What the heck are those things?

ski_itski_it
edited September 2018 in NELSAP Forum Posts: 4,667
Hey lifties, what’s that cable in the middle of the ladder for? It seems I’ve seen them before somewhere else or maybe I haven’t noticed them as I generally travel in the other direction.
ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA

Comments

  • lotsoskiinglotsoskiing
    Posts: 3,575
    Looks like a cable with pulleys/rollers. No idea, unless something related to evac?
  • ski_itski_it
    Posts: 4,667
    It does have those things but why the long cap on top?
    ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA
  • NewEnglandSkier13NewEnglandSkier13
    edited September 2018 Posts: 5,479
    I would guess that it’s for clipping in to as one climbs the towers.
    - Sam
  • DrJeffDrJeff
    Posts: 1,329
    I'm thinking a hard wired link to a weather sensor on the top of the tower
  • PeterPeter
    Posts: 186
    Fall protection.
  • LiftGuyLiftGuy
    Posts: 353
    Peter said:

    Fall protection.

    +1
  • ski_itski_it
    edited September 2018 Posts: 4,667
    I'm sure you guys are right about fall protection. The cap threw me off. Looky what I found (some pretty dry reading):

    www.mountsnow.com/content/uploaded/images/vendors/prog_fall_protection%20(1).pdf

    Not sure why if I leave the http in it strips the %20(1) out of url
    ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA
  • bmwskierbmwskier
    Posts: 1,032
    Not fall protection, at least not for this patroller. When climbing a tower, lobster claws are placed on the vertical supports of the ladder so if one rung breaks, the one below it will catch the claw. No claws lower than the knee of a a climber and no higher than can be reached by the climber. Three points of contact at all times-- one hand, two legs or two hands, one leg.

    Standards are the same for climbing ratlines on a ship so equipped with them-- claws are secured to the vertical shrouds and not the horizontal ratlines.

    My guess is that if it is used for some kind of fall protection it's used as a secondary anchor point for some kind of self-camming device such as a jumar ascender or similar toy.

    There's a rubber insulator about ten feet up and then again close to the top. Suggests something electrical.
    "Making ski films is being irresponsible with other people's money, in a responsible sort of way..." <div>Greg Stump</div>
  • lotsoskiinglotsoskiing
    Posts: 3,575
    NewEnglandSkier13 said:

    I would guess that it’s for clipping in to as one climbs the towers.

    Why not clip into the ladder? Would not slide down if fall; on cable you would
  • NewEnglandSkier13NewEnglandSkier13
    Posts: 5,479
    lotsoskiing said:

    NewEnglandSkier13 said:

    I would guess that it’s for clipping in to as one climbs the towers.

    Why not clip into the ladder? Would not slide down if fall; on cable you would
    If you used an ascender on the vertical cable, it would be much easier than using the ladder to clip into.
    - Sam
  • bmwskierbmwskier
    Posts: 1,032
    Not our video but some training:
    "Making ski films is being irresponsible with other people's money, in a responsible sort of way..." <div>Greg Stump</div>
  • LiftGuyLiftGuy
    edited September 2018 Posts: 353
    bmwskier said:


    My guess is that if it is used for some kind of fall protection it's used as a secondary anchor point for some kind of self-camming device such as a jumar ascender or similar toy.

    Using an ascending device attached to the front D-Ring of you harness and the cable eliminates the need for using the "double claw" protection method, which can be slow and tedious when relating to emergency egress for maintenance personnel.

    There's a rubber insulator about ten feet up and then again close to the top. Suggests something electrical.

    The 2 rubber blocks attached to the ladder rungs are to guide the cable and also reduce metal to metal resonance between the cable and the ladder. Nothing electrical involved.


  • bmwskierbmwskier
    Posts: 1,032
    What state is this photo from? I haven't seen that kind of cable guide system at any of the VT areas I've been to. I know we didn't have them at Holiday Valley either.

    Thanks, Lift Guy for the information. Is it purely for maintenance folks because I haven't seen anything like it in NSP literature yet.
    "Making ski films is being irresponsible with other people's money, in a responsible sort of way..." <div>Greg Stump</div>
  • jaytremjaytrem
    edited September 2018 Posts: 745
    bmwskier said:

    What state is this photo from? I haven't seen that kind of cable guide system at any of the VT areas I've been to. I know we didn't have them at Holiday Valley either.

    I've seen those a lot, assumed they're all over the place at this point.

    Looked at a few pics from Vail on liftblog, they've been around since at least 2007 when they build Sourdough.
  • LiftGuyLiftGuy
    Posts: 353
    bmwskier said:

    What state is this photo from? I haven't seen that kind of cable guide system at any of the VT areas I've been to. I know we didn't have them at Holiday Valley either.
    The Lift looks like Bluebird Express at Mt. Snow. LPOA 6 Pack. I believe LPOA have used these ascender set ups for awhile.

    Thanks, Lift Guy for the information. Is it purely for maintenance folks because I haven't seen anything like it in NSP literature yet.
    Not sure if this has blended into the NSP literature. You guys are probably carrying a lot more sh*t up the towers!

  • ski_itski_it
    edited September 2018 Posts: 4,667
    Oh yes, that is the Mt Snow, VT Bluebird Leitner-Poma 2011-12 taken last weekend. Sorry, thought that may have been clear from my other boring posts. Summer rides are free-ish with our Peak Pass. The "rubber blocks" looked like grooved pulleys.
    ISNE-I Skied New England | NESAP-the New England Ski Area Project | SOSA-Saving Our Ski Areas - Location SW of Boston MA
  • bmwskierbmwskier
    Posts: 1,032
    Not sure if this has blended into the NSP literature. You guys are probably carrying a lot more sh*t up the towers!

    Ski boots, helmet, rope bag, harness, radio, work gloves, p-cord bag with line saver attached. Not fun. Many areas use line shooters or big slingshots to get a lead line over the haul rope. Jay Peak has these really big slingshots to fire over using hockey pucks. Since half their patrol is French-Canadian I asked if that was kind of sacriligious...
    "Making ski films is being irresponsible with other people's money, in a responsible sort of way..." <div>Greg Stump</div>
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