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Questions and answers about sports

How does a ski lift slow down?

3 min read

Asked by: Sara Rios

When the chair enters the top/bottom station, those arms get compressed and the chair comes off the cable. It then goes around slowly, until it gets put back on the cable and the arms clamp shut. So the cable keeps going fast all the time, just the chair slows down in the top and bottom shacks.

How do high speed ski lifts work?

A ski lift uses an electric motor to drive around a steel cable that is mounted at the bottom, on the way up, and at the top of the slope. Ski lift chairs, gondolas, cable cars, or t-bars are connected to the steel cable and transports the skiers up to the top.

Why does the ski lift stop?

Overhead lifts have safety switches that are sensitive to side‐to‐side movement of the chairs or cars carrying skiers. If the lateral movement is too great, the safety switch cuts in and stops the lift.
13 февр. 1977

Are ski lifts fast?

Depending on carrier size and loading efficiency, a passenger ropeway can move up to 4000 people per hour, and the fastest lifts achieve operating speeds of up to 12 m/s (39.4 ft/s) or 43.2 km/h (26.8 mph).

How does a fixed grip chairlift work?

Each chair is equipped with a “grip” that pinches the cable. Then, when the lift is in operation, the cable is pulled along by the motor in the station and the chairs are moved along the line. On the first chair lifts, known as “fixed”, the chairs always used to be attached to the cable.

How are ski lifts powered?

Modern ski lifts rely on electric motors to turn the bull wheels. Most also have secondary backup diesel power motors too – for safety. Electric motors are less expensive to operate than the diesel systems. The power and motor may be located at the top or bottom of the chair lift depending on engineering requirements.

Why are chairlifts so high?

With higher towers, there is a lot more tolerance for weather conditions. Another safety consideration is that passengers on ski lifts or in gondolas might be tempted to jump off the lift mid-journey if the cable had sagged sufficiently or snowfall had raised the ground level sufficiently.

What is the highest ski lift in the world?

Well, the answer would be 15,420 feet, which is the top of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain resort in Yunnan province in southwest China, near where the world’s highest peaks are situated in the Himalaya and the Karakoram ranges.

How do you survive being stuck on a ski lift?

So what should you do, if you’re stuck on the lift?

  1. First, don’t panic. I’m not a huge fan of heights, but getting upset isn’t going to help the situation. …
  2. Second, don’t jump. I know, I can’t believe I even have to put this down here. …
  3. Third, listen to instructions. …
  4. Fourth, be patient.