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33-607: Leitner-Poma's only major competitors are Doppelmayr USA , based in Salt Lake City , and Doppelmayr Canada. Leitner-Poma also supplies lifts to Australia and New Zealand. Jean Pomagalski invented the detachable Pomalift surface tow in 1935, and first brought it to North America in 1952. The first North American Poma brand chairlift was installed in 1958 in Squaw Valley , California, for the 1960 Winter Olympics . Poma's Grand Junction , Colorado, manufacturing facility

66-652: A bridge connection between the adjacent cabins. The main advantage of the funifor system is its stability in high wind conditions owing to the horizontal distance between the two support ropes. Chairlifts are continuously circulating systems carrying chairs, which usually enable skiers to board without removing skis. They are a common type of lift at most ski areas and in mountainous areas. They can also be found at some amusement parks and tourist attractions. Detachable chairlifts usually move far faster than fixed-grip chairlifts, typically 5 m/s (16.4 ft/s) compared with 2 to 2.5 m/s (6.6 to 8.2 ft/s). Because

99-458: A company which built 41 ski lifts between 1971 and 1977. By 1977, Thiokol had decided to stop producing ski lifts and sold their designs to two employees, Jan Leonard and Mark Ballantyne. CTEC's first lift produced as an independent manufacturer was at Seven Springs Mountain Resort , Pennsylvania , in 1978. Leonard oversaw engineering at the company's Salt Lake City facility while manufacturing

132-403: A single haul cable is looped round twice. Funitels combine a short time between successive cabins with a high capacity (20 to 30 people) per cabin. A funifor is a type of cable car with two support ropes and a haul rope, looped around. Each system is composed of a single cabin shuttling back-and-forth. Many installations are built with two parallel, but independent, lines. The funifor design

165-470: Is a fusion of a gondola lift and a chair lift. The company Leitner refers to it as telemix , while Doppelmayr uses the term combination lift . An example is Ski Arlberg 's Weibermahd lift in Vorarlberg ( Austria ) which alternates between 8-person chairlifts and 10-person gondolas. In undeveloped areas with rough terrain, simple hand-powered cable-cars may be used for crossing rivers, such as

198-669: Is done at Doppelmayr CTEC's Salt Lake City factory, while all line equipment and detachable terminals are made in the Quebec plant. In 2003, the company installed its first UNI-GS detachable chairlift, the Panorama Quad, at Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, New Hampshire . In 2003, the company was selected to design, fabricate, install and maintain the Portland Aerial Tram at a cost of $ 57 million. In 2005,

231-681: The French language name of télécabine is also used in an English language context. Gondola lifts are also used for urban transportation. Examples include the Singapore Cable Car , Metrocable (Medellín) , Metrocable (Caracas) , Mi Teleférico ( La Paz ), and London Cable Car . Gondola lifts which feature one stationary 'support' rope and one haul rope are known as bi-cable gondola lifts, while lifts that feature two support ropes and one haul rope are known as tri-cable gondola lifts. Examples include Ngong Ping Skyrail ( Hong Kong ) and

264-543: The Peak 2 Peak Gondola (Canada). A funitel differs from a standard gondola lift through the use of two overhead arms, attached to two parallel haul cables, providing more stability in high winds. The name funitel is a blend of the French words funiculaire and telepherique . Systems may sometimes be referred to as "double monocable" (DMC), where two separate haul cables are used, or "double loop monocable" (DLM) where

297-594: The Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City , as well as the Portland Aerial Tram . A gondola lift consists of a continuously circulating cable that is strung between two or more stations, over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is connected to an engine or electric motor . Multiple gondola cabins are attached to the cable, usually with detachable grips, enabling them to slow down in

330-507: The tuin used in Nepal. A material ropeway or ropeway conveyor is an aerial lift from which containers for goods rather than passenger cars are suspended. These are usually monocable or bicable gondola lifts . Material ropeways are typically found around large mining concerns, and can be of considerable length. The COMILOG Cableway , which ran from Moanda in Gabon to Mbinda in

363-691: The 1950s under the name "Alpine Lift." The first Doppelmayr chairlift in North America was installed at Marmot Basin , Alberta , in 1968. Doppelmayr's first North American manufacturing facility in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, opened in 1978. Unlike its competitors, Doppelmayr used exclusively European designs in North America. The company built the world's first detachable high speed quad chairlift in 1981 at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. In 1996, Doppelmayr's European holding company purchased

