Heated seats...

Not to be left in the cold (!) Park City Mountain Resort is responding to Canyons' new high-speed quad with bubble and heated seat by retrofitting its Jupiter chair for the coming season. As its newly minted president Jenni Smith puts it, “Jupiter is Park City's highest chair and it serves an area marked with tons of snow and extreme weather; it made sense to experiment up there with heated seats. We won't add a 'bubble' to our Yan chairs because we feel that it add extra burden that could further slow down the entire lift and it also would interfere with Jupiter Bowl's scenic views...”

The seat heating system will use the proven hot water bottles that will be nested into a seat encasement, right where the rider rests. There will be two, two-quart hotties per chair. Their presence not only will provide the much needed heat, but will also enhance the riding comfort by offering added cushioning. They will be put in continual service from opening date through the end of February and then will be available depending on weather conditions. When asked how the whole system will work, Ms. Smith said that “ we'll have a two-people crew of 'retrievers' working at the base of the lift, whose job will be to grab the incoming cold bottles and replace them with hot ones” She recognizes that the job will demand quick reflexes and excellent coordination, but feels confident that it can be seamlessly integrated into the normal operation of the venerable lift.

A large water heater located nearby will replenish the hotties and also provide hot water to skiers and snowboarders intent to grabbing a hot tea or coco on their way up. “The operating costs are pretty high, but the investment is negligible, in keeping with our company's overall philosophy; if the experiment is successful, we hope to adapt the system to our large fleet of slow lifts such as Town Lift, Pioneer, Mother Lode, Thaynes and even Three King, enabling us to extend their useful life well into the 2020's” added Jenni Smith. There's little doubt that Park City's response will take some significant wind off Canyons' sails and their bold marketing innovation...