# glad i'm not on this chair.



## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

cross post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BJXVfb-byhc


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Damn that's Some chunky looking snow


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## freexbiker (Jul 18, 2005)

Holy Shit! That's so gnarly, I can't believe they left the lift running, some true self destruction. Maybe to get people out of the way that were on the chair?
Edit: Here's another vid from the chair... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30OVme-7wJk


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## BoscoBoater (Jul 11, 2006)

Any french speakers know what they are saying?

They seem very calm.


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## hojo (Jun 26, 2008)

BoscoBoater said:


> Any french speakers know what they are saying?
> 
> They seem very calm.


I'm not too fluent but just after it stops and they are yelling I heard:

Distant shouter: "Fetch the Cow"
Dude on Lift: "What"
Distant Shouter: "Fetch the Cow"


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## BoscoBoater (Jul 11, 2006)

Ahh, I see. Quite right. Well now, there you go then. Don't let your cows follow you up the slopes.


Or did he mean the famous St Bernard rescue cows?


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## BoscoBoater (Jul 11, 2006)

When the dog's get that confused the cat's spring their takeover plans....


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## BoscoBoater (Jul 11, 2006)




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## wasatchbill (Apr 9, 2007)

Incredible! @28 sec, it looks like they just barely stopped loading the chair about 10 seconds before it hit. 
I guess noone got hurt (?). So lucky that the lift cable did not come off the bullwheel; and the bullwheel brake worked; having the lift run backwards uncontrolled is a worst case scenario for anyone on the lift. 

Big wet slides are like moving wet concrete. In the early 80s there was a big wet slide off of Flagstaff in Alta that demolished a couple buildings off their foundations. Then it hit the road, rolled right up to some plate glass windows at the top of the Alta Lodge, then squirted down the road to the right and did not break the windows. Witnesses said you could out-walk it down the road it was going so slowly. 

Searching around about this avy turned up a huge powder slide vid I have not seen before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99j17GL3qlE&feature=player_embedded


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## skipowpow (Mar 1, 2011)

BoscoBoater said:


>


Please visit www.carca.ca for your support.


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## teletoes (Apr 16, 2005)

In 1990, Winter Park did a test of the bullwheel brake failure mentioned by wasatchbill. Here 's the result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8rXiN_Oys4


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Wow.*

Interesting in several ways.

The snow effect I found interesting way the way the compressed or groomed snow went into liquefaction when it started to slide. The same thing can happen to soil during an earthquake. Imagine that happening to your mountain side home.


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

^^^

roll back is my biggest fear in a resort setting. I always carry 30' of webbing and a small sling just in case i need to bail. it works great. I tested it twice. once during a wind related shut down. they left us up there for 20 minuets in 50 mph winds so i figured now was a good a time as any. no harness though!


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## wasatchbill (Apr 9, 2007)

Bob, I'm curious how you'd bail with 30' of webbing and no harness?
I often carry a 70' 7mil for backcountry belays (mostly avi slope testing/jumping, or belaying to dig a pit), and a couple slings and biners for anchoring to trees. Trying to go light, so wouldn't bring much. Thats enough gear to rig one sling for a waist loop, and one for a single leg loop (I like to be able to breathe , and rappel; barebones rappel device being a single locking biner, and use a munter hitch; though I'd usually carry an ATC. So if I want to be able to retrieve the rope, could do a 35' rappel; maybe 40 feet with rope stretch. 
They make such superlight locking biners these days; and quickdraw biners; works of art.


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## hojo (Jun 26, 2008)

bobbuilds said:


> ^^^
> 
> roll back is my biggest fear in a resort setting. I always carry 30' of webbing and a small sling just in case i need to bail. it works great. I tested it twice. once during a wind related shut down. they left us up there for 20 minuets in 50 mph winds so i figured now was a good a time as any. no harness though!


Being on the same chair as Bob is my biggest fear for if we're more than 30' off the ground I know I'm likely his survival food me being a pacifist and generally weak in the upper body and you know he's got a knife. Cannibal.


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## Jensjustduckie (Jun 29, 2007)

hojo said:


> Being on the same chair as Bob is my biggest fear for if we're more than 30' off the ground I know I'm likely his survival food me being a pacifist and generally weak in the upper body and you know he's got a knife. Cannibal.


I too have this fear, which is why I ride the lift alone...


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

wasatchbill said:


> Bob, I'm curious how you'd bail with 30' of webbing and no harness?
> I often carry a 70' 7mil for backcountry belays (mostly avi slope testing/jumping, or belaying to dig a pit), and a couple slings and biners for anchoring to trees. Trying to go light, so wouldn't bring much. Thats enough gear to rig one sling for a waist loop, and one for a single leg loop (I like to be able to breathe , and rappel; barebones rappel device being a single locking biner, and use a munter hitch; though I'd usually carry an ATC. So if I want to be able to retrieve the rope, could do a 35' rappel; maybe 40 feet with rope stretch.
> They make such superlight locking biners these days; and quickdraw biners; works of art.



The long story.

a couple of years ago I was thinking about roll back and and what would I do if it happened. I thought if I had to jump i'd break my leg or worse. That night I went home and grabbed about 30' of "mule tape" we use it as electricians to measure wire pulls. I cut the first 2 feet off and tied a loop. took the remaining 30something feet and stuck it in my jacket. The next weekend at the resort the wind was whipping 30+ mph. we were getting stalled out every 1/2hr or so and was getting worse in the afternoon. After 2 long lift rides we got stalled out big time. I figured "here we go" I took out my webbing, and my sling. I sat there for 5 minuets trying to figure out how I was going to tie it. I then realized I had no harness or belay device. I decided I was going to do it anyway! I did not want to leave my sling attached to the arm of the chair, so I took the loop and "U" around the arm of the chair. feed my 30' of webbing through the loop in a "U" fashion as well. wraped it through my poles in the center like a ladder break. grabbed the poles on each side and slid off the side of the chair. I dropped 4' and came to a stop. I realized i had a bind in the ladder break loosened my girp a little and fell 20' to the ground. I landed on a wind loaded slope that broke my fall. 1 ski popped off and the people around me laughed. I got up gatherd my stuff and skied to the car. at least i was out of the wind.

I still have the sling and webbibg. I've since made a sit harness and carry 2 biners. I know a lot more about climbing/webbing/repelling now. I like your approach better. I think it's time to switch to cord.


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## Iraft (Jan 16, 2012)

Bobbuilds,If you are that paranoid of a rollback you should stop skiing at resorts, or at least the one you ski at.


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## jpbay (Jun 10, 2010)

bobbuilds said:


> The long story.
> 
> a couple of years ago I was thinking about roll back and and what would I do if it happened. I thought if I had to jump i'd break my leg or worse. That night I went home and grabbed about 30' of "mule tape" we use it as electricians to measure wire pulls. I cut the first 2 feet off and tied a loop. took the remaining 30something feet and stuck it in my jacket. The next weekend at the resort the wind was whipping 30+ mph. we were getting stalled out every 1/2hr or so and was getting worse in the afternoon. After 2 long lift rides we got stalled out big time. I figured "here we go" I took out my webbing, and my sling. I sat there for 5 minuets trying to figure out how I was going to tie it. I then realized I had no harness or belay device. I decided I was going to do it anyway! I did not want to leave my sling attached to the arm of the chair, so I took the loop and "U" around the arm of the chair. feed my 30' of webbing through the loop in a "U" fashion as well. wraped it through my poles in the center like a ladder break. grabbed the poles on each side and slid off the side of the chair. I dropped 4' and came to a stop. I realized i had a bind in the ladder break loosened my girp a little and fell 20' to the ground. I landed on a wind loaded slope that broke my fall. 1 ski popped off and the people around me laughed. I got up gatherd my stuff and skied to the car. at least i was out of the wind.
> 
> I still have the sling and webbibg. I've since made a sit harness and carry 2 biners. I know a lot more about climbing/webbing/repelling now. I like your approach better. I think it's time to switch to cord.


 In Oregon they put you in jail for that! That is if your alive.


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## jpbay (Jun 10, 2010)

teletoes said:


> In 1990, Winter Park did a test of the bullwheel brake failure mentioned by wasatchbill. Here 's the result:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8rXiN_Oys4


 The safety commettie must have wanted a new high speed chair!


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

Iraft said:


> Bobbuilds,If you are that paranoid of a rollback you should stop skiing at resorts, or at least the one you ski at.


I think about it, and if it were to happen I don't think I could set it up fast enough.

I like the idea of being prepared to evacuate a chairlift. I am not really set up for it. I like what bill sugguested of 70' 7mm with a sit sling and chest harness. It is has a more active roll in the BC. but might be worth carrying in my pack inbounds. I dont have much else on resort days anyhow.

I would not want to be arrested for it, and I guess we are not in Europe so, I just need to relax about it.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

The video of the rollback was during a series of tests and the operators who were doing rollbacks outside the operating limits failed to press the correct brake button hence the test went out of control. In a real life roll back there are 3 brakes and the rollback would happen at extremely low speeds to fully unload the lift. Getting scared about this lift testing video is like getting scared watching crash tests. 

Now lift derailments is another story as they happen with surprising regularity...


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## BoscoBoater (Jul 11, 2006)

Rollbacks sure do still happen. Definitely not a thing of the past! If that test video wasn't scary enough, how about some real footage from Devils Head resort in Wisconsin 2 years ago....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r78g9mG2ugg

"I was in line at Devil's Head Ski resort in Wisconsin when the ski lift broke. It started to uncontrollably roll backwards with people still in the seats. It got going so fast that at the bottom turn, the chairs were being flung from the cable and the roof of the ski lift was being torn apart by the flinging chairs."





All 3 brakes failed just 3 months after the last inspection, due to massive gearbox failure. Ski Area Management magazine has a good write up of the incident here...

Gearbox, Brake Failures Led to Devil’s Head Lift Accident :: Ski Area Management





More news videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FTxQFhUgBo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPu9Q8z5cAc&feature=relmfu



In a roll back, I would jump. It's certain pain vs. certain death.... What about you?





Oh yeah, here is the whole write-up of the op's lift destruction. Check out he part where they set it on fire. 

http://www.skilifts.org/old/chairlift_facts_eskimoliftdestruction.htm


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