11 replies to this topic

[palindrome]

What a way to end the season. Only one rider fell - 10 feet. Two others held on for rescue.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5674400

[floridaskier]

Any idea what actually happened? The article just says it broke

[afski722]

Simple metal fatigue seems highly unlikely in this event. A relatively new piece of galvenized just does yield like that unless it has some sort of existing damage. I would venture to guess that it was a weld failure, moreso than a pair of the carrier just breaking under normal fatigue.

[shoemanII]

wow, one of the quickest failure analysis results i've ever seen. analysis usually involves slicing a section off of a failed piece, sanding/buffing then chemical etching, followed by SCM.

let's be patient - the real cause will be known at some point.

just to be a little clearer for all, galvanizing is a protective coating over steel. many ski-lift components are constructed of steel, with the corrosion protection choice of paint or galvanizing sometimes left up to the customer.

[Limelight]

shoemanII, on Apr 16 2007, 01:13 PM, said:

wow, one of the quickest failure analysis results i've ever seen.

Thats the media for ya! Don't you know, they know EVERYTHING!

[LSS]

Limelight, on Apr 16 2007, 12:23 PM, said:

Thats the media for ya! Don't you know, they know EVERYTHING!

Ruthie's is a double chair, how's that work, one falls out and two stay on?

[Kicking Horse]

LSS, on Apr 16 2007, 09:31 PM, said:

Ruthie's is a double chair, how's that work, one falls out and two stay on?

It's a triple chair. Aspen markets it as a double but it has triple chairs on it. And will load 3 to a chair when busy.

[SkiBachelor]

A picture of Ruthie's line.

[liftmech]

I have to say the article drew a lot of laughs in our shop. We haven't heard what really happened either, so speculation abounds, but the Times reporter really inserted his metaphorical foot in his mouth. It's almost always this way when a non-industry person tries to describe anthing lift-related.

[poloxskier]

liftmech, on Apr 19 2007, 05:10 PM, said:

I have to say the article drew a lot of laughs in our shop. We haven't heard what really happened either, so speculation abounds, but the Times reporter really inserted his metaphorical foot in his mouth. It's almost always this way when a non-industry person tries to describe anthing lift-related.

Which has further been reinforced further by the only articles that I have come across as from the aspen times and the same article in the Denver Post. I think that even the other news outlets are waiting for a while on this one.

[Peter]

I was suprised that Ski Area Management put a similar article on their webiste. They should know better than to jump to such conclusions.

[palindrome]

Here is another write up about the incident, based on the same Aspen spokesperson. Looks like, sounds like, maybe even walks like ..... unless superman was riding the chair behind them. The other articles don't have this much info even though this one was also written on April 15'th too.

"A break in one of the metal supports on one of the chairs..."

"He said an inspection showed the fracture did not occur at a piece of the metal that was welded."

"The break was reportedly caused over time by stress from loading and takeoff vibration, said Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman Jeff Hanle."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?...skilift-crn.xml

I wonder if he was counseled about 'TMI' too soon.