Skilifts.org / SORT Forum

The ET series detachable grip was designed by Agamatic in the mid 80s to launch their detachable campaign. It was the predecessor to the AGA series grip which is still used today on certain lifts. The ET grip was used on all Agamatic detachables before 1995 and also on Doppelmayr detachables in France before 1995, where the DS series grip, the current grip offered at the time, was not allowed. Those lifts used the UNI terminal such as what is used on Montezuma Express at Keystone. The design of the grip was very simple, and one could say that it led to all of the modern single-position detachable grips today. It was a double coil-spring grip, probably most similar to the Garaventa AK-460. The one odd thing about this grip was the compression roller. It is located to the inside of the grip, rather than at the top of the spring.

A picture of an ET-106 grip on Borsat Express at Val d'Isère, France (photo thanks to member Geofrider of remontees-mecaniques.net)


Up until now, I thought that this grip was only used in Italy France and Andorra, (the three countries that don't allow double-position detachable grips) but after taking a close look at Boyne's Mountain Express, it appears that it uses the ET-106 grip also. The compression roller is the tell-tale sign. I can easily see how one would mistake this for a Garaventa AK-460 grip, because they both look very similar and that spring is blue like almost all of the AK-460s. So unless my eyes deceive me Mountain Express at Boyne has always had the ET-106 grip, and not a different grip to later be replaced by the AK-460. Here's a picture of the grip on Mountain Express at Boyne. Notice the compression roller to the inside of the spring:


Just to compare, a picture of the Garaventa AK-460 grip on Six Shooter at Moonlight Basin. The compression roller is located at the top of the spring, and the lateral roller is not as big either.

This post has been edited by skierdude9450: 18 June 2008 - 12:26 PM

It seems that the grips on the Mountain Express at Boyne are pretty new, although I could be wrong.

Yes, they are replacements.

SkiBachelor, on Jun 18 2008, 09:19 PM, said:

the grips on Boynes six man have not changed.

From 1991 when it was installed? I thought they had been replaced.

"This lift is the first high speed six pack in the united states being beaten by mt. original in canada by 1 year. The original grips have been replaced by new ones."
--From Boyne Mountain's page on this website.

"This lift is the first high speed six pack in the united states being beaten by mt. original in canada by 1 year. The original grips have been replaced by new ones."

Someone probably mistook that for an AK-460, which looking at the two grips is a pretty easy mistake.

skier691, on Jun 19 2008, 12:38 PM, said:

If skier691 says that the grips are original then they probably are. He is more knowledgeable of of Boyne mt than anyone else I know of on this site.

Ski area websites always have a lot of misinformation about lifts. Marketing departments seem to just make things up sometimes.

A lot of them think they know everything, and just publish what they "think" they know.

I've skied boyne since 89 and recall the grip being changed about 5 years ago or so for what it's worth. I tried to find an old picture that would show the grip but don't seem to have one.

Mtn Express at Boyne Mtn installed 1992 and I am currently looking at 45 original ET106 grips in our shop after this years NDT testing. After 24,000 hours on a 1945 ft. lift at 5mps ,Great Grip-Great Service by our lift crew

BTW, that quote that I gave above wasn't from Boyne's site, it was from Skilifts.org's Boyne Mountain photo page...

Slightly off this particular grip model topic, but what is the Garaventa grip that looks similar to a Leitner? I can think of URSA at Stratton and a couple at Park City.

Here's a picture of Payday at Park City that shows the grips

That's the one! What model is it?