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396-535: The European ownership and parts supply of Garaventa allowed it to win contracts for large lifts such as the Gold Coast Funitel at Palisades Tahoe , California, gondolas at Telluride Ski Resort and Vail Ski Resort , and Steamboat Springs Ski Resort in Colorado, and Deer Valley , Utah. Doppelmayr was a world-renowned Austrian ropeway manufacturer that began exporting surface lifts to North America in

429-667: The LPA detachable grip, which is cosmetically slightly different from the Omega T-Grip. The terminal design also changed with the introduction of the new grip. The first lift in the United States with the new grip was the High Noon Express at Vail Ski Resort . In 2012, Leitner-Poma adapted a new retro tower design that is a cross of the design of tower heads on Poma chairlifts built in the late 1970s and early 1980s with

462-673: The LPA grip and terminal were introduced in 2010, replacing the Omega grip. Also, a new tower design was introduced in 2012, replacing a design used since 1994. Skytrac Lifts, Inc, known as Skytrac, is an American aerial ropeway engineering, manufacturing and installation company located in Salt Lake City, UT. Since its founding in 2010, Skytrac has focused on the North American majority market of new fixed-grip installations. They also provide modification and retrofitting services to

495-580: The Seeber Group of Italy purchased Pomagalski, S.A. of France. Although the two remained separate in Europe , the North American operations of each were combined. While it was announced as a merger of Leitner Lifts USA/Canada and Poma of America, Leitner's operations were mostly folded into Poma's. The last Leitner designed lifts were installed in 2001, and since 2002, all lifts produced by the company have been of Poma's design. In 2010, Leitner-Poma adapted

528-518: The aging chairlift segment of the ski, chairlift transportation and amusement ride industries. Leitner-Poma purchased Skytrac in April 2016. This acquisition gives Leitner-Poma a stronger presence in the fixed-grip and retrofit market in North America. Doppelmayr USA Doppelmayr USA, Inc is an aerial lift manufacturer based in Salt Lake City , Utah , and a subsidiary of the worldwide Doppelmayr Garaventa Group . The United States company

561-441: The cable moves faster than most passengers could safely disembark and load, each chair is connected to the cable by a powerful spring-loaded cable grip which detaches at terminals, allowing the chair to slow considerably for convenient loading and unloading at a typical speed of 0.75 m/s (2.5 ft/s), a speed slower even than fixed-grip. Chairs may be fitted with a "bubble" canopy to offer weather protection. A hybrid lift

594-664: The company built 205 chairlifts , surface lifts, and gondolas before merging with Leitner. Leitner had a limited history in North America prior to its merger with Poma of America. Between 1997 and 2001, it installed 21 lifts in the United States and Canada . Customers included Fernie Alpine Resort , Kimberley Alpine Resort , and Big White in British Columbia ; Mount Norquay and Lake Louise in Alberta ; Granby Ranch, Colorado; and Jay Peak , Vermont. In 2000,

627-621: The company purchased Partek , a small chairlift manufacturer based in Pine Island, New York . Also included in the purchase were Partek's rights to Borvig lifts. Jan Leonard stepped down as president of the company in October 2007 to start a new company, Skytrac Lifts. He was replaced by VP Mark Bee. In 2007 and 2008, Doppelmayr CTEC constructed two notable lifts at Jackson Hole , Wyoming, and Whistler Blackcomb , British Columbia . The new tram at Jackson Hole cost $ 31 million and replaced

660-771: The contract to build the replacement Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City , and is also the supplier of the passenger capsules for both the London Eye Ferris wheel in England and the High Roller Ferris wheel to be built on the Las Vegas Strip . As both Poma and as Leitner-Poma, the company has built some of the most notable lifts in America, including, among others, the only double-loading chairlift in North America (Quicksilver Super6) and

693-464: The cost-effectiveness and flexibility of aerial lifts have seen an increase of gondola lift being integrated into urban public transport systems. A cable car ( British English ) or an aerial tramway , aerial tram ( American English ), uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a separate moving rope provides propulsion. The grip of an aerial tramway is permanently fixed onto the propulsion rope. Aerial trams used for urban transport include

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726-535: The design used since 1994. In 2009, Leitner-Poma of America moved into a new headquarters in Grand Junction along with other companies owned by Leitner Technologies, including Leitwind, a manufacturer of wind turbines, and Prinoth, a maker of snow groomers. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter attended the grand opening ceremony, which took place during the financial crisis of 2007–2010 at which Leitner-Poma promised to create 100 new jobs. The company recently won

