Two years ago, at the NSAA trade show, Al Kryger, president of Greek Peak, N.Y., was searching for a better way to transport skiers up the beginner terrain. He had thought about developing a kind of switchback platform lift that beginners could shuffle on and off, but lift manufacturers said the expense of such a device would be prohibitive. Still, Kryger knew that there had to be a better way.
While attending a seminar on customer service, he saw a video of a conveyor lift at a large western resort and knew instantly that he had found the better way: the Magic Carpet lift developed by Magic Carpet Ski Lifts, Inc. Although wary of possible drawbacks and the impact of hard Northeast winters on the mechanism, Kryger ordered a Magic Carpet and installed it in the children’s center complex.
That was two years ago. There have been no mechanical problems, but Greek Peak has made one big change: the lift is used to teach adults as well as children.
One day, Cindy Dady, an instructor who normally works with children on the Magic Carpet, was having difficulty with an adult who was fearful and apprehensive. To ease the climbing, Dady suggested a Magic Carpet ride and discovered that not only was the ride less threatening and tiring, the student learned to ski.
Soon other instructors were using the Magic Carpet for adult lessons and it was incorporated into the ski school. “It’s a great way to get people started without all the physical stress of sidestepping and using chairlift during the first hours of learning,” said Greek Peak instructor Roger Nadolski.
The 72-foot-lift at Greek Peak has terrain with a seven-degree pitch and a counter slope at the bottom on one side and a nine-degree pitch on the other side. Next season, the area is planning to install a longer—200 to 300 feet—Magic Carpet lift for adults.
Says Kryger of adults using this lift: “In my 35 years in the ski industry, this is the first innovative approach that actually helps reduce the time required to learn to ski. With it, we can increase the number of adults who try the sport and succeed in learning how to ski.”
