WOOT WOOT! Nukin' in Missoula

[406]

rumor I'm getting is guy(s?) was in the loading zone and didn't know how to load a center pole and didn't end up on the chair.

[drdirt]

Anyone know how fucked up Lavelle is?

[drdirt]

Unintentionally existential question.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Tl;dr version the chair popped off like it was supposed to to prevent further damage. It should be put back on this week.
I don't understand why a significant fraction of the public has so much trouble with lifts.
Skiing at Lookout in November, the lift would stop constantly. And they don't even have a center pole on 2 anymore.
In this case, the lifty leaped and shoved the guy out of the way because he wasn't completely clear while waiting to the side and was gonna get "yeeted" as it came around. So of course the lifty got hit, but they are fine. Why they didn't stop or slow it instead, idk. Funny how people react sometimes.

[Rasputin]

rumor I'm getting is guy(s?) was in the loading zone and didn't know how to load a center pole and didn't end up on the chair.

Here's my very non-expert uninformed theory based soley on what I've experienced loading onto LaVelle.

One time I had slid out to get on the chair, and someone behind me started sliding out too soon. When they saw the chair coming at them broadside, they put their hands out and checked it, which twisted the cable and set the chair swinging sideways (which swung into me and knocked me off my feet). On a riblet chair (fixed grip) there is a post that is inserted into the cable, this post is inserted through the top of the chair, and the chair is held on the post by a pin to keep it from falling off sideways. My guess (not based on any witnesses or talking to anyone) is that this happened (the chair set swinging side to side), and the pin that holds the chair to the post inserted in the haul cable, failed due to this stress of swinging sideways which is contrary to the design of the chair.

[S_jenks]

So Lavelle will not be shut down and the news of the chair falling off will likely push people to ski elsewhere?

Sounds like a win-win.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Did none of you read what I wrote?
The chair is actually supposed to come off instead of damaging the haul rope. I have this from a lifty who saw it happen.

[Solo_Skier]

Did none of you read what I wrote?
The chair is actually supposed to come off instead of damaging the haul rope. I have this from a lifty who saw it happen.

Read it. Still doesn't help Snowbowls reputation at all. But, does help with crowd control as more skiers may get scared to ride the lifts here. The story on this is already reported by the Missoulian which has reiterated all the other instances of chairs falling off. Sure hope it wasn't designed to fall off with skiers on the chair.

[Rasputin]

Here's my very non-expert uninformed theory based soley on what I've experienced loading onto LaVelle.

My guess (not based on any witnesses or talking to anyone) .

Did none of you read what I wrote?

Did you not read what I wrote?!? Harrumph!!!

[drdirt]

Back to MY question, how fucked is it? It makes sense to design the system so that the chair detaches before the cable shreds or breaks but it seems possibly problematic that a human without major tools and leverage could inadvertently exert enough force to detach a chair. I’m not worried or anything but some Debbie Downer may ask questions about it.

[406]

Back to MY question, how fucked is it?

Not anymore than normal snowbowl. I like to think of it as driving an antique car, be extra careful, wheels could come off at anytime.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Back to MY question, how fucked is it? It makes sense to design the system so that the chair detaches before the cable shreds or breaks but it seems possibly problematic that a human without major tools and leverage could inadvertently exert enough force to detach a chair. I’m not worried or anything but some Debbie Downer may ask questions about it.

I think it has to be very sideways. Way higher than one could still be in the chair. It then also has to try to go through the guides at the wheelhouse. I think the ones that are parallel metal bars. What broke the haul rope last time was somehow someone got off in a way that threw the chair sideways when it hit the guides at the top and DIDN'T pop off the way it should.

[jamal]

Took a lap today



love to see dog shit on the skin track



road conditions: plowed and sanded

but actually it was pretty nice. coverage to the bottom of paradise. nice turns on lavelle. Wind yesterday definitely effected things though

[RootSkier]

Here is an email from Elliott at MSEF (extremely reliable):

I wanted to reach out to you all regarding the chairlift incident that happened at Snowbowl on Sunday.

I talked with the Patrol Director, Art Wear, about what happened and what Snowbowl is going to do to ensure it's safe to ride Lavelle going forward.

According to Patrol, A lift operator pushed a skier out of the way to avoid injury to that skier and the operator was hit by the chair causing it to swing. Because the chair wasn't weighted with riders, it was able to swing enough to loosen the twist in the cable at the point where the chair slides into the cable. There was no damage to the cable because the chair slid out of the cable when it swung and no additional damage to other portions of the chair lift.

Tomorrow, Thursday, December 19, an engineer from the Forest Service is going to do an inspection on Lavelle to determine if any further action is needed from Snowbowl.

Once the inspection is finished I will have more information regarding what Snowbowl's plans are to ensure that everyone is safe to ride the chairs.

[406]

Thanks for the updates guys, coverage up top looks pretty good. Will be interesting if that explanation convinces my wife to ski snowbowl over the holidays, ha.

[drdirt]

“love to see dog shit on the skin track”

Puke on the tracks is also nice

[Terrapin Ben]

I made it up Saturday for the my first turns of the season. Everything is skiing fine up top, but it's a little nerve wracking getting down the lower mountain. C'mon Ullr!

[RootSkier]

The top is fine, the bottom is the opposite. If the kids force me to go up again before we get more snow, I am likely downloading.

[jamal]

On the plus side it was raining at the base when i left today.

[2Harsh]

Made some Xmas Eve turns at the Bowl yesterday. The top has good coverage with just a few sharks showing in the high traffic areas. The lower mountain is low tide. Downloading on Griz is still an option and advised for anyone not on rock boards.

[406]

Fun day at the bowl today. Upper half of West Ridge was awesome.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Went 3 days in a row. I'm beat. Hope it keeps snowing!

The road was so bad though! Truck in front of me went off the side. I stopped and got out to make sure they were ok, (the road was almost too slick to stand on) then gave them a ride to the gas station where the passenger's vehicle was parked and so driver would have signal to call AAA. So if you saw a tan older Tundra off the side, know that the occupants and maybe even the truck itself are ok.
Yikes. Probably would have been me if they weren't right ahead of me!

Is the road being sanded less or is it just a matter of temps? Because it wasn't great when I was headed up late morning, either.

Also, is brush cutting on the marker runs just too much to ask? How about not leaving a giant log pile and several downed trees in Far East? Wtf is my ever increasing pass price paying for? It sure doesn't come with much. At least things are shaping up now. Fun in the pow!

[406]

Yeah, road has been bad due to snow line being at about the saddle. On way down today I pulled off to let tailgater behind pass and he lost it into ditch side on next curve.

[byates1]

^ satisfying. I get tailgated daily. Ppl are garbage

[drdirt]

Really good today. Horrendous traffic jam coming down right now though.