55 replies to this topic

[SkiBachelor]

I don't think there have been any vault drive fixed grip lifts built for a while. However, some new high-speed lifts have vault drives.

I think Yan might have had vault drives for its HSQs. However, I have no clue on how it would work.



The Needles gondola at Snowbasin is a vault drive.

[edmontonguy]

Yes if you are reffering to vault drive lifts. The reincarnated Squaw Super gondi at LL is the newest Vault drive to be installed. Though it's becoming less common you will probably be more likely to find vault drives on very large lifts, ones which would have trouble with a containing all the neccessary equipment within a modern drive terminal.

[highspeedquad]

Just to be sure, those lifts are Dopps, not Yans, right? I think that they should of used the vault drive to avoid the ugly L-P terminal shown here:  topstation3.jpg (67.81K)
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[SkiBachelor]

highspeedquad, on Feb 12 2005, 02:59 PM, said:

Just to be sure, those lifts are Dopps, not Yans, right?
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Those at one time were YAN Type 7 HSQs until the Quicksilver accident happened up at Whistler. Then Sun Valley hired Doppelmayr to retrofit its YAN Type 7s, so that's why the terminals look like Doppelmayr UNI-M now. However, there's still YAN stuff inside the terminal.

Here is a picture of the Christmas Express at Sun Valley, before and after the retrofit.

Christmas Express (1988)
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2005

[highspeedquad]

Ok, because I know Dopp did probably the most yan retrofits, but these are the first I've seen modified to a UNI-M terminal. I was just wondering because you mentioned Yan and then showed a picture of a Dopp terminal. In the last pic they left the Yan carriers. I don't like that design.

[SkiBachelor]

No, the Yan carriers were actually replaced with the latest Yan carrier when the lift was retrofitted. The carriers might look a little funky, but they are probably the most comfortable chairs I have been on. I think Zack would say the same thing too.

[highspeedquad]

From my view the more circular shape appears to have less seat space, but its an illusion. It does appear to have the Dopp grip, correct? Of course, I have never seen a Yan HSQ with their grips, so I wouldn't know.

[SkiBachelor]

The grip was the main reason why the Type 7s and Type 11 were replaced. The Quicksivler Express' grips failed when the E-brake was engaged and a chair detached from the haul rope and slid back and crashing into another chair and then that chair detached and crashed into another chair, where then the chairs fell to the ground. And if you were wondering if there were people on the lift during the accident, there was.

[highspeedquad]

Ah, yes. I do remember there being some accidents. So i'm assuming they replaced the grips.

[edmontonguy]

Some were outright replaced such as the Sun Valley ones which now run on the newer DT-104 detachable grips. Replacement grips were intalled on lifts such as the Friendly giant @ LL. These were designed to overcome the problems that were encountered with the original grips.

The newer redesigned grips are visable here.

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•  111144806olpJvP_fs.jpg (139.1K)
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[poloxskier]

Are there any other operating that used the replacement grips instead of being rebuilt by Dopp or Poma?

[edmontonguy]

I beleive silver star had two that used the replacement grips until they were removed in 2001. Of interesting note the Vance Creek express (now the powder gulch express) had a yan midstation which operated on only one side. It was probably a first on american lifts as doppelmayr didn't feature this type of station until the UNI-M terminal.

[floridaskier]

Here we go: Vance Creek Express half station



Coskibum has a page about Yan lifts
http://www.colorados...t/yanlifts.html

[iceberg210]

Is Baby Thunder at Snowbird a vault drive. That was built in 1995 so if it is a vault drive it would be a fairly new one.

[liftmech]

I've seen several pictures of Yan vault-drive detachables. I don't think there were too many. The tunnel-style return station seen in several of the previous pictures was used with these vaults, with the bullwheel being fixed instead of tensioned.

[jessevanneo]

You guys are