31 replies to this topic

[Skiing#1]

I just wonder...

Do the lift operators stay near the control box all the times while lift is operating? Do the lift operators walk around like 20 or more feet away from the control box? Do the lift operators have time to run to the control box if the people fall or lost balance or hang or yell for help?

I know the lifts don't have eyes to watch the people. They are "machines" and easily hurt the people.

Yesterday, about 20 customers and I were in the line to get on chairlift, noticed the lift operator was not there near the control box or lift area or in the station, looked for her or him and don't find them. Where was the lift operator? I got on, got off and skied straight to the bottom and finally found the lift operator. The lift operator stood at the gate...about 50 or 60 feet away from the control box and the station. He looked at the scanner, and doesn't watch the customers. I became concerning. Twice times, I skied down again to see what the lift operator was doing. He still was at the gate. See the picture that I posted. Should I give a report?

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This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 06 March 2012 - 09:08 AM

[Kicking Horse]

Are you sure there was not a liftie in the shack? I'm quite shocked that no one was near the controls while the lift was running...

[Lift Dinosaur]

Also,
from your photo, there is a person, in uniform, on the left (even though they are not paying attention to the lift).
Are you saying that they guy with no uniform and the goggles in the middle of your photo is the operator? As Kicking Horse said, perhaps you missed the person inside the operator station (shack).
Perhaps you should concentrate on the joy of skiing instead of being an investigative reporter...
"Inquiring Minds want to know..."
$0.02
Dino

[Skiing#1]

in the photo, on the left, she is a check scanner (gate) to watch the people around the gate. yes, the guy with no uniform and the goggle in the middle is a lift operator.

Yes I did looked at the inside the operation station and no one was in there. No lift operators near the control box or lift area. That was why I skied straight down to the bottom, see where the lift operator was and found him. Like I said I looked for her or him because he doesn't wear the uniform. He stood near the gate most times. I finally overcame to forget it and I enjoyed skiing.

This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 06 March 2012 - 07:58 PM

[Kicking Horse]

I'm pretty sure that you missed the operator near the controls...

[Skiing#1]

I am positive that the operator was not near the controls, he was about 50 or 60 feet away from the controls. I looked around if there is other lift operators or the crew so no one is around.

Should the operators near the controls or no matter what the lift operators go or around?

[Peter Pitcher]

"should the operators near the controls or no matter what the lift operators go or around"
What does this mean?

[aug]

In my mind an operator should be no more than 3 steps away from a stop switch.

[Skiing#1]

Aug thank you.

I am sorry I don't know what called something like lift operator stays closer to the a stop switch like press emergency stop or start the lift. I looked up the glossary and it doesn't have information about control box or a stop switch. Also they don't have information about the gate or load carpet, etc.

My question is is the lift operator staying closer to a stop switch? How far?

In the picture, the lift operator stood about 60 feet away from a stop switch. Do he has time to run to stop switch to stop the lift if the customer fall or lose balance?

Please excuse me...my English is poor.

[Peter Pitcher]

I have a confession to make: I have always been on the ownership-management side of ski area operations. At Santa Fe in the 1970's we had a high speed (900fpm) surface poma platter lift. The bars detached from the rope and they re-attached when you skiend down a ramp and tripped a wand. It was tough teaching skiers how to ride this lift and some never learned. Anyway, in the late spring after the mountain was closed down we would always get these spring storms that would dump 18 to 36 inches of dry powder that was only good for the first few hours in the morning and myself, some employees and some strangers would start up this Poma lift and run it on "automatic". No lift operators. It ran fine never had any problems and that was the finest skiing that anyone ever had.
Fast forward forty years and now we have an old Riblet that is 2400 feet long and 1000 feet of vert and in the late spring we sometimes get three or four feet of dry powder. We can't let this go to waste so we sometimes run this lift on "semi-automatic" We figure if the lift stopped for some reason we would need at least someone around who could evacuate us. Still, never any problems.
I would never want to tell someone else how to run their business( I have had too many people tell me how to run mine) but I personally do not mind if the operator is more than a few steps away from the stop button especially if he is doing something productive. I think my operators should be able to stop the lift if he needs to within 5 to 10 seconds but I am more concerned with teaching the lift operator to not hit the E-stop just because he has panicked.

[2milehi]

You should have fallen into the "pit" and see how long it would have taken to get the lift to stop.

This post has been edited by 2milehi: 07 March 2012 - 12:22 PM

[Peter]

I've always thought if I were in a situation where someone was about to get hurt and the lifty was not paying attention that I would have no problem hitting the button myself, rather than just standing there.

[chairliftsrcool]

I guess this is kinda relevant, just saw this on Copper's website where they have two lifties, one in the shack and one outside by the exterior controls.
http://www.coppercol...t-operator-adam

[liftmech]

Adam's the foreman on that lift; he may have been giving a break or just leaving after having given one. Normally we run with one op at the bottom.

[2milehi]

OH BOY! Operators inside the terminal of a running lift.

