6 replies to this topic

[egieszl]

This person kind of sounds like a nut and a few less photos on her web site would be preferred, but here is her claim (you can read the entire thing and the Aspen Skico response on the blog):

http://bonniebehrend.com/

April 4, 2007 - The gondola stopped about three times, turning a 20 minute ride to a 40. Three times we hung there in the gondola, bobbing. One of the three stops was so sudden, the cabin dropped waaay too far down for my comfort -- or the comfort of the kid from Maryland - and snapped back up so hard and high, the front (town side) of the gondola car almost hit the cable. The drop down felt like a free fall. The top of the bounce found us suspended almost sideways momentarily, me on the down side, looking straight up at the sky through the front of the cabin, the window that was supposed to be facing downtown, like the high point of a bungee jump. I almost lost my cookies.

I've been skiing my entire life and have never seen a chairlift or gondola car swing that much. The visitors - visitors?? - reassured me all would be ok. The kids worried about the cable snapping. I reassured them the cable wouldn't snap but I wasn't sure the car wouldn't come off the cable or hit something. Despite attempts to calm one another, the Maryland kid and I weren't buying it. We were sick to our stomachs. The poor kid's jaw couldn't close.

I thought that was bad until I heard the new gondola cabins had actually hit the towers this year.

Yo Skico, zis true??!! .....

.... Wednesday's download, however, was an unwelcome roller coaster ride for the price of season pass. When I got off the hill, I did what any local would do, I asked the lift ops ... what the ??!! The third lift op I asked said, "you must have been in the car at tower 17."

They knew?? Something?? I'm sorry! This should not happen.

I don't want to cost anyone a job but surely this lift op did not know he was talking to a reporter. He even had a title. I'll leave him publicly unidentified for his protection. Note to SkiCo - do not lose this guy. He defended you.

I asked a few more questions about the sudden stops and swinging gondola cars. He said three times in the 20 minutes preceding my step off the gondola, disabled passengers were being loaded, causing the gondola to stop. Oh?? Suddenly enough to swing a bucket that much? Didn't sound right.

I asked about winds. Yeah, a little, he said. He was nice, of course, apologized, etc etc, said the skico was not in the business of scaring people. Still didn't pass the smell test.

Upon further, repeated, direct questioning, he acknowledged how the weight of the cabins and the size and the distance between the cars was giving skico some trouble this year, that the company was still learning how to manage these new cars. He said the problem is also the towers are not wide enough to keep the larger buckets from bumping the towers. He also said skico had learned alot this year, said if he had his way he would have gotten an entire new 'machine' - the machinery and systems that drive the cabins - and that the cabins had even hit the towers a few times. With people in the cars. No injuries.

SHOULD NOT HAPPEN.


I was under the impresssion that gondolas systems are built separate from their carriers. In other words the system is designed to accomodate a variety of carriers. Are the new carriers really wider than the previous? It's pretty obvious that she doesn't know much about ski lifts, so is there really a potential issue with the crossarm not being wide enough to accomodate the new cabins?

Second, her bobbing claim sounds like a routine e-stop and she was probably in a cabin hanging in the long and high span over Copper Bowl. I love it when the gondola stops there. The rope makes an incredible and "thrilling" drop. It's awesome.

[SkiBachelor]

Well, when the Silver Queen gondola was built, it was designed to handle POMA's cabin design which was used all the way up until this ski season.

The CWA cabins are wider, so I can see how the cabins can bump into the towers.

[tahoeistruckin]

Hmm, some richbitch couldn't get a uneventful ride. She needs to take all her plastic surgery and her mink coats back to New York. If she really wanted an answer, why did't she talk to the Lift Ops Manager, The Lift Mint. Manager, The Mt. Manager, or better yet, the GENERAL MANAGER.
Sounds like she's just upset, cause she had to ride the dola with othe people and couldn't shed a layer or two, and ride down neked.
I'm so glad i don't have to deal with people like her.



WAIT.
I just answered my own queston, why didn't she gp to management?.... We have a name for her and people like her.
Assistant Generel Manager.
Back in the day we had agroup (im sure they r still there)of season pass holders/ resiedents who lived slope side, and if they saw something they didn't like, they would go running/ skiing to the nearest person in Upper Management and vent thier displeasure with something. IE: snowmaking and grooming at night on the runs outide thier home, lifts stopping as they are riding, not getting good sized portions on thier plate in the resturants. After my 2nd week working there, i just ignored them. They didn't sign my paycheck. Bob did :)

This post has been edited by tahoeistruckin: 10 April 2007 - 02:27 PM

[vons]

f$%#ing OTHG

[jeffe]

What a drama queen. A classic example of Can't Understand Normal Thinking. I'll bet you have to be of legal age to view her other websites.

[liftmech]

vons, on Apr 10 2007, 05:10 PM, said:

f$%#ing OTHG

My thoughts exactly. The operator sounded like he or she had his or her head on straight, though, the answers given and the way he or she talked sounded somewhat professional for once.

[SkiBachelor]

Officials comment on possibility of car hitting tower

http://www.aspendail...m/article_19081