Chairlift daily inspection checklist for ski areas.
A printable pre-opening checklist for chairlifts and surface lifts, and how to keep the daily record your state inspector and insurer expect to see.
Every lift that carries the public gets a documented inspection before the first chair loads. The checklