Pat Donnelly Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Published: January 5, 2005 By Cathy Carroll The Bulletin Seven people fell about 10 feet from the Pine Marten chairlift at Mount Bachelor on Dec. 27 when the lift stopped abruptly because of an electrical problem, Carly Carmichael, a spokeswoman for Mount Bachelor, said Tuesday. No one was seriously injured, but one person who fell suffered a broken thumb, she said. The problem was one of several that plagued the lifts during the holiday break, one of the ski area's busiest times, she added. After people fell from the Pine Marten lift, staff switched its power to a slower, diesel backup system until the electrical problem was fixed. The engine of the Skyliner Express lift failed about a week ago and has since been running on its slower backup system, a diesel engine. The electric motor is expected to be replaced and running by Thursday, Carmichael said. On New Year's Day, staff used a rope-and-pulley system to lower 80 guests from the Rainbow Chair lift after a gearbox failed. "(Guests) are frustrated that the lifts are running on diesel, but on the other hand, we are doing everything we can," Carmichael said. The company flew an expert from Vancouver, B.C., to fix the engine of the Pine Marten lift Monday night, and it ran with no problems Tuesday, Carmichael said. Mount Bachelor initially flew in another expert who didn't fix it adequately, adding to the delay, she said. "These are European companies who make these lifts," she said. "You can't go down the street and get someone to fix it. We have people who are trained on the mountain to do repairs, but every now and then (repairs require an expert)." The shipment of a new engine for the Skyliner lift was delayed. The ski area ordered a new engine, but it received a used one at first and it didn't work, she said. Carmichael said she did not know whether people who fell from the Pine Marten lift had the safety bars down when they fell. It is possible they had lifted the bars to exit the chair because they fell close to the top of the lift, she said. People rarely fall from the lifts, she said. Carmichael said spending has not been cut at Mount Bachelor, whose parent company is Powdr Corp. of Park City, Utah. "We have a lift maintenance staff working full time, year-round," she said. "They check lifts daily before we open and during the day and after we close. It's a 24-hour city up there doing grooming and maintenance, and this situation couldn't have been detected through our routine." Mark Miller, a season-pass holder at Mount Bachelor for six years, said the ski area should report on its daily recorded snow phone line and on its Web site which lifts are operating on diesel. "Out of respect for season-pass holders who pay $1,500 to $2,000 to ski there, they should be more forthcoming about the status of the lifts and when they expect to get them fixed," he said. That would help guests decide whether to opt for Nordic skiing or snowshoeing, he said. "It's a tough situation," Carmichael said. "I've been responding to e-mails and guests keep hearing that the lift will be fixed tomorrow." When repairs don't happen as planned, however, that creates frustration, she said. Cathy Carroll can be reached at 541-383-0304 or at ccarroll@bendbulletin.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 as a former liftie, i've seen lifts stopping abruptly and yanking the chair back and fro. it's a bit uncomfortable/uneasy to watch. Luckily it's during initial lift chair check-up proceedure. this mostly falls on the fixed chair. Do you know what kind of chairs these were? Poma, Doppelmayer, etc ? and high speed or fixed ? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil sunday Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 i especially like the part in the article when the season passholder would like the snow report phone to advise "which lifts are running on diesel" hahahahah. you'd miss first tracks and corduroy sitting on the phone for 25 minutes! get real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 They have one four-five person lift that exits right at the edge upon reaching a sheer cliff with nothing but jagged rocks hundreds of feet below. (or so it seemed) I just about messed my pants when they lifted the bar! Of course, I was the unfortunate soul sitting in the middle position with nothing to grasp but very thin air! If that thing had jerked to a stop, I'd have been a gonner for sure. Of course the people sitting next to me would have also been gonners! Either that or their jackets would be in need of some serious repair resulting from a 185 lb man hanging from them! The thought of it still gives me the "willies". :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gtanner Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Ahh yes, the good old Peak Chair on Whistler....I've done it many a time and it still gives me butterflies in my stomach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I remember the first time I was on a chair lift in a US resort. I was looking for the safety bar to lower and engage it and I couldn't find any( Tahoe area). In europe all the chairs have these safety bars (at least all the resorts I've been to in Austria, Switzerland and France) that you lower and engage right after take off. They should be mandatory everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 the lift system here is kinda a joke tho. Pine Marten breaks down quite often, or has so far. Rainbow lift, well...you could get to the top faster by walking. Skyliner they run on backup a lot and it is SLOW even though they call it a high speed quad. I dont know what that dude was talkin about $1500-$2000? and yeah..he sounded like a whiny baby. Youre not gonna ride cuz the lift is running on diesel? I do think they need to get their **** together tho. oh...the lift in question is a detachable quad. not sure on the manufacturer tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 D-Sub, You gotta stop trying to recharge your IPod off the lift's auxiliary port. You're messing it up for everyone! