The Concept
The Chairlift Water Tender is a soft-sided water tank that sits on the chairlift seat, is secured to the frame, and is designed to hold at minimum 188# of water per seat position. This meets the ANSI B77 code for load testing a new chairlift.
The Chairlift Water Tender efficiently moves water up the mountain and dumps it into a collection system at the top. It is designed to be used in the summer (non-freezing) months when the lift is closed to the public. Many ski areas have snowmaking pipes to the top of their lifts, but not all do.
Why do you need water at the top of the mountain in the summer? The list can be long, but having water for assisting firefighting operations, fire protection, water storage, construction, or even landscaping needs, to name a few.
How It Works
You will need a good water supply to fill the Chairlift Water Tenders (CWT) at the bottom of the lift. The filling is done through a small opening at the top of the CWT while the lift is slowly moving or stopped. We designed the simple PHIL nozzle that can hook to a snowmaking hose and be filled by someone from behind the chair. The soft-sided tank will rise as the water fills it.
When the CWT arrives at the top terminal, a person pulls the strap to release two dump chutes. The water drains very fast, faster than it takes to fill. On the ground, you will set up tarps that slope with the unload ramp into a funnel. Using timbers or other material under the tarp, you connect the funnel to a pipe. Once the water is in the pipe, you direct it wherever you need it. This technique also prevents erosion.
You can calculate the water pump’s GPM by the gallons of water each CWT holds and the interval times each chair enters the top terminal. The tender then stays on the chair for the ride to the bottom.
Better Than Trash Cans
Unlike trash cans, the Chairlift Water Tender stores easily, is compact, and can be shipped to a different ski area for load testing another lift. We make three sizes: double (red), triple (white), and quad (blue). For a Six-Pack lift, use two triples; for an Eight-Pack, use two quads or even two doubles for a quad chair.
Yes, they cost more than trash cans, but when you factor in the transportation and storage of hundreds of trash cans and the handling of them, the cost will be close to the same or less. Also, the container they are shipped in is a repurposed and reusable rigid IBC water tank.
The IBC tote water tank is also used for calibrating the PHIL nozzle and water storage.
What is the PHIL nozzle? PHIL stands for Precise H2O Inflow Limiter. It is a handheld nozzle with a flow meter to fill the Chairlift Water Tender, trash cans, and boxes. The PHIL nozzle is designed to make the 1.5″ digital flow meter highly accurate.
USA Made
Made right here in Idaho! We are building our rental fleet. Please let us know when you will be load testing and we will provide you a quote.
Contact us at chssnowmakers@gmail.com or 303-818-5923 Jason’s cell