This post has been edited by 2milehi: 08 March 2012 - 11:15 AM

[Andy1962]

Peter Pitcher, on 07 March 2012 - 10:38 AM, said:

I have a confession to make: I have always been on the ownership-management side of ski area operations. At Santa Fe in the 1970's we had a high speed (900fpm) surface poma platter lift. The bars detached from the rope and they re-attached when you skiend down a ramp and tripped a wand. It was tough teaching skiers how to ride this lift and some never learned. Anyway, in the late spring after the mountain was closed down we would always get these spring storms that would dump 18 to 36 inches of dry powder that was only good for the first few hours in the morning and myself, some employees and some strangers would start up this Poma lift and run it on "automatic". No lift operators. It ran fine never had any problems and that was the finest skiing that anyone ever had. Fast forward forty years and now we have an old Riblet that is 2400 feet long and 1000 feet of vert and in the late spring we sometimes get three or four feet of dry powder. We can't let this go to waste so we sometimes run this lift on "semi-automatic" We figure if the lift stopped for some reason we would need at least someone around who could evacuate us. Still, never any problems. I would never want to tell someone else how to run their business( I have had too many people tell me how to run mine) but I personally do not mind if the operator is more than a few steps away from the stop button especially if he is doing something productive. I think my operators should be able to stop the lift if he needs to within 5 to 10 seconds but I am more concerned with teaching the lift operator to not hit the E-stop just because he has panicked.

So this Riblet chair, installed in 1974 with an approx length of 4288 feet and vertical of 842 feet: Questions: Let me see, Do I really want to be hit /clobbered /killed by an unattended machine that has a horsepower rating of between 200 and 300 HP and is carrying a steel chair weighing between 100 and 150 pounds (or more) , moving at a speed of 450 feet per minute (7.5 feet per second) Looks to me like this machine (we call an entertainment enabling device - the government calls it an Industrial workplace) ) could turn me into mince meat in 1.5 seconds or less if the attendant is drunk / stoned / inattentive or missing in action. Have it your way boys. If you don't want big brother breathing down your ass, please be good little darlings when he is not looking.

This post has been edited by Andy1962: 08 March 2012 - 01:07 PM

[Peter Pitcher]

Andy1962, on 08 March 2012 - 01:01 PM, said:

So this Riblet chair, installed in 1974 with an approx length of 4288 feet and vertical of 842 feet: Questions: Let me see, Do I really want to be hit /clobbered /killed by an unattended machine that has a horsepower rating of between 200 and 300 HP and is carrying a steel chair weighing between 100 and 150 pounds (or more) , moving at a speed of 450 feet per minute (7.5 feet per second) Looks to me like this machine (we call an entertainment enabling device - the government calls it an Industrial workplace) ) could turn me into mince meat in 1.5 seconds or less if the attendant is drunk / stoned / inattentive or missing in action. Have it your way boys. If you don't want big brother breathing down your ass, please be good little darlings when he is not looking.

Thanks for the response, it is pretty much what I was looking for. Your characterization of lift attendants is pretty accurate. I do remember skiing in Spain at a resort with a number of doppelmayr detaches and I am sure there was a lift operators somewhere but I never saw them. There was a crowd trying to get on, no line or maze just a mob walking over your skis pushing and some outright fighting. there were alot of empty carriers going up because of the lack of organization but it goes to show you that there is more than one way to skin a cat

[Andy1962]

Peter Pitcher, on 08 March 2012 - 02:42 PM, said:

Thanks for the response, it is pretty much what I was looking for. Your characterization of lift attendants is pretty accurate. I do remember skiing in Spain at a resort with a number of doppelmayr detaches and I am sure there was a lift operators somewhere but I never saw them. There was a crowd trying to get on, no line or maze just a mob walking over your skis pushing and some outright fighting. there were alot of empty carriers going up because of the lack of organization but it goes to show you that there is more than one way to skin a cat

I was tryimg to be tongue in cheek with heavy on the exaggeration to make a point. I work ski patrol at a private member owned ski club in Ontario, so I don't see drunk / stoned / stupid or inattentive lift attendants. I can understand the boredom of the lift attendants job, but you get my point. If management wants to run the lifts in the off season as a perk for the maintenance staff still around in late April/May/ June because you got a big dump of snow: great. do it. Just don't kill some innocent 21 year old kid fresh out of university and still too wet behind the ears to recognize danger in what is actually an industrial workplace. Make an extra set of turns for me. boys. I am there in spirit. But do keep it safe.

This post has been edited by Andy1962: 08 March 2012 - 06:42 PM

[Skiing#1]

2milehi, on 08 March 2012 - 11:15 AM, said:

OH BOY! Operators inside the terminal of a running lift.

Maybe you are right. The crew or operator might is inside the terminal. The sign "employee only" chains on the ladder. That is why I can't go and find someone there ha ha ha.

Wonder are the crew or operator staying inside the terminal while the lift is running all the times? Can they stand to hear the loud noise?

[Jonni]

aug, on 07 March 2012 - 05:28 AM, said:

In my mind an operator should be no more than 3 steps away from a stop switch.

+1 on this one. Whether it's one lifty or 5 at the bottom, there should never be more than 3 steps between an operator who is paying attention and a stop switch. Bear in mind that this switch can be a button, stop gate, bail checker, or safety lanyard.