59 replies to this topic

[Smacpats]

skierdude9450, on 28 October 2014 - 02:25 PM, said:

Probably the worst was Whistler Village Gondola with the old cabins, especially in the morning when they pack them full (which is 7 people, I can't imagine ever getting 10 people into one of those cans). I'm really looking forward to riding it with the new Sigma cabins.

I had to make a comment here. Back when stratton had the same cabins, once I saw them pack in TWELVE kids!!!!!! At stratton with lines, full was more like 10. It was miserable.

[snoloco]

I rode the Stratton cattlecar the year before they replaced the cabins. Those were bar none THE WORST gondola cabins ever made by a comfort standpoint. So glad they replaced them. You had to bring all your equipment in the gondola with you and you literally couldn't move once you were in there. It was really slow too, so you were stuck in there for a while. I said hell with it and took American Express to URSA every time.

[SkiDaBird]

snoloco, on 06 March 2016 - 05:49 PM, said:

I rode the Stratton cattlecar the year before they replaced the cabins. Those were bar none THE WORST gondola cabins ever made by a comfort standpoint. So glad they replaced them. You had to bring all your equipment in the gondola with you and you literally couldn't move once you were in there. It was really slow too, so you were stuck in there for a while. I said hell with it and took American Express to URSA every time.

Sounds like a Tram. Classic Snowbird, Jackson and Big Sky experience.

[Conrad]

Barker Quad at Sunday River. Something about the Poma chairs kill your knees. I always have to sit with my hands tucked under my knees.

[julestheshiba]

any YAN chairs and 1970s Dop chairs

[Lift Dinosaur]

julestheshiba, on 07 March 2016 - 07:16 AM, said:

any YAN chairs......

I disagree. The Yan plastic chairs were some of the most comfortable in the industry. We used to call them 'Flying Couches'.
Dino

[RibStaThiok]

When were the plastic chairs implemented?

[Lift Dinosaur]

Early 80's
Dino

[SkiDaBird]

Lift Dinosaur, on 07 March 2016 - 08:06 AM, said:

I disagree. The Yan plastic chairs were some of the most comfortable in the industry. We used to call them 'Flying Couches'.
Dino

I agree with you. YAN chairs are quite good.

[julestheshiba]

Lift Dinosaur, on 07 March 2016 - 08:06 AM, said:

I disagree. The Yan plastic chairs were some of the most comfortable in the industry. We used to call them 'Flying Couches'.
Dino

Lift Dinosaur, on 07 March 2016 - 08:06 AM, said:

I disagree. The Yan plastic chairs were some of the most comfortable in the industry. We used to call them 'Flying Couches'.
Dino

Then why did places like Loveland replace them with the horrible metal ones?

[Allan]

I don't mind the metal ones at all. The biggest mistake I see is people not sitting in the proper location on the carrier, then they get a little jabby.

[julestheshiba]

I sort of have minor kyphosis so my back digs into the metal slats so from that standpoint they are uncomfortable

[NHskier13]

Yan Chairs are ok, imo

One of the least comfortable for me is the Meuller chairs found at Pats Peak (there are more I bet) but the ones on the Peak chair are missing some bars on the backrest leaving a whole unsupported section on your middle back...


However, at the same time I love these for whatever reason. I think their Meullers look really cool.

I personally think falcon/arceaux is the most comfortable, but then again there were only two near me (1 now) and they both had lots of padding.

[liftmech]

julestheshiba, on 07 March 2016 - 05:45 PM, said:

Then why did places like Loveland replace them with the horrible metal ones?

Wind. The flying couches were too light and swung badly. We did the same on our S-lift.

[Conrad]

NHskier13, on 08 March 2016 - 09:22 AM, said:

One of the least comfortable for me is the Meuller chairs found at Pats Peak

It's funny you mention that, I actually found the Vortex chair to be less comfortable with its plastic seats. Especially loading onto it at 500 ft/minute.

[vtbubble]

Some of the chairs at Killington are really uncomfortable like some of the metal yans and those two heron poma triples. When they put in the mid station on the snodon triple they really should have upgraded the carrier's and the bear mountain quad you have to be tall enough that your shoulder blades don't stick into the top of the back rest

[NHskier13]

SkiDaBird, on 20 October 2014 - 06:38 PM, said:

I'm on the tall side so the EJ chairs with the high wind back are incredibly uncomfortable for me and offer absolutely no support. The standard back is bad, but not as bad. The old LC didn't have a pad so your rear would occasionally hang through the lift and that wasn't pleasant. Lastly, Wildcat had a few chairs with bad springs in the pad at one point and that was not fun.

IMO the Ej is a solid design (the newer kind) but I am 5'7 so I wouldn't know.
I think the best designs on the other hand are the ones that do have high backrests ;
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Conrad, on 08 March 2016 - 07:27 PM, said:

It's funny you mention that, I actually found the Vortex chair to be less comfortable with its plastic seats. Especially loading onto it at 500 ft/minute.

Getting whacked in the behind is never fun, but I ride a lot of those chairs all the time so I am used to it, and I worry about my back more

This post has been edited by NHskier13: 15 March 2016 - 01:20 PM

[powderskier]

Partek chairs hands down. Especially when it's cold.

[Smacpats]

Sometimes it can get annoying at stratton when you get on a chair of 5 (on sunrise, shooting star or ursa) and get the thing supporting the bar crammed between your legs. You tend to not be able to move forward (or backwards very easily, if your pantleg gets trapped under). It is the worst.
(Look for the things sticking out from the safety bar)


As for the plastic pad on EJ's, Amex had them until a few years ago when they added really comfy pads. I saw one kid almost slip off on opening day with them, because they were sagging off and they obviously were used to the plastic pads.
(first picture is from here, so before replacement of pads, second is newenglandskihistory in 2015, so after the pad replacement. In both pictures, it is hard to see the pads, but if you zoom into them you can see if they are thick or not).



Last time I went to telluride, Sunshine had them. Those things seem fine for three minutes, but 10 minutes was where it started to get a little tad bit painful to sit on it.

Oh, and did I mention how leg-burning it is that none of stratton's detaches have footrests? My legs ache thinking of the hour I skied 10k vertical on, 9 runs on Sunrise express and one down to main-base at the end.

This post has been edited by Smacpats: 04 May 2016 - 02:17 PM

[Smacpats]

SkiDaBird, on 06 March 2016 - 09:06 PM, said:

Sounds like a Tram. Classic Snowbird, Jackson and Big Sky experience.

Something to keep in mind is that they cramped 10 people in this cabin (The pictures are at whistler, although the old cabins on both were identical):


and big sky puts 15 in this cabin: