7 Days Left to Bury Mittersill

MrMagic

he Valar T-Bar requires additional adjustments from the manufacturer before we can operate the lift on a regular basis. The work will be completed as soon as possible and we will put the lift back into operation as soon as work is complete. We’ll keep you updated with any additional information as we have it. </div>

Translation: the new TBar is down indefinitely this season That is weird that the lift would need additional adjustments from the installer if it was my T bar I wouldn’t not be too happy about that, especially during x Mas week, hopefully they can get what ever adjustments are needed quickly

ME2VTskier

You would think the installer would have scheduled one of their techs to be onsite, to inspect the lift after a day or two of use, to check for and fix any issues. Sounds like it is more serious than a simple “adjustment”.

Cannonball

Did anyone go today to Cannon to “….celebrate the successful completion of this historic project.”??   

Just curious how the celebration went considering that this historic project is neither “complete” nor “successful”. 

riverc0il

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“NewEnglandSkier13”>Oh come on. There’s bound to be a few issues when a new lift is opened and the Mittersill Double is scheduled to open today, so I wouldn’t be complaining. If you still aren’t pleased with how Cannon is operated feel free to go to one of New Hampshire’s many other ski areas and leave Cannon to those who can enjoy it without complaining.</blockquote>

Whoa, hold on there! Sure, timberleaf has been a bit of a blow hard about the snowmaking. But being critical of a favorite mountain should not be condemned. If anything, timberleaf’s previous comments (that I suggested were making a mountain out of a molehill) have been proven to be a bit on the nose after all.

Not having a new lift ready and working for its dedication ceremony is a major black eye, they had more than enough time to get that lift operational. Issues happen sure but good grief issues sure happen a lot at Cannon. If folks that bitched about Cannon stopped skiing there and went somewhere else, the mountain would close for sure so your commentary about going somewhere else is just silly. Knowing the mountain better than the people that operate it is a right of passage for any die hard Cannon skier… and complaining about mountain ops is just something we skiers that love the mountain do.

becca_m

hmmmmm, when I was there this morning (very fun conditions, BTW), I did see someone with 1 of the t-bars on a snowmobile riding towards the Peabody Lodge

timberleaf

My understanding of the TBar situation:

There are 3 issues:

1.  A retractor separated from the rope on the first day of operation.  This may explain Becca’s sighting of a bar on a snowmobile.

2.  The brake does not hold the rope when fully loaded and the rope runs backwards.  This is likely the main reason that the lift is down for “adjustments”.

3.  When held too long at the top, retractors fail to fully retract before going around the wheel and the excess line can become tangled in the wheel guard assembly.

The manufacturer’s response:

1. This feature is covered in the brochure under the heading “Individual Autonomous Traverse Mode (IATM)”.  When a bar is placed into IATM the riders are provided the opportunity to venture outside of the single track and explore additional terrain.  In this case, the rider experienced RIATM (Random IATM) which is to be expected whenever it is least expected.

2.  This feature is also covered in the brochure under the heading “Automatic Return To Loading Area (ARTLA)”.  Rather than evacuate riders from line, the lift returns them to the loading area by running in reverse until all riders are flung from the line or equilibrium is reached whichever comes first.

3.  This behavior is by design.  Riders are encouraged to release each bar quickly to ensure optimal operation of the lift.  Failure to do so results in lift stoppage which leverages social peer pressure to further encourage proper operation by all riders.

OK, seriously… supposedly engineers are on the way from Europe with a bigger/better braking system.  AKA “an adjustment”. Also, the wheel guard at the top is being modified to accommodate late releases without entanglement.  Just another “adjustment”, folks… nothing to see here.  As for the RIATM, I have no idea.  When you least expect it, expect it I guess…

I would LOVE to see the test plan for this piece of machinery.  I understand that stuff happens and things fall through the cracks, but how do the following use cases get overlooked?

1. Retractors remain attached to the rope before, during, and after operation.

2. The brake prevents the rope from moving in any direction.

3. Upon release, each retractor recovers its line and returns downhill for subsequent loading.

I happen to think this is pretty basic stuff, but I’m sure I’ll be set straight here because it’s really all about me being too negative.

I really should go somewhere else, shouldn’t I?

And take all of my inconvenient facts with me…

ski_it

You would think most of that would have turned up when inspected by the state but It’s a “semi-private” t-bar anyway, so whether it runs or not shouldn’t affect the general skiing public. Cannon had been running quite a few years without it.

Bill29

If yoy can believe the weather forecast for today (Thursday, Dec.29) you won’t have to worry about burying Mittersill. There is supposed to be a foot to two feet of snow up there and elsewhere in the north country, perhaps up to a foot in the Berkshires and lesser amounts in northern Worcester County. We shall see. 

rickbolger

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“Bill29”>There is supposed to be a foot to two feet of snow up there and elsewhere in the north country, perhaps up to a foot in the Berkshires…</blockquote>

:)]

NJSki

Is it just me, or does it seem like all lift installation/construction is completed at the 11th hour? Usually nothing gets worked on for the first few months of spring and summer, then it is a race against time and weather to get things done. When was the last time you saw a lift completed by Labor Day, just waiting for the first flakes to fly?

joshua_segal

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“NJSki”>Is it just me, or does it seem like all lift installation/construction is completed at the 11th hour? Usually nothing gets worked on for the first few months of spring and summer, then it is a race against time and weather to get things done. When was the last time you saw a lift completed by Labor Day, just waiting for the first flakes to fly? </blockquote>

Actually, the Rocket at CM was finished on time, although it was plagued by mechanical issues much of its first season of operations.

obienick

It’s not just lift construction. A lot of things in general are done at the last minute.

I’ve read the “manufacturers response” like 3 times and can’t understand what it’s trying to say.

Bill29

I remember that when Waterville Valley opened the main mountain the main chairlift wasn’t completed and certified by the state (if that’s what they call that safety process) until about Dec. 15. And the day the state completed its safety tests, it began to snow. Tom Corcoran’s luck of the Irish. 

I asked some people why they waited so long to put the lift up. They said that construction workers are busy on bigger projects throughout the summer and become available late in the fall, I have no idea whether that’s true or not. I do remember that one area (Haystack comes to mind but I could be wrong about that) that delayed installation of a lift for a year because an early snowfall buried the lift towers which were stacked on the mountain. 

obienick

Same thing IIRC happened to the original Killington gondola and the single at MRG.

fireonthemountain

whats the rocket lift at cannon???

lotsoskiing

Rocket is the quad at Crotched (CM).

fireonthemountain

timberleaf…all of the stuff you are referring to about the t-bar have absolutely nothing to do with cannon mt. or any of cannon mt. employees….also the b77 requires a load test on aerial lifts usually done with water barrels and done to a 110% load capacity however this is a t-bar and if you have any insight on how to do do this that would be fantastic and the industry could use some of that insight….it has an exceptance test which it passed from my understanding…and if you could find lift inspectors anywhere that have the knowledge and competency of the NH tram board I would be very impressed..also from my understanding the technicians at cannon recommended upgrading the size of the brake to avoid this problem but the manufacturer said it was not necessary…so from the rumor mill it sounds to me like cannon mt. is doing there job very proficiently however they are running into a wall with the ski lift manufacturer….

fireonthemountain

gotcha I thought cm was referring to cannon as the zoomer chair is really close to the trail rocket

obienick

It is my understanding (correct me if I’m wrong) that surface lifts are not aerial lifts; they are not subject to a load test.  Load tests are to test if the various braking systems work. A roll back on a chair lift is disasterous but on a T-Bar or other surface lift, all a rider has to do is bail out to the side/let go of the T.

NewEnglandSkier13

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“fireonthemountain”>gotcha I thought cm was referring to cannon as the zoomer chair is really close to the trail rocket</blockquote>

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