing I guess. Never mind.

It just seems like so many additional moving parts for questionable additional benefit, but they wouldn't be spreading far and wide if there was not some sort of positive business case behind it, I would imagine.

By the way, the belt or the astroturf carpet with no snow in it can be quite a surprise for the unwitting freewheeler if you rush to get through the gate before it closes and come to an abrupt stop...

 

[SaraJ]

I've been on chairlifts with conveyor belts that can be raised so that small children can get onto the chair more easily. You slide forward onto the conveyor belt, the lifty presses a button, the whole platform goes up, the chair comes in, child (and everyone else) sits down and away you go.
I remember one specifically in Italy that did this. I was skiing with some sit-skiers who needed help loading onto the chairlift. Normally, this is no problem, however, on this particular lift it was difficult to get the load right. Sometimes we were too high and sometimes we were too low... We hadn't noticed that the platform could be raised so it took a while to realise what was happening, mostly because it wasn't consistent - some of the lifties thought they would help us by lifting the platform, others didn't.
Once we figured out what was happening we had a chat with the lifties and asked them to not lift it. It was all fine after that.

 

[SkiGAP]

I've been on chairlifts with conveyor belts that can be raised so that small children can get onto the chair more easily. You slide forward onto the conveyor belt, the lifty presses a button, the whole platform goes up, the chair comes in, child (and everyone else) sits down and away you go.

I *really* want to tell you that I don't believe you. But I suppose you have no incentive to make that up :-)

 

[SaraJ]

I *really* want to tell you that I don't believe you. But I suppose you have no incentive to make that up :-)

It's true! It was at a ski area called Bellamonte, Alpe Lusia in the Dolomites.

 

[SkiGAP]

Been in the Dolomites, but not there specifically. Cool!

 

[lynseyf]

We've done the European queue style in other threads....but I have come to the conclusion that I am utterly euro in my queue technique. When I was in Squaw in January I was practically hyperventilating at the gaps in the queue and the dawdling .. By all means check your emails and have a a good gossip....but KEEP MOVING! My practice is- go for the gap, and in a curving queue head round the outside...always quicker! Please note however, that in any activity other than skiing I am trying British in terms of etiquette. Jumping the queue is a no no...

Haha this made me laugh, I get so stressed if I get stuck behind a slow queuer, people to the side start cutting in front of us and I'm stuck behind someone who's trying to stay 1m away from all their neighbours

Totally agree about sneaking up the sides as well, my boyfriend isn't as expert a queuer as I am though so we often get seperated if it's busy and I have to wait at the top for him.

 

[lynseyf]

It's true! It was at a ski area called Bellamonte, Alpe Lusia in the Dolomites.

I've been there but don't remember any carpets that lifted or lowered. We stayed in Falcade and skied a load of the small resorts in the area, got an amazing snow day day when we were at Alpe Luisa.

 

[Moonrocket]

Does anyone else remember Breckenridge putting one of these in ~10 years ago and having to tear it out because it created such havoc? The Quad right at Beaver Run?

 

[marzNC]

Came across a paper written about conveyor lifts, perhaps in 2010 or so. It's related to the ANSI B77.1 safety standard that's been updated every so often since the first version in 1960. ANSI B77.1 is for "Passenger Ropeways – Aerial Tramways, Aerial Lifts, Surface Lifts, Tows and Conveyors – Safety Requirements" and current standards are the responsibility of the NSAA (National Ski Areas Assoc.).

Apparently Mount Snow installed the first conveyor in North America for a detachable lift. The advantage was fewer stops.

"Mount Snow reports that the detachable quad loading conveyor they installed reduced their lift stops by 50% and slows by 70% from previous years. This bottom to summit lift sees heavy use from all types of skiers as it is adjacent to a hotel in the base area. Fixed grip lifts see similar results as well. "

There is a comment about beginners vs experienced skiers with little experience with conveyor loading. Matches up with what I've seen at Massanutten and the Supreme lift at Alta.

"It is interesting to watch a lift with a conveyor load. The beginner skier has very little knowledge of the whole loading process and lets gravity work for them. An advanced skier tries to barge the gates or walk forward on the conveyor carpet for the first couple of loading cycles. After that you notice a much improved process for all. The beginner skiers rarely have any issues loading with a conveyor."

