One of the great things about blogging on the Gondola Project is that we never stop learning.
Recently, one of our readers sent us a link about a “Double Loading” chairlift called the Quick Silver Quad which operates in Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort.
Double loading areas. Image from skilifts.org
Statistics from skilifts.org indicate that this system has a capacity of 3,600 pphpd and was built in 1999. Since this feature is very rare (it’s the only example in North America), there’s little information about it online.
At this time, it’s unclear what implications this might have for cable transit. However, one question that immediately comes to mind is whether or not this design could be adapted in an urban gondola to increase capacity and improve loading times.
We’ll try and dig up some more information about it in the meantime but if anyone has more details about this and other similar systems, we’d love to hear about it. Thanks!
3 Comments
I think this one is a six-seater. I wonder what the unload looks like too?
Indeed. According to the link below the Quick Silver Quad was actually replaced in 1999 with the Quick Silver Super Six:
http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/chairlift/hss.html
I’ve ridden this chair, and it’s definitely cool but its also a bit of a gimmick. This increases capacity a bit but mostly I think just allows longer load times in a beginner area so that the lift stops less. I’m not really sure this adds more than the alternative approach of having a timer-driven moving carpet to pull skiiers into the loading area at just the right time.
The chairs come down, and every other chair is shuttled into the outer loop. The whole thing is timed carefully, and there are gates that stop skiiers from entering the loading area early (important since those using the inner load have to cross the path of both loop’s chairs).
Unloading is not changed at all, its the same single loop stand and ski away procedure as any other lift.
There is a really really terrible video of it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqRcDvJ9hmU