 Poster: A snowHead
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While going up to the glacier at La Plagne we stopped for a while so they could load a body bag. As this (nothing) was happening i read the makers placard on the gondala "Max 6 persons - 570Kg"
So 570/6 = 95Kg
so with a 5kg allowance for boots, 5kg for skis and 5kg for clothes (to make the maths easy!!) that leaves 80Kg (12st8lb) for each skier.
Therefore it is not inconcievable and highly probable that these things run overloaded when carrying 6 persons...
as a person of 13st that bothers me somewhat! 
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 10-02-05 9:57; edited 3 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Given the antiquity of those particular poma eggs, that's hardly reassuring!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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hobbiteater, sounds like you need to cut down on the furry-footed ones, or at least grill rather than fry them. 
Me, I'm a bog-standard 80kg!
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hobbiteater, as I am a fatboy (90kg), the same thought had occurred to me, but with my structural engineers hat on, I can assure you that the safety factors in this are huge and the actual load capacity would be likely to be at least 3 times the stated safe working load.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 10-02-05 10:12; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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but i guess they are imagining there will be some ladies and children on them?
But I know what you mean, the chances of having 6 men on at once are quite high
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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hobbiteater, knowing that gondola getting 6 big guys into one egg would be a bit of a tight squeeze. As Ray says there's SWL and Tested Load. Don't think you've got much to worry about. I'm a few kilos over the average and the only time it bothers me on a skiing holiday is trying to stand up in deep powder. 
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hobbiteater, i wonder if the pomas in LP are of the same vintage as those in Serre Chevalier - they only fit 4 at a squeeze - and as a 100kg 6"4 specimen, I felt very unsure about getting into one - but then again probably a lot less unsure than my other three companions in the bubble!!
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as a person of 13st that bothers me somewhat!
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At 19st 4lb and not the lardiest in our group it worries me a bit 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm 100kg but wife is 60 so we are ok 
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Right that's it, single gondola for Frosty.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I do not wish to join this discussion. 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Ray Zorro,
I agree with your engineers hats comments. I consulted my engineers hat and he says "I'm sure there is a huge safety factor, but safety factors are there to cover uncertainty we can't calculate. And after all if you have a jib crane with a SWL of 75Kg you don't put 76Kg on it! Its odd that the requirements for no. individuals and max weight don't seem to tie up..."
But maybe thats why the doors are so narrow...
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You know it makes sense.
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David@traxvax, Looks like 27 march could see the first big test for La Rosiere's new lifts as they will temporarily downgraded to THREE man chairs. I would advise others to avoid the resort at this time. For those that do brave it, I would also suggest avoiding the runs UNDER the chairlifts.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Alexandra, the amount of time we spend seated at keyboards gazing at screens it's no wonder snowHeads have a high proportion of lard @rses (from which term I specifically exclude PG who is something of a beanpole)
Hobbiteater - any lifting equipment I've ever dealt with is tested at 10% overload.
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Poster: A snowHead
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kuwait_ian,
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any lifting equipment I've ever dealt with is tested at 10% overload
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Very re-assuring................. but all in our gondola still die
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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kuwait_ian,
Tested yes, but not used.
Items are tested when new, not a thousand years old like the the Poma contraption in question...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Frosty, I believe you'll be OK, they're a good height off the ground, so even allowing for a bit of cable sag you should make it.
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May have confused the issue unintentionally. By lifting equipment I meant cranes, pulley blocks and the like - not chairlifts or gondolas. I think because these can have unpredictable loadings such as ice, wind and overweight snowHeads the safety factor is much higher than 10%. I volunteer to have the lightest female in an overcrowded LP Egg sit on my knee 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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kuwait_ian, you may have tested things at 10% overload, but was that the breaking point, or just the testing point?
When I was in Big Sky, I noticed that the tram (I think it was the tram, but may have been the gondola) had been re-valued - so they had kept the same upper weight limit, but reduced the maximum number of passengers.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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OK, I'm scared now. Someone please reassure me that if a cable were to snap - that some back-up system is there? (This is also to reassure my brother who has major issues with heights and will have to take the main gondola in Mayrhofen every day soon which apparently is huge and spans the valley).
