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INDUSTRY EVENTS LMS 2006 From April 25 to 27, 2006, ski area personnel from West Virginia to Maine gathered at Ski Butternut, Mass., for the 29th annual Lift Maintenance Seminar. Attendees packed into classes featuring everything from snowmaking basics to hydraulics. The always-popular welding and hands-on classes were again maxed out.Among the highlights was a class conducted by Ross Stevens and Sam Geise on preparing for a lift inspection. Aside from having the coffee and doughnuts ready, presenters pointed out that inspections run a lot quicker and smoother if the area has two personnel waiting, a ladder, log books, lift evac plan, manufacturer’s manuals and lift data sheets at the ready. Once the presenters went over what to expect, the class moved outside to see, firsthand, what the inspectors are looking for. Another popular class was NSAA’s Sid Roslund’s presentation on the the new B-77 standard called the ANSI B-77.1-2006. Roslund pointed out that the standard is just that, a standard. Each state needs to turn the standard into code or law. Among the highlights of the new standard is a change in operators for conveyors. Instead of having one at the bottom, the new standard calls for an operator at the top, instead, because that is where most incidents occur. Another change is switching the emergency shutdown button and the normal stop button. The emergency shutdown button should now be shielded and made smaller, while the normal stop button will be bigger. Too often, lift attendants stop the lift using the emergency shutdown button (usually the big red mushroom), when using the normal stop button is the preferred method. For more on the new standard, go to www.nsaa.org. As well, SAM will be running future articles on the changes. Finally, a lift incident class was packed as ski area folks discussed mishaps over the past season and how they happened. It’s always an educational tool as areas learn from each other how to avoid these incidents in the future. One thing is for sure, there is no end to the variety of mishaps. All in all, LMS 06 was again a great educational and networking opportunity!
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EVENTS WRAPUP 
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