Doug_Bryce Wrote:
I think Tiger T-Bar was removed for safety / insurance reasons ? They had a couple of serious accidents and also a legal case ? The steep tow track was pretty dangerous when icy.
I only rode the Tiger Tow on a few occasions in the 90's, but as a Black Run capable skier I found it to be hard work. The tow track was un-pisted and icy, so you really had to hang on to get up it without falling off.
Regarding New Piste Basher vs New Lifts, I think there is a balance which needs to be struck. A well maintained drag lift or fixed grip chair will be safe and operable for a very long period because it is mechanically very simple, a poorly maintained new lift could easily fail within a few years. So I don't see full lift replacement as necessary, my only concern would be if I felt that maintenance wasn't up to scratch. Personally I would like to see more of the pylons being cleaned up and painted, rusty pylons give the impression that things are worse than they really are when in fact the infrastructure is sound.
PB's are very complex pieces of kit and I suspect the cost of maintaining the elderly fleet at GS is an ever increasing burden, which was proportionally greater than the cost of maintaining old lifts. I suspect that they judged that the impact of loosing a PB (or two) was greater in terms of revenue than that of loosing a lift. Finally, new PBs don't need planning permission, anything other than direct like for like replacement of a lift does.