How Chairlift Cables Are Spliced Together
Monarch Mountain, located near Salida, Colorado, is in the process of replacing the haul rope for their Garfield chairlift.
Garfield has ferried skiers up Monarch since 1969.
The resort shared a special behind-the-scenes view of crews splicing together the two ends of the new haul rope that has yet to be installed. Check it out below:
Caption: "Last week out lift maintenance crew was busy working on replacing the Garfield haul line. Check out the pros splicing the two end together!"
Monarch's VP of Mountain Operations Scott Pressly provides more details in his short blog about the process of splicing a haul rope:
"Our lift maintenance crew once again teamed up with the pros from Knight Equipment for our rope splice project. This is a complicated and precise task that this multi-generational family business specializes in performing for ski areas around the country.
The splicing process takes a lot of people to help weave the individual strands into place so that the Knight crew can then work their magic. It was all hands on deck for the day. The two ends of the rope are brought together in what is called “the marriage”. From there, three different strands from both ends of the rope are removed at various lengths.
The three longer strands from the other ends of the rope can then be twisted into the places where the strands were removed ultimately bringing the haul rope together as one. At the point where the individual strand terminates into the rope is what is called the “tuck”. There are six of these in total where the strands end and are tucked into the rope.
These are generally marked on a haul line by red paint. Look for them on your ride up next winter!"
You can click here to read more of Pressly's blogs from the past.
Rather than replacing the aging double chairlift, Monarch is investing money in replacing the haul rope. That's an odd move by a modern ski resort, but one that shouldn't come as a surprise to those that know Monarch.
Monarch is one of a few resorts in North America that still doesn't use snowmaking, nor do they utilize any high-speed detachable chairlifts. It's a gem of a ski resort frozen in time. That's not a bad thing, in my book.
More info about the resort below.
Monarch Mountain Stats/Info:
Vertical: 1,162 ft.
Skiable Terrain: 800 ac.
Average Snowfall: 350 inches
Lifts: 7
Trails: 67
Snowmaking: NO
Night Skiing: NO
Mega-Pass: NO
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