Slipping tracks
The May 1992 cover photograph really caught our eye. The magazine looks superb. We very much enjoyed Bob Diener’s story concerning the Jackson Hole tramway work. What does Bob mean when he refers to the “slip”?
We continue to enjoy SAM, even though our club’s facility is substantially smaller than any commercial resort. We benefit from the excellent technical and risk management articles notwithstanding our small size. Keep up the good work.
Hank Delacato, Technical Supervisor
Wissahickon Ski Area
Bob Diener replies:
The word “slip” or “slip the tracks” refers to the moving of the track cables downhill for a distance equal to the length of the longest tower track saddle plus 15ft. minimum. The reason for this is to re-locate principal bending areas which are, of course, near the tower support saddles. These are long radius deflections over brass troughs in which the track cables rest.
As the cabins – carriers move, continually relocating the tracks’ resting places, the tracks slide to and fro across the greased, bronze saddle supports. As the carriers approach tower supports, additional downward deflection occurs due to the gravitational weight of the carriers. This action imposes considerable extra bending near and across the towers.
Track rope anchorage at upper terminals are so designed, and extra track rope provided, to facilitate slipping of the tracks. The distance or length “slipped” must be cut away at the lower terminals and reconnected to the counterweights.
Data confidentiality
Sir:
In the July issue article titled “Convention ’92” you made reference to the Economic Committee’s recent change from the University of Colorado to KPMG for the Annual Economic Analysis study. You indicated that “some felt concern about the data becoming part of USIA’s central data base.”
I would like to clarify this issue for your readers and USIA’s members. A high level of survey participation is crucial in order to get accurate information about our industry. The Economic Study Committee members have often been told by certain “non-participants” that a big reason they don’t submit data is because of their concern over confidentiality. The committee has satisfied itself with the procedures used by the University of Colorado to insure this confidentiality in the past, but, unfortunately, the perception is still out there. A key reason we have changed, is to further insure confidentiality by moving the study to a public accounting firm. The data, as stated in a contract between USIA and KPMG, is to be retained in KPMG’s files only, so that USIA member’s confidentiality can never be compromised, even if the study were to move to a different vendor in the future.
Gary D. Mielke
Chairman, Economic Study Committee
Skiing by the hour
Sir:
In Tom Ptach’s article “Tickets=Time” (May 1992), he presents 10 basic lifts ticket products. We think he should have 11. Here at Mount Sutton the new wave is skiing by the hour.
With this new concept, skiers start and quit when they wish. There are no strings attached. The system is simple and very popular. With our first full introductory season behind us the results are promising: we managed a 17 percent increase in total skier-visits which was mostly attributable to skiing by the hour. Those using it attended the ski area an average of 3.3 hours, and our revenue-per-skier-visit is superior to that of the day ticket. Rather than encouraging skiers to ski less, it removes the insecurity associated with a full day’s commitment and investment. We find that once on the hill, a skier has the propensity to ski an additional hour or two.
Find a skier and he will give you a good reason why he is unable to ski a full day, or why he’ll ski an additional hour and why it may be the way of the future. Skiing by the hour will be spreading quickly to other areas in Quebec where blocks of hours (half days in disguise) are also doing well.
We hope this information will be useful to other areas.
Denis Boulanger, GM
Mont Sutton, Quebec
Author Ptach comments: “At the time I wrote I considered skiing by the hour to be a hybrid of the basic 10 I identified. But perhaps it is getting to be strong enough to develop a life of its own and should be thought of that way. In any case, I applaud Mr. Boulanger’s thoughtful comments.”
