CONTROL PANEL TRAINER

Monarch Mountain (Colo.) lift operations supervisor Robert Clarkson wanted to make it easier to train lift operators on the functions of a lift control panel and to practice different scenarios, without disrupting lift service. His solution: create a mock control panel that matches the layout of the area’s Skytrac chairlifts. Lift ops manager Mark Mismash designed and built the portable panel, using a recycled lift sign and buttons from another lift that were removed during a major modification. The pedestal is built from 2”x2” recycled lumber and can be stuck in the snow wherever training is occurring. Clarkson compiled a list of many situations that can occur at the load station—unseated passenger, dropped item, fire at the operator house, etc.—so trainees can practice the proper response using the mock panel. And since it’s portable, it can be used at any lift, and to train other staff members, such as patrollers, anywhere and anytime, including morning meetings.