I broke myself today.

[Marek K]

Detatchable ones act just like high speed detatchable lifts. When the bar gets back into the lift station, it's disconnected from the main lift line so it can be stopped to let you get situated on it. Once you are, the lift operator tugs a handle that attaches it back to the moving lift line. Obviously the thing goes from stopped to fast instantaneously. Since the bar is attached to the line with a two foot long spring, it extends quite a bit while you start moving, and the spring recoil launches you pretty far

OK, that's just plain weird. I have just one question: Why??

There's a variation of the high-speed chair lift that I've seen several places in the Alps, but that I've never seen in the States. It's got a relatively high-speed cable, but the chairs aren't detachable. Rather, there's a "moving carpet"-type surface you get onto at the bottom, which brings you up to almost the speed of the chair as you sit down. Must be much cheaper than detachable chairs, but not as fast. Not as fast, because there's no corresponding moving carpet at the top!

--Marek

 

[jonnythan]

Detatchable Pomas go faster. This mountain has nothing but Pomas all the way up, so a quick one is important.

They're very old and run on rickety old diesel engines. Very low budget mountain

 

[Marek K]

Detatchable Pomas go faster. This mountain has nothing but Pomas all the way up, so a quick one is important.

They're very old and run on rickety old diesel engines. Very low budget mountain

Oh... I thought this was something new.

Never mind.

 

[simbrooks]

I just bought myself some nice big tanks and I have a real job now. I will be diving a *lot* in 2005

That is of course when 2005 the diving season starts for you

As for the lifts, in Europe they are called button lifts i believe, there are plenty of them over there for the smaller jaunts, the gondolas and real chair lifts are for the major hauls.

 

[Marek K]

As for the lifts, in Europe they are called button lifts i believe, there are plenty of them over there for the smaller jaunts, the gondolas and real chair lifts are for the major hauls.

I've never heard the term "button lift" over here in Europe, unless that's a translation from maybe French.

I have heard pomas being called "platter lifts" in English, for obvious reasons.

The Germans call any surface lift a "Schlepplift" = drag lift... I've never heard them differentiate between T-bar and poma, though come to think of it I've never seen a poma/platter lift in the Alps. Maybe once.

Not just for "smaller jaunts." Some of the lengths and pitches of T-bars in the Alps are horrendous.

Up until a decade or two ago, you were as likely to find surface lifts as chairlifts in many places... particularly in Germany. Austria was always much better about having chairlifts; though I still now have to do some research before I go somewhere, to make sure I avoid surface lifts.

Then there's here in Eastern Europe.

I hate surface lifts. Just ask my kids.

--Marek

 

[aquaoren]

Get better soon dude. We don't want to miss any opportunities to remind you of empty tanks

 

[Snowbear]

There's a poma/t-bar lift at one of the ski areas outside of Anchorage. The whole site is run by volunteers. I ski patroled there for a couple years. Patrollers would sometimes have act as temporary lifties loading folks onto the lifts. Skiers generally didn't have too much trouble with the poma. Boarders who had never done it could give us some serious entertainment, though

 

[Diver0001]

Today I went skiing at Hickory Hill in central NY near Lake George. The place is great.. some nice steep terrain, all the lifts are Pomas (and they have one of two detatchable Pomas in the country), no snowmaking, very limited grooming. It's a real old fashion ski hill in the vein of Mad River Glen.
//snip..
Time for me to try to get some rest.

Good to hear it wasn't more serious. I hope it heals well.... When I was in my early 20's I fell off a mountain (literally) and ripped/tore/shredded/mangled my right shoulder with a beautiful zero point landing that knocked me unconscious in the process. The clavicle and arm were broken in previous incidents and my foot, hip, knee, leg and back were injured playing basketball, motorcycling, cycling skiing and doing martial arts respectively.

Teh fall made a big impact though because it took a year of physiotherapy to get my right side back to the point where I could function sport wise and even today when I was diving it still "jammed" and "clicked" into place when I reached for something. I still have a lot of power on that side but certain motions just "won't go" anymore. I hope you have better luck.

Maybe it's part of getting older to realize that injuries like this never really heal. They just get better. I think that's what's made me get a lot more careful about my diving too.

R..

 

[Marek K]

"Zero point landing"?

Is that like on your "third point of contact" when doing a parachute landing fall?

--Marek

 

[Snowbear]

Maybe it's part of getting older to realize that injuries like this never really heal. They just get better.

So true!!

What's a zero point landing? Doesn't there have to be at least one point of contact if you actually land :06: