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Show Park Record Thursday, December 8, 1988 Page A3 nspections keep lifts safe " CD What better way to celebrate the New Year than with a dinner buffet and party at The Yarrow-Park City's Gathering Place! And this year, reminisce with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary. This special performance will be New Year's Eve onlyl ,m ' ' ' " n Jennifer Madgk- Lifts at all of Park City's resorts have gotten a clean bill of health. As a result of mandatory man-datory inspections, the Chances of getting involved in a lift-related accident are slim. by JENNIFER MADGIC Record staff writer Getting hurt skiing is probably the last thing you want to worry about especially when tfie accident concerns something out of your control, con-trol, like a chairlift. Fortunately, before we scare you from skiing forever, such accidents don't happen very often. Tight regulations within the industry, as well as from insurance companies, keep lifts pretty safe. Unfortunately, accidents can happen no matter how finely tuned the machinery may be. A couple weeks ago, three people were injured at Bogus Basin Ski Area in Idaho when a chairlift derailed. Although the lift had met all pre-season inspections, had never had any previous accidents, the cable slipped without warning, slightly injuring three unsuspecting skiers. Knock on wood, Park City has yet to have a serious chairlift accident at any of its three resorts. Sure, through the years there have been minor incidents. In January '78, 112 skiers had to be evacuated from the Thaynes Lift at the Park City Ski Area when an overvoltage of electricity elec-tricity blocked power to both the primary and auxilary engines. Skiers on King Con lift had to be rope-evacuated one year, as did passengers on the Pioneer lift during its first year in operation. According to Phil Jones, PCSA president, although lift maintenance is strictly enforced, mechanical failure "is possible" and can occur no matter how much time and energy is spent on safety. "Due to precedents set within the industry, the industry has a pretty good record," said Jones. "We're pretty cautious. Things are right or we don't operate." Jones says lifts at every ski area are checked on a regular basis. If a chairlift is deemed unsafe, you can be sure the state or company insuring insur-ing the area will keep the resort closed. clos-ed. To keep lifts properly maintained, lift personnel are thoroughly trained, train-ed, says Jones. Maintenance schools keep lift mechanics up to date and yearly inspections keep them on their toes. A lift inspector might tell a resort to remove a dead tree or change a sign to help eliminate even the most remote lift-related problems. pro-blems. Jones added most "down time" on lifts is due to built-in safety systems, which halts operation if the weather or other external factor threatens normal, procedure. Jones said there are up to 90 such switches per lift which can reap havoc when the wind kicks up. According to Greg Hanson, lift manager at ParkWest Ski Area, "ParkWest goes through inspections inspec-tions just like everyone else." He said crews have "been working night and day" to get lifts ready for their Dec. 8 opening. Hanson, who has worked on ParkWest's lifts for 10 years, says ParkWest "has never had an accident." acci-dent." Although both the Arrowhead and Slaughterhouse lifts were purchased pur-chased secondhand, he says they were both "re-engineered by lift companies" and tested in the same manner as a new lift. Consequently, Hanson said there is "no difference" between the safety of a new lift or an old one. General Manager of ParkWest, Doug Harmon, agreed with Hanson, saying the resort's lifts have to meet "very rigged regulations" before being be-ing given a green light. Inspectors "really get down to the nitty-gritty," said Harmon, adding recent lift inspections in-spections have yielded "positive" results. r . ! ikll i'L. ! i December 31, 1988 7 pm Cocktails 8 pm Dinner 9:30 pm Showtime $59.95 per person includes dinner, dancing, tax, gratuity & party favors Tickets on sale Now at The Yarrow 649-7000 Deer Valley's lifts have also gotten got-ten the thumbs up in the lift maintenance department. According Accor-ding to lift maintenance manager, Chris Anderson, the four-man lift crew at Deer Valley "takes great pride" in the condition of their eight lifts. "Lift maintenance is really something people don't understand," unders-tand," said Anderson. "There's a great deal of work to do from the time we shut down in April until opening day in December. People don't realize just how much preventive preven-tive maintenance work is done during dur-ing the off-season." Anderson said the older lifts get (Deer Valley is going into its eighth year) the more work is required to keep them running properly. He says having the same crew throughout the past seven years has helped. "We are very conscious of what has gone wrong before with each lift," said Anderson, adding in seven years there "has been no major ma-jor down time due to lift failure." Anderson attributes the good record to "lots of training." MY I? 'WE WEEK mONHOItSE CONDO E3 $39,900 Incredible! 2 bdrm condo in Park City under $40,000? Water and sewer included in association dues. Heating bills minimal. SNOOZE, YOU LOSE! Penny Soul 649-4929 Park City's Gathering Place THE YARROW Path City's Premiere Condominium Hotel 1800 Pari Ave -649-7000 All-you-can-eat Fridays and Saturdays 5-10:30 p.m. Delicious prime rib beef plus seafood special of the week, a variety of vegetable and potato dishes, and unique salads. Don't miss our other specials Lunch Break A great meal deal! 1 1 :30 a.m. -5 p.m. Monday-Saturday $3.75 The Pub Complimentary hors d' oeuvres 5-6 p.m. daily Skier's Sunset Dinner Rib eye steak, teriyaki chicken or Utah trout 4-6 p.m. nightly for $6.95 Sunday Brunch Our exceptionally lavish buffet Sundays 10:30-2:00 p.m. $12.95 Showtime Live entertainment in the Pub beginning at 7 p.m. Tues-Saturday. eQ.Qb W Park City's Gathering Place Park City's Premiere Condominium Hotel 1 800 Park Ave. 649-7000 |