759-528: The highest chairlift in North America, Imperial Express SuperChair (topping at 12,840 feet (3,910 m)), both located at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. In 2016 Leitner-Poma had acquired Skytrac, a Utah-based competitor. Immediately following the Leitner-Poma merge, there were no noticeable aesthetic changes in the designs of the chairlifts, as all lifts built until 2010 utilized the Omega T-Grip and terminal. The first noticeable changes were when

792-638: The iconic original Jackson Hole Tram. Whistler-Blackcomb's Peak 2 Peak Gondola is the largest lift of its kind in the world, breaking multiple world records and costing CDN $ 52 million. In February 2021, the new Pucci chairlift which went into service in 2020/2021 season at the Timberline Lodge ski area in Mount Hood, Oregon furnished by Doppelmayr USA broke down due to an electronic failure causing 42 people to become stranded. The Doppelmayr USA chairlift's auxiliary motor failed to bring down

825-412: The new company was named Garaventa CTEC. Prior to the merger, Garaventa had built only a few lifts in North America, including Aerial Trams at Snowbird, Utah , and Palisades Tahoe , California . The combined company utilized the designs and manufacturing facilities of CTEC since Garaventa never had much of a presence in North America besides supplying parts to CTEC. CTEC's growing reputation combined with

858-581: The passengers stranded and they had to be rescued with ropes. Aerial lift An aerial lift , also known as a cable car or ropeway , is a means of cable transport in which cabins , cars , gondolas , or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables . Aerial lift systems are frequently employed in a mountainous territory where roads are relatively difficult to build and use, and have seen extensive use in mining. Aerial lift systems are relatively easy to move and have been used to cross rivers and ravines. In more recent times,

891-412: The ropeway department of Von Roll , a Swiss manufacturer which had been making lifts in North America since the mid-1980s. Von Roll owned Hall Ski-Lift , an American company that produced more than 400 lifts from 1960 to 1985. Doppelmayr now controlled all the spare parts sales for Doppelmayr, Von Roll, and Hall brand lifts. In 2002, Garaventa of Switzerland merged with Doppelmayr of Austria , forming

924-460: The stations to facilitate safe boarding. Fixed grip variants exist, although these are considerably less common. Lifts with a single cable are sometimes referred to as "mono-cable" gondola lifts. Depending on the design of the individual lift, the capacity, cost, and functionality of a gondola lift will differ dramatically. Because of the proliferation of such systems in the Alpine regions of Europe ,

957-736: The world's largest aerial lift manufacturer. The new company would be known as the Doppelmayr Garaventa Group in Europe and Doppelmayr CTEC in North America. Starting in 2003, Doppelmayr CTEC produced a new line of products that combined the best designs of Doppelmayr and CTEC. The Uni-GS detachable chairlift terminal design was specifically designed for the North American market and incorporated elements of Garaventa CTEC's Stealth line and Doppelmayr's Uni line. Many of CTEC's fixed-grip designs were kept. Today, manufacturing of fixed-grip chairlift terminals and all tower tubes and chairs

990-564: Was developed by the Italian manufacturer, Hölzl, which later merged with Doppelmayr Italia. Today, the design is therefore patented by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group . At the top of each track, the haul rope loops back to the bottom instead of looping over to serve the other track, as would occur with a normal aerial tramway . This is shown in the diagram below. This feature allows for a single cabin operation when traffic warrants. The independent drive also allows for evacuations to occur by means of

1023-475: Was formed in 2002 after the merger of Garaventa of Goldau , Switzerland , and Doppelmayr of Wolfurt , Austria . Between 2002 and 2010, the company was named Doppelmayr CTEC . From 2011 the company has operated using the Doppelmayr brand name, in common with most other Doppelmayr Garaventa Group subsidiaries. CTEC, which stands for Cable Transportation Engineering Company, was the successor to Thiokol ,

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1056-496: Was opened in 1981 in order for Poma to better serve the North American market. In 1973, the company built its first Gondola in the United States at Big Sky Resort in Montana (removed in 2008). In the following years, Poma built gondolas at Whistler-Blackcomb , British Columbia; Squaw Valley , California (replaced by North America's only funitel ); Stowe Mountain Resort , Vermont; and Stratton , Vermont, among others. In total,

1089-571: Was performed in Sacramento, California , where Ballantyne worked. CTEC slowly grew to become one of three major lift manufacturers in North America along with European -owned Doppelmayr USA and Poma of America . In 1989, CTEC partnered with Von Roll to build its first detachable chairlift at Solitude Mountain Resort , Utah. From 1990 onwards, CTEC used detachable grips built by the Swiss company Garaventa. In 1992, CTEC and Garaventa merged and

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