Major redevelopment of Lifts
for Whakapapa
Major redevelopment of existing lift facilities is currently taking place at Whakapapa skifields, to be completed in time for the 1987 ski season. Doppelmayr, the Austrian lift company involved in the construction of a quad lift at Turoa are also supplying the equipment for the installation of a quad lift at Whakapapa, to cost around $3 million. The quad express lift, will run from Hutt Flat to the Knoll Ridge Chalet. The 'Waterfall Express Chair\ the name given to the quad lift, will primarily be an access lift to help relieve queueing problems for skiers making their way to runs above the Waterfall. The new quad chair will move up to twice the number of passengers than the old waterfall chair — up to 2800 skiers per hour. Part of the reason for the increased capacity is the 'detachable' feature of the quad chair. The chairs are unhooked from the cable at the loading station and move quite slowly, making it easier for passengers to load. When
the loaded chairs reach the front of the loading station they are 'hooked on' to the cable. This method of loading allows a much faster rate of travel for the cable, and thus the chairs. The speed that the cable moves on a conventional chair is dictated by the loading speed of passengers. Whakapapa's detachable quad is the first of its kind to be build in New Zealand. The lift known as the Waterfall Chair is to be relocated and will take the place of the single chairlift in the Rockgarden. Existing Waterfall chair pylons will be incorporated into the quad chairlift construction which runs on a similar line. Both projects are expected to be completed by the end of May in time for the ski season. Excavation work for the building of the new pylons is being carried out by SWAP Contractors, a company from Matamata. The rock garden singlechair lift that has been in use at Whakapapa since its installation by RAL in 1953 is to be removed and possibly sold to another ski company.
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Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 38, 10 March 1987, Page 1
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349Major redevelopment of Lifts for Whakapapa Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 38, 10 March 1987, Page 1
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