 

[SkiBam]

Gosh, I don't know why I'm so intimidated by conveyor loading! Oh well, obviously I'll just have to get used to it as it does sound like a Good Thing.

 

[segacs]

Gosh, I don't know why I'm so intimidated by conveyor loading! Oh well, obviously I'll just have to get used to it as it does sound like a Good Thing.

There's a conveyor load lift at Saint-Sauveur. For some reason it always throws me off. But I think it's cause I don't trust it.

 

[marzNC]

Gosh, I don't know why I'm so intimidated by conveyor loading! Oh well, obviously I'll just have to get used to it as it does sound like a Good Thing.

I think I might have adapted a little faster because I was skiing with my daughter a lot when conveyor loading was first installed at Massanutten. I think she was 7 or 8 and still pretty small. So I was more focused on teaching her what to do than thinking about how different it was.

Definitely easier for adult beginners who are skiing with their beginner kids. Conveyor loading was retro-fitted for the beginner quad at Mnut that serves the long green bunny slope. Stops a lot less than before.

 

[marzNC]

BUMP because I came across a list of lifts with conveyor loading on Liftblog from Jan 2016. 27 conveyors were installed from 2010-2015, some retrofit and some for brand new lifts.

The Loading Carpet Solution

 

[santacruz skier]

Diamond Peak (formerly Incline Village) has one but in Europe they're all over. First time terrified me as I thought I was going to fall backwards...

 

[surfsnowgirl]

OMG Mont Orford in the eastern townships of Quebec has one of these. I am good with it now but the first time i used this to load i almost killed myself. I was so focused on that conveyor belt and what happened when you got to the end of the loading area where the ground went away that the chair coming up behind me scared the hell out of me. I heard okemo had one of these also.

 

[marzNC]

Looks like Sunday River retrofit a triple in 2014, while Berkshire East in MA, and Stowe, included conveyor loading on a new lift in 2015. Mt. Snow and Okemo did retrofits in 2008. Wisp (2008) and Massanutten (2009) were the first in the Mid-Atlantic to install conveyors.

As of 2013 Bridger has five, mostly for triples.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

After the first time you get the hang of it and its fine but this past January was the first time I'd ever seen one. I go to Mount Snow quite regularly but apparently don't ever go on the chair that has the conveyor a I have no idea where it is.

 

[heather matthews]

I had never thought that conveyor belt lifts could even be an issue but now see how they might .There are a few in the Espace Killy and I cant remember seeing anyone having problems.My bugbear is fixed fast running chairs that have been designed for tiny people and lifties who look like they are going to momentarily hold the chair just to slow it down a small amount but then dont and the chair whacks me in the back of my legs just above my boots.It's only ever happened in France-no problems in Japan(the lifties are polite and lovely-just sooo cute) or here in NZ.

 

[Christy]

BUMP because I came across a list of lifts with conveyor loading on Liftblog from Jan 2016. 27 conveyors were installed from 2010-2015, some retrofit and some for brand new lifts.

The Loading Carpet Solution

That article says: "So far, 27 lifts have debuted with carpets from day one while the rest were retrofits. 2012 and 2014 were the biggest years for loading carpets with 8 built each year. Only three such carpets have ever been removed – a testament to their effectiveness. "

...But it lists 3 at Crystal Mt WA, and there are none.

 

[marzNC]

That article says: "So far, 27 lifts have debuted with carpets from day one while the rest were retrofits. 2012 and 2014 were the biggest years for loading carpets with 8 built each year. Only three such carpets have ever been removed – a testament to their effectiveness. "

...But it lists 3 at Crystal Mt WA, and there are none.

Don't know about the retrofits in 1995, but the 2014 installation of the new Quick Silver lift included conveyor loading according to plans in an article I found from April 2014:

"The new Quicksilver lift will be a replacement for the double fixed-grip chairlift, with a fixed-grip CTEC quad. This will increase the current capacity from 1,070 people per hour to 1,800. It’s also going to be relocated along a designated route in the trees between Boondoggle and the existing Quicksilver trail. This will open up the run providing unobstructed intermediate terrain.

Some regrading work will also be done to improve the slope. The top terminal will be located about 250 feet lower, eliminating the steeper face up top which is too challenging for beginner intermediates. This project is part of an ongoing effort to improve the beginner to intermediate experience, and will be a better option for beginners looking to move up the mountain. It will also include a SunKid loading conveyer with a child lift."