New tires, Nitrogen make the K-1 Gondola go round Sunday
Posted by Tom Horrocks on November 14, 2009
What makes the K-1 Gondola Go Round Sunday?
With more than 100 wheels spinning in the bottom terminal alone, the K-1 Gondola is not only a marvel of engineering, but one of the fastest ways to enjoy thousands of vertical feet of skiing in any given day.
Our full-time crew of mechanics and electricians keeps all of our lifts in top operating shape, including the K-1 Gondola. Just this morning before opening the lift for the day, our crews replaced nine pneumatic accelerator wheels with new solid rubber wheels that provide longer durability. The downside is they are three times more expensive.
These wheels accelerate and decelerate the gondola cabins (and chairs on an express lift such as the Skye Peak Express) as they come into and leave the top and bottom terminals. And just like a tire on your car, the rubber wears down, air pressure fluctuates with changing temperatures and eventually you have to put more air in and/or replace the tire. Here at Killington we use nitrogen in the tires instead of air.
Every morning our crews go through a checklist of items prior to opening the lift for the day. They’ll be back out there again Sunday morning as we’ll be spinning the K-1 Gondola and the Northridge Triple on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for another day of skiing and riding.
