From sourcing raw materials that can withstand extreme weather conditions, the short construction window and deadlines, steep and rocky terrain, cable splicing, and load-bearing tests, building and installing chairlifts is extremely difficult. This video takes a look at those issues and how they are overcome.
- Related: Dissecting the $200+ Lift Ticket
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Enviro-Mentalists sure help make building ski lifts easy and affordable. They have really streamlined the approval and permitting process.
I worked for Walter Staedeli (now Dopplemeir) building and repairing lifts in Switzerland and the USA. Cableways of any kind are incredibly efficient mechanisms. The reason for the USD$200 lift ticket is NOT the lift but (1) snowmaking and resultant grooming and (2) overinvestment in earning capacity.