27 replies to this topic

[Kicking Horse]

I'm heading up to Winter Park Tomorrow. My first ski session this year. I plan on taking pics of the following lifts.

1.Looking Glass
2.Eskimo Express
3.Arrow
4.Outrigger
5.Summit Express
6.Gemini Express

[floridaskier]

Awesome. have fun

[Kicking Horse]

Oh did i have fun. I found out some very interesting stuff today.

#1. Looking Glass got all new sheaves on the uphill side.
#2. Discovery was built by Yan and the late 70's. But in 85 it was upgraded by Heron-Poma and this summer it is updated By Poma-Lit.
#3. Endeavour is a Poma not a Yan.
#4. Summit and High Lomesome Expresses show signs of Rust on the top terminals.
#5 Eskimo Express was running @ 1,200fpm today.
#6. Arrow Yan Triple has 100 chairs and was running @ 500fpm today.
#7. Watch out for dead animals on the trails.


I will be posting the pics later tonight or later this week. Denpending on when i can get the flim devop. My digi cam is broke. :(

[coskibum]

Jeff-

actually the discovery lift was built by Heron-Poma and retrofitted by Yan, who replaced the towers. Look at the sheaves, they're still heron-poma. also heron-poma existed only until 1978 so the time frame doesn't fit

[Kicking Horse]

I got the lnfo from the lift op @ the discovery lift. who looked in the manual for the info.

[Kicking Horse]

when i sit down and chat with Ca Lane in Jan I will ask him and see.

[coskibum]

yea, check on that beacause Heron-Poma stopped making lifts in 1978 based on the SAM files at the colorado ski museum (a very reliable source). also, i have never seen heron-poma do an upgrade on any lift, so that makes me a little skeptical about this too.

[SkiBachelor]

I thought when Poma and Heron merged they formed Poma America was it Poma USA?

[coskibum]

i dont totally know all of the details but i think they started as heron-poma, then changed to just poma

[Kicking Horse]

Idk I will either call Ca lane tomorrow or wait until Jan.

[Kicking Horse]

Pics coming on Tuesday :)

[KZ]

interesting. I always thought pomaglaski bought heron, and changed the name to heron/poma, then they just went to poma

[SkiBachelor]

Well, most of these so called "mergers" are actually by outs and they just say it's a merger.

[Kicking Horse]

What they did in 85 was covent it from couterwight to hyd. tension. (however it is spelled)

[Bill]

Take it from a ex-liftie, what you see in the manuals aren't necessary the proper information.

Jeff, are you and CA Lane good friends? I have some questions for him and was wondering if you could tell me how to get in touch with him.

[Kicking Horse]

I will see if he will join the forum...... if not i will find out how he wants u to contact him.

[Bill]

I thought you may have had an extension number, but I can go from there. I have his phone number. I will give him a call tomorrow, I just thought if you had it, it could save me some time. But I got the info I needed and I will get in touvh with him in the morning.

[coskibum]

heron-poma never installed any hydraulic tension systems...they only used counterweights

[Kicking Horse]

maybe Ryan b. has some insight on this.

[liftmech]

Brad, I think you're correct in saying that Heron (or Heron-Wright, or Heron-Poma) went out of business in 1978. When Copper bought A-Basin's original Molly Hogan lift in 1979, Jan Kunczinski did the redesign because Heron wasn't around. If you ever see our C-1 (Pitchfork) lift, it's got Heron towers, sheaves and carriers, but Yan terminals. Poma installed a hydraulic tension system on old G-lift in 1979, also because Heron wasn't around to do it. I have heard (rumours) that Heron formed a partnership with Poma in an effort to keep the name alive, but it didn't work and he filed for bankruptcy. There was no connection with the establishment of Poma of America in Grand Junction, because that didn't happen until 1981. If someone wants to contact Tom Clink or Rod Stocking at P.O.A., they would probably be able to set the record straight.

Lift operator manuals are only about 75% accurate, in my opinion. In many cases, the operations staff doesn't consult us when they write them, so the material is quite possibly out of date or made up. Ask the maintenance staff for accurate info, because we've got the actual blueprints and profiles. Sometimes even that info's wrong, because we forget to throw things away...