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Originally posted by D-Sub the lift system here is kinda a joke tho. Pine Marten breaks down quite often, or has so far. Rainbow lift, well...you could get to the top faster by walking. Skyliner they run on backup a lot and it is SLOW even though they call it a high speed quad. Funny, I've always thought Bachelor has one of the best lift systems around. All those express quads! In fact the last time I was on a non-express lift there was in '96, when I did my first coupld of days snowboarding. Sure, it is frustrating when two lifts break down at the same time. But their lift system kicks the crap out of some of my favorite resorts... Kirkwood, Alpine Meadows, Snowbird for example. Must have been all those Portlanders who were riding at Bachelor due to lack of snow at the Hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I know..sorry bout that...need more batteries! (btw its a Pogo RipDrive...screw mac!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim Pryor Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 Sounds like Mt. Bachelor had a decade worth of problems in a week. My good friend and lifty Casey was riding up with a friend last week at Bear and the unthinkable happened. Casey said his buddy started complaining of being nauseated and lightheaded. Next thing he was vomiting and then passed out. He started to fall out of the chair and Casey grabbed him and held on as long as he could. Luckily when he could hold no longer the drop was only 15-20 ft. The result was a broken jaw that is now wired. He could of been paralyzed or worse! Yea the kids don't like to put the bar down cause it isn't cool but I insist on putting the "stoner bar" down. Better safe than dead. jp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnstewart Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 A season pass is $1500-$2000? I thought they were expensive in the Midwest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Originally posted by Jim Pryor Sounds like Mt. Bachelor had a decade worth of problems in a week. My good friend and lifty Casey was riding up with a friend last week at Bear and the unthinkable happened. Casey said his buddy started complaining of being nauseated and lightheaded. Next thing he was vomiting and then passed out. He started to fall out of the chair and Casey grabbed him and held on as long as he could. Luckily when he could hold no longer the drop was only 15-20 ft. The result was a broken jaw that is now wired. He could of been paralyzed or worse! Yea the kids don't like to put the bar down cause it isn't cool but I insist on putting the "stoner bar" down. Better safe than dead. jp what the hell was wrong with the dude? too big a toke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Originally posted by johnstewart A season pass is $1500-$2000? I thought they were expensive in the Midwest! no. its $910 full price. that guy was exaggerating horribly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnstewart Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Originally posted by D-Sub no. its $910 full price. that guy was exaggerating horribly Holy crap, though, that's expensive. I paid $300 for my season pass at the local bump of a hill (200ft drop, being generous and including the lift bump at top!) I thought $300 was outrageous because I know folks who have bought $200 season passes in Colorado for multiple hills, to boot! So $900 seems pretty insane. Perhaps it has something to do with competition (is there no other hill nearby?). What are lift tickets for a single day? $100?? Seems like a huge discrepancy. Something to keep in mind if I ever do move away from Madison for a while - been thinking about it for a long time, and the Pacific Northwest is probably tops on the list (Portland, actually). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 there is one other small hill, hoodoo, about an hour away? and then...williamette I bleieve. both are crap. Hood is 160 or so away, so yes its sort of a monopoly, and yes its kinda expensive, but...tickets are $45, so...thats only 20 days. I dunno...many things about bachelor disappoint me. the corporate attitude is quite evident, and there are many things lacking while others receive focus. hell..my old fun hill, steamboat..if you dont get your pass early its like $1300 or something. pretty insane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy D Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Originally posted by Gtanner Ahh yes, the good old Peak Chair on Whistler....I've done it many a time and it still gives me butterflies in my stomach. Yeah, that chair scared the crap out of me! It didn't help that the day I rode it was windy, and nothing but wind scoured ice at the top of the peak! Total psychological warfare, on that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 And now you can get hit by an avvy on the chair - see here for an article discussing how much snow has been dumping in Tahoe and area. 13 year old kid was knocked off the chair by either the snow or the preceding windblast of an avalanche, was buried and died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 that is NUTS. I remember reading somewhere that Baker had to cut canyons for their lifts? like...the lifts were at or below snow level? jesus. and its RAINING at Bachelor. heh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Dahl Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 all the chairs during the record snowfall year came in below snow level for 30 feet or so, except for the chairs that came in on steep slopes. It was kinda wierd to be there. On some the cats plowed snow to the drop areas before the chairs unloaded! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Dasai Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Originally posted by D-Sub I remember reading somewhere that Baker had to cut canyons for their lifts? like...the lifts were at or below snow level? I remember back in '81 (I think) when they had to cut a canyon for the Ramshead chair in Thredbo, Australia. The Antons and Sponars T-bars were closed because they were practically buried. I remember traversing from Crackenback to Merrits and hitting the overhead T-bar cable at about knee height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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