Talk:Ski tow

ID of rope drive unit?
Can you please provide some ID to help me locate mfr of the pictured (or similar) rope drive units? I have been remarkably unsuccessful in locating them via Google...

--Dave —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.235.105.159 (talk • contribs).

I looked through my collection of photos of the lift (those in the article are mine too), but none have the manufacturer. Next time I'm up there I'll be sure to rectify that. Confirming your searches, I agree: This is a surprisingly difficult item to locate! Here's what I found: Good luck. — EncMstr 07:54, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
 * List of aerial lift manufacturers lots of redlinks, and no obvious rope tow makers
 * snow equipment resale currently has a pretty long T-bar for sale, less 100 hp diesel engine
 * Doppelmayr surface lift page Maybe they make them, but maybe they don't. Usually a manufacturer's product list is more deterministic...
 * SkiLifts.org list of manufacturers: the answer should have been here, but the link for surface lifts is broken. Perhaps emailing these guys will be helpful.

Nutcrackers
It now states 'citation needed' for the nutcrackers at Meany Hut. The link at the bottom of the page with details on nutcrackers is from the Meany Hut page and indicates where nutcrackers were grandfathered in there and Mt Greylock. I'd fix the citation on that but I'm not sure how it is done properly. Mrhyak (talk) 07:13, 16 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks for pointing it out: that tag is fixed.  —EncMstr 07:24, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

Dangers of rope tows
I was almost killed by a rope tow when I was a kid and have read about people actually being strangled from similar incidents where an article of clothing froze to the rope and then dragged them to their death. I believe this article should contain some information regarding this issue. BillyTFried (talk) 16:57, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The Mountaineers of WA on Snoqualmie Pass ended up closing their ski-tow operation the year after a boy was killed by their rope tow in 2001. Their insurance rates jumped too high so they discontinued their tows. I believe his jacket got caught somehow and he was pulled into the pulley (just going off memory). Mrhyak (talk) 19:25, 24 March 2008 (UTC)


 * It would be interesting to find some numbers. I bet a big part of the issue is that chairlifts look kinda scary and rope tows look pretty safe.  It's probably hard to understand how that perspective can be so backwards.
 * Even getting caught onto the rope, there should be a sensor at the top before the pulley—usually a small loop suspended around the rope—which stops the tow if is pushed out of position too far. Do you know if there was one in 2001?  —EncMstr 19:40, 24 March 2008 (UTC)