31 replies to this topic

[Powdr]

liftmech, on Jul 6 2004, 06:42 AM, said:

iceberg210, on Jul 3 2004, 09:08 AM, said:

In the spirit of Mel Brooks I see. :D
So how old was that grip anyway and how long do those grips ussually last?

That grip was either an '82, '83, or '84, depending upon whether it came from R, S, or triple-E. So it's barely twenty years old, but that could have been a freak crack.
You wouldn't ever ride a lift with a cracked grip- that's why we do summer maintenance.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, some people likely did. That crack didn't happen over night. It likely started as a micro crack or flaw in the casting process and grew over the years (due to repeat loading) until it was visble. The largest growth probably occured in a more catostrophic way, were you now see the end result. But I'd be willing to bet that that crack was arround for quite a while before it became so visible.

Powdr

[liftmech]

You're right, but what I meant was either the crack is noticed during operation because the grip slips, or it is detected during weekly grip inspections or summer grip move. Because of that, the crack probably propagated relatively quickly from an inherent flaw but wasn't a true crack until recently. Either way something like that doesn't go unnoticed for long.

[Vermont]

liftmech, on May 30 2004, 04:54 AM, said:

But wait- there's more (cracked jaw, that is).

If anyone has ever read the NDT accept/reject criteria for the ears on the Yan 3 moveable jaw would know that these cracks are relatively common. L/E cut both ears off of one and did a slip test with over 2200psi of force on a 42mm rope at a 41 degree slope and no slippage occurred. I replace them as required.

[liftmech]

Yup, it says so in the Product Manual. Nice picture with the suspect area highlighted and all.

[cjb]

A Yan Type three grip even passes NDT criteria if the crack is only on the inside of the mobile jaw ear, once it has spread to the outside however it must be rejected. We always replace them with any indications because it is easier to do on the bench in the summer than in the field in the winter. They are very common cracks, we usually change about 4-5 per year during NDT and another one or two that are found on daily visual inspections. This is out of a total of around 220 grips. One chair recieves alot more cycles and we see the majority of them on that lift. I have kept a couple of the jaws for training to make sure everyone knows what they are looking for.

[skierdude9450]

I am never going to Copper again!

[Peter]

skierdude9450, I know you are just kidding, but comments like that seem to just make industry members post in their own section rather than in the public forums.

[liftmech]

skierdude9450, on Sep 18 2006, 09:59 PM, said:

I am never going to Copper again!

All of life is a calculated risk, skierdude. You can stay in bed with the blankets over your head, or you can go out and live. It's more likely you'll get hit by a car than be involved in a lift incident anyway. It's not like we left that grip in place. I found it in the recycle bin.

[LiftTech]

True Liftmech, but the odds favor cancer and heart disease and you can get that in bed with the covers over your head. Ski lift deaths are rare and it’s due to the work we all do. All of you in the “industry” can be very proud of that. I don’t think any other transportation system in the world can say that. Here are some stats to contemplate on some other risks.
Statistics on skiing/snowboarding
Fatalities - According to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA): During the past 10 years, about 38 people have died skiing/snowboarding per year on average. During the 2004/2005 season, 45 fatalities occurred out of the 56.9 million skier/snowboarder days reported for the season. Thirty of the fatalities were skiers (39 male, 6 female) and 15 of the fatalities were snowboarders (14 male, 1 female). The rate of fatality was .80 per million skier/snowboarder visits.
Chance of having a stroke: 1 in 6
Chance of dying from heart disease: 1 in 3
Chance of getting arthritis: 1 in 7
Chance of suffering from asthma or allergy diseases: 1 in 6
Chance of getting the flu this year: 1 in 10
Chance of developing schizophrenia: 1 in 100
Chance of American man developing cancer in his lifetime: 1 in 2
Chance of an American woman developing cancer in her lifetime: 1 in 3
Chance of getting prostate cancer: 1 in 6
Chance of getting breast cancer: 1 in 9
Chance of getting colon / rectal cancer: 1 in 26
Chance of beating pancreatic or liver cancer: 1 in 9
Chance of beating thyroid or testicular cancer: 9 in 10
Chance of dying from a car accident: 1 in 18,585
Chance of dying from any kind of fall: 1 in 20,666
Chance of dying from accidental drowning: 1 in 79,065
Chance of dying from exposure to smoke, fire, and flames: 1 in 81,524
Chance of dying in an explosion: 1 in 107,787

[skier691]

Oh, Crap, the sky is falling... "I am never going to... " Yup, probably can't change there own car tire, let alone a sheave wheel, but are experts in lift safety. If outsiders only knew how much work, love and attention our lifts get. NO one wants to have the lift that makes the news. Skierdude, probably better stick to the rope tows then.

[skierdude9450]

I'm sorry about that comment. I'm not scared of lifts at all. And that was a complete lie because my dad is a ski instructor at Copper, so I naturally ski there 30+ days a year.

[mikest2]

No pun intended skierdude:

Our work is our lives.