How To Guides

Behind the Scenes : How Detachable Ski Lifts Work

In this video, Martin Rochon, Mountain Director at Station Mont Tremblant, takes us on a tour of the Duncan Express (Doppelmayr Quad Detachable Chairlift), explaining the major principals of how detachable ski lifts work, as well as the major systems. You will also see inside Tremblant's Express Gondola (Doppelmayr 8 Passenger Detachable Gondola).

Lifts are very complex machines, stretching over vast distances and climbing mountains with ease. Detachable lifts posses the technology to allow a faster speed up the mountain, thanks to their capability of detaching from the cable at the base and summit of the lift. When detached inside the terminals, the chairs or gondola cabins are able to move through at a greatly reduced speed, making loading and unloading easy, safe and more comfortable. Returning to the cable, the lift assumes a speed that can be double that of a conventional lift. With the higher speeds, skiers and snowboarders are brought back to the summit in less time.