Today, while looking at the snow on the Canaan ski area web cam I noticed a large piece of construction equipment between the two primary full mountain chairs; and there were a number of what appear to be chair frames on the ground between the two chairs.  There did not appear to be chairs missing on the two chairlifts.  

Anybody know what is underway, perhaps an extension of one chair to eliminate the hill climb now necessary to get from the lodge to the lifts?

the Colonel

Looks like they removed the chairs from lift on skiers right

I would guess scheduled maintance, a percentage of chair grips should be tested every year and all grips moved

on the cable. or at least thats here in Pa. some chair frames also get tested for cracks and weakness.

I believe one of the lifts will be getting a new haul rope this summer.

At least one of the resorts in CV is doing maintenance work.

At least one of the resorts in CV has a webcam that still works.

Cannot really tell what is underway; with sun out I do not see chairs missing from either lift!

Greetings from Canaan Valley Resort ”“ Here’s an update on what’s going on at the ski area. We are doing our annual lift maintenance including testing of the lift. This is a non-destructive test (NDT) that is being conducted by Arial NDT ”“ Vermont. It’s a test that is required by the State of West Virginia ”“ Division of Parks, and it includes removal of 20 percent of the chairs, hooks and grips from our three lifts as well as a magnetic scan to check towers, bolts and cross arms. (If an issue is found, we are required to take down another 20 percent). Towards the end of this month, Stevens Engineering will perform an annual inspection of all lifts, including our two surface lifts and all snowmaking-related equipment (another test required by the State of WV ”“ Division of Parks). And in related news, on May 6 ”“ 7 there will be a Mass Casualty class hosted by the Canaan Valley Fire Departments with all surrounding fire departments involved. This session includes classroom work on May 6 and a walk-through at the ski area on May 7 to plan a fall-season staged Mass Casualty Disaster drill on the slopes of the Canaan Valley Ski Area. (We’ll provide more information about the fall event as we get closer.) Hope this addresses your questions.

Thanks for the update and insight on the state protocol for lift safety.

Thanks for the explanation!

You mention this test and others are mandated by the WV Div of Parks, is this true for all ski areas in WV, or just impacting WV Parks related ski areas? Specifically, are these tests mandidated for Timbeline, Snowshoe, Oglebay,  Winterplace and other lift served slopes (such as Blackwater sledding hill) in WV?

And how often are they required?

MorganB

aka The Colonel

Greetings from Canaan Valley Resort ”“ Thought you might like an update on what’s going on with the scenic chairlift. We have successfully completed the required series of federal and state inspections, and the scenic chairlift is hauling hikers and sightseers to the top of the lift daily. On summer weekends, we’ve been transporting an average of 500 guests to the top of the mountain, and in the fall that number typically increases to about 700 fall foliage enthusiasts. Skiers who like to warm up on Timber Trail during ski season might get a kick of hiking back down the hill via the trail. Or you can access the Bald Knob trail, which gives you a big-time workout as well as some spectacular views of Spruce Knob, the Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge, Dolly Sods Wilderness Area and Backbone Mountain. Our visitors have been seeing wild turkeys, deer and groundhogs so far this year. It’s a 15-minute ride that costs $7 for adults 13 to 59 and $5 for children and adults 60 or older.

Glad someplace in Canaan Valley has a working safety certified chairlift!!

Canaan Valley Resort wrote:

We have successfully completed the required series of federal and state inspections, 

Thank you for the update CVR.  Can you please explain what you mean by the above statement?  To my knowledge there is no federal government agency or body that inspects tramways (aside from the Forest Service for some ski areas on national forest land), and WV does not have a state passenger tramway inspection agency, unlike Colorado and a number of other states in the Northeast and West.  Does WV inspect your lifts because of your state park status?  If so, what agency?

Because the State of West Virginia owns Canaan Valley Resort, the ski area is required to follow all rules and regulations set forth by ANSI B77 code, which covers all aerial lifts and all manufacturers guidelines, along with insurance inspections and a certified engineer inspection. If any problems are found during the inspections, they must be corrected prior to operation.

Thank you for clarifying. A couple points. First, those are not "federal and state inspections" as that phrase would normally be understood.  Second, ANSI B77 is a standard which pretty much every ski area in the country is required by their insurers to follow, so I don't think that your ownership by the state of WV actually imposes any requirements for inspection or certification on your lifts which do not also apply in practice to all the other ski areas in WV.