PS: Kuwait Ian - i'll sit on your knee if you have a parachute!
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hayley t, I wouldn't worry the truth about cables is that the Swiss get them new, use then for 5 years then sell them to the Austrians, who also use them for 5 years then sell them to the French,, who use them for 5 years, then sell them to Italians or Spanish who us them till they break.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Wear The Fox Hat, 10% overload test on cranes etc is just a test in order to get the insurance certificate. The breaking point is way above that. We have on occasion been forced to apply something like a 30% overload and the crane survives quite happily but of course the insurance (if anyone were to tell them) is invalidated. Any man-carrying equipment is subject to much tighter control and inspection and as long as there are no low flying US Marines in Mayrhofen you've got nothing to worry about hayley
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Thanks David@traxvax, I can handle one careful owner!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Seems to me there are to many Fat B'strds on the slopes then 
They need to shed some lard & get down to a normal 65-80Kg bodyframe.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Seems to me there are to many Fat B'strds on the slopes then
They need to shed some lard & get down to a normal 65-80Kg bodyframe.
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stanton,
6 "normal" skiers at your normal 80Kg are on the max limit!
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You know it makes sense.
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Good job I'm about 73kg then
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
When I was in Big Sky, I noticed that the tram (I think it was the tram, but may have been the gondola) had been re-valued - so they had kept the same upper weight limit, but reduced the maximum number of passengers.
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This is how America is tackling the growing problem of obesity.
I guess at 65Kg I'm a subnormal skier?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Acacia wrote: |
| I guess at 65Kg I'm a subnormal skier? |
Acacia, no they need us to balance out the lardy-arsed end of the distribution curve!
johnnyrotten (5'11" and 65kgs)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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johnnyrotten (5'11" and 65kgs)
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Blimey, I thought I was fairly light!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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As an engineer myself I haven't dealt much with steel cables but I think they normally carry a safety factor of more than 3 to 7 from the Bristish standard (and would be not much different from the European codes). This is to say they are only allow to carry the maximum of no more than 1/3 of the breaking load in any design. Those involving human can attract a higher safety margin of 5 to 7 and that is mandatory.
Don't take my word for it just google "steel rope & safety factor" to find out yourselves.
The load stamped on the cable car is the static weight of the average weight for the number of people it carries. On top of this there will be snow load, wind load and dynamic load which itself could attract a factor of 1.5 to 2 over the static weight.
Thus I have never had a second thought getting into a chairlift, gondola or cable car manufactured to the European standard and expecting a safety factor of at least 5 over the human weight it has to carry.
I rate the risk of having someting happened in sitting inside a LP gondola is less than sitting on kuwait_ian's knee
From memory the gondola of going up LP's glacier is pretty old and small. I didn't see more than 2 skiers using any of the bench seats. Therefore for practical consideration the "decent size" skiers will be pretty safe, especially sitting close to the door blocking the entries of other skiers!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For me, the real risk with gondolas is being discussed in another thread.
Something about wind problems
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Caspar, that's related to saikee's comments about sitting on ian's knee...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wind load external to the gondola is resisted by the steel cable.
Sustained internal wind load inside a gondola can cause a human lung to explode. The risk may be mitigated by sitting next to the door with a sliding windows. 
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Caspar, that's related to saikee's comments about sitting on ian's knee
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I think I would produce more than just wind in that situation
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Seems to me there are to many Fat B'strds on the slopes then
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My body is a temple
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They need to shed some lard & get down to a normal 65-80Kg bodyframe
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Does this mean I must also loose 9 inches to get down to an average 5ft 8 in.
Reminds me of a story about Joel Garner the 6ft 10 West Indian Fat, sorry FAST bowler, who was once asked by a smiling woman "if everything was in proportion"
He allegedley answered, " hey lady, if it was I'd be twelve foot three"
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