Out of the norm ski lifts

casual_weekday

I know of a couple, such as the skis on gondola, aircar, and Ramsey chain lifts, all ant mount snow. Any other crazy lifts out there?

mapnut

You’ve come to the right place, Casual Weekday! We discussed a couple of these just last week in the Three Clues thread. The NELSAP website will have pictures of the Cranmore Snowmobile, at least as famous as the ones you mentioned at Mt. Snow. Be right back.http://www.nelsap.org/skihistory/cranmoreskimobmidway.jpg

NJSki

In case you missed it, check out the Ringer Chair:http://www.skilifts.org/old/chairlift_manufacturers_ringer.htm

NJSki

The UpSki at Badger Pass

NJSki

Very rare picture of the Ringer Chair at Sky Tavern, connecting to Reno Ski Bowl (Slide Mtn/Mt. Rose)

NJSki

Another shot of the Ringer operating in the summer on Mt Rose

NJSki

Another shot of the UpSki

NJSki

Abandoned UpSki overlooking Rt. 80 near Donner Pass

obienick

Why is Mt. Snow’s “ski on gondola” not considered a bumble chair?

mapnut

It looked like a gondola: (scroll down a bit) http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Vermont/mtsnow.php<div>Also the half-shells closed from each side, which is definitely out of the norm of bubble chairs. So are bumble chairs.</div>

TomWhite

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“NJSki”>In case you missed it, check out the Ringer Chair:http://www.skilifts.org/old/chairlift_manufacturers_ringer.htmIt was quite a lift. Below is the end of the article. Riders simply standing to unload would make this an excellent “summer walking off”. Now in the summer fixed grips run slow to permit riders to scamper off and to the side of the moving chair. With this lift one simply let the (split) chair past by. However a normal fixed is better for skiing off the down ramp and on your way.—————-Even though Ringer’s skilift career was short, his Double-Swivel chair design is what made his lifts so unique. Heinz Steinman, who’s a son of one of the founders of Holiday Hill, California said, “When you look at it on paper, it looks like a terrific idea, but people’s instinct was to run away from it rather than standing still and letting it go by you. Then, when you demonstrated that the chair would split in half, well, can you imagine the looks on their faces?” Out of the eight chairlifts that Ringer installed, none of them are still in operation today.

The illustration above is from a Ringer ad that ran in the March 1953 issue of Ski Magazine. The captions for the three illustrations above are: 1) Loading and riding are conventional; 2) Unloading: Riders just stand up chairs swivel around them; 3) Chairs return automatically to loading position.

All pictures and content were gathered from SAM Magazine, May, 2000 ©</blockquote>

NJSki

Found this one:

lotsoskiing

The contraption at June Mt, CA. Don’t have a pic or even a name- I recall it was pretty odd…

Snowmaster

That was the QMC, another fine YAN product.

obienick

Here’s some info on the QMC.

It was a prototype and failed because YAN was having difficulties synching the speeds of the cables.  The idea was picked up by Doppelmayr and morphed into their Funitel, which both the outer and inner cables go through the same bullwheel. Squaw Valley has the only one in the western hemisphere.

I’ve long held Sugarloaf should install one to bring back a flagship base-to-summit lift.  And this was before Hermitage, Mount Snow, & Okemo’s bubble 6-pack and Sunday River’s chondola.  The key think about a Funitel is the cable gauge.  It can withstand winds of 60 mph! No more wind closures at Sugarloaf!  And because it is so good with wind, you can have the mid-station again.  The design requires long acceleration/braking banks because the carriers are 20 or 24 people, but with the wind you can build tall towers to compensate.

[edit:  I’ve tried 4 different methods to embed the above YouTube video and each method fails.  Here’s the direct link… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AquyNNqhF7w]

casual_weekday

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”>Here’s some info on the QMC.

</blockquote>

Doppelmayr seems to make all of the cool lifts. The funifor is essentially a funitel merged with a tram. It has a higher wind stability, and the two sides run independently off of separate drive systems, meaning that they can have mid-stations without it being exactly ½ way up the line or making the other cabin stop for no reason. One side could even evacuate the other side in an emergency, provided theres still power to one of the drives.

lotsoskiing

That looks like the top (second) tram at the Passo Stelvio in Italy. Was there in September. First tram is ancient, with concrete towers. 

MrMagic

Does anyone have any pictures of the “multi-lift” at Blandford ?? It’s essentially a large handle tow /pony tow but instead of hanging on to the plastic carrot you place it in the small of your back. The carrot Is longer than normal and sticks out longer so you can hold the end with one hand while it pushes you up the hill. Iv ridden it a few time it’s the only lift where I have had to ask the operator for instructions because I was semi baffled on how to use it .

steamboat1

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”>Why is Mt. Snow’s “ski on gondola” not considered a bumble chair?</blockquote>

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“mapnut”>It looked like a gondola: (scroll down a bit) http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Vermont/mtsnow.php<div>Also the half-shells closed from each side, which is definitely out of the norm of bubble chairs. So are bumble chairs.</div></blockquote>

Windham Mountain, NY had the same lift at one time.