Ski Lift Fails

http://abcnews.go.com/US/25-people-fall-derailed-ski-lift-west-virginia/story?id=37080245

I was there several times in the 90s and the lifts seemed old then.

Can one of our internet savvy youngsters figure out what kind of lift it was?

I think it's a Leitner.  It's definitely not a Partek as it was built before they existed.  It's not a Borvig either because the chairs aren't a Borvig design.  Some of the designs between Leitner, and Borvig/Partek are very similar.  Partek's current chair design which Mountain Creek has on the Sugar and Sojourn lifts came from Leitner.  The tower designs are also similar.

There aren't many true Leitner lifts North America is it was an Italian company with no American division, until they acquired Poma and formed Leitner-Poma.  There's a HSQ at Jay Peak, another HSQ at Angel Fire in New Mexico, and a HSQ and FGQ at Ski Granby in Colorado.  The FGQ has Poma chairs as it was built during the merger with Poma.

Thanks
I figured you or Ethan would figure it out pretty quick. I guess it probably will end up being a maintenance issue anyway.

A similar issue happened on a Doppelmayr gondola at Whistler-Blackcomb back in December 2008.  The towerhead broke off the tower tube.

http://wtop.com/local/2016/02/ski-lift-accident-w-virginia-leaves-several-injured/slide/4/

snoloco wrote

I think it's a Leitner.  It's definitely not a Partek as it was built before they existed.  It's not a Borvig either because the chairs aren't a Borvig design.  Some of the designs between Leitner, and Borvig/Partek are very similar.  Partek's current chair design which Mountain Creek has on the Sugar and Sojourn lifts came from Leitner.  The tower designs are also similar.

There aren't many true Leitner lifts North America is it was an Italian company with no American division, until they acquired Poma and formed Leitner-Poma.  There's a HSQ at Jay Peak, another HSQ at Angel Fire in New Mexico, and a HSQ and FGQ at Ski Granby in Colorado.  The FGQ has Poma chairs as it was built during the merger with Poma.

Hokey Smokes. The kid's a veritable lift encyclopedia.

Thanks Sno !
 

The name Cliff Claven comes to mind for those that are old enough to remember Cheers.  Cliff was he self proclaimed king of useless information.

It looks to me like a CTEC. There's a few of them at Gore, and it looks exactly the same. Its a little hard to see in that video however.

Brownski, we're you at Platty today? I thought I saw your skis. Could have been someone else.

Actually, CTEC is now known as Doppelmayr-Garaventa, but the chairs at Gore still say CTEC.

Naw
I was at mt Peter with my kids. Those yellow x screams were everywhere about fifteen years ago; still a bunch around. Coach says I need to leave them behind. He's probably right but I still love them.

I received  a resume from a CAD guy who worked at Partek designing lifts. Sno, they are in your back yard. Pine Island? That would be a sweet career for you. You would still have time to ski.

Brownski wrote

Naw
I was at mt Peter with my kids. Those yellow x screams were everywhere about fifteen years ago; still a bunch around. Coach says I need to leave them behind. He's probably right but I still love them.

I bought a pair of the x-screams the first year they came out, I demo'd them and after that my 200cm conventional (at the time) skis went in the dumpster.

Coach Z wrote

The name Cliff Claven comes to mind for those that are old enough to remember Cheers.  Cliff was he self proclaimed king of useless information.

 
HAHA! Yup but Cliffs information was often incorrect! He was my favorite character on the show.

Brownski wrote

Naw
I was at mt Peter with my kids. Those yellow x screams were everywhere about fifteen years ago; still a bunch around. Coach says I need to leave them behind. He's probably right but I still love them.

 

So many great things have happened in the last 15 years in ski technology, you really should try some new stuff.

Ethan Snow wrote

It looks to me like a CTEC. There's a few of them at Gore, and it looks exactly the same. Its a little hard to see in that video however.

It's not.  The other lift that didn't have the deropement was a Riblet.  Sunway and High Peaks at Gore are Riblet lifts.  So is Bunny Hutch at Whiteface, and Lift 7 at Belleayre.  Midwest Peak Resorts ski areas have lots of them, and I think Holiday Valley has a few.  

Topridge, Straightbrook, and North at Gore are all CTEC's.  Whiteface Summit Quad is also CTEC.  

This is what the chairs on the lift in question look like.


This is what Partek chairs look like, which are derived from a Leitner design.


Notice that chairs on the lift that broke have the European plastic footrests that Leitner-Poma uses now.  These came from Leitner and replaced the Poma footrests that were used since the 80's.  The Burnt Ridge Quad and Adirondack Express II both have them.

Look at this chairlift. Looks like it came out of Star trek, or maybe a UFO or something.

If you have a chance to ski the Alps ..you will be blown away by the ski lift technology over there..we are in the stone age compared to what is being used in Austria and Switzerland

Sno, I just talked to a guy in "Snowmakers of the World Unite" and he said it was a Borvig. Isn't that basically the same as a Partek?