Cheaper than a high-speed quad!

I just read that the one-chairlift ski resort of Silverton, Colorado, just above Ouray, is increasing its uphill capacity this winter by 50% just by adding more chairs on the cable. By reducing the spacing between chairs (why not, right?) the operators hope they can eliminate the lift line that sometimes forms for the first chair of the day. This is something everyone should have thought about before inventing high-speed chairs and spending fortunes to install and operate them. Just put a plethora of fixed-grip chairs, and voilà!

The feeling is probably much tighter, you can have an intimate conversation, or perhaps play cards with the passengers in the front and back of you as long as the motor is beefed up to carry the extra load. You also hope that everyone gets off well at the summit. If not expect a monstrous pile-up at the top. This what I call creative engineering in these times of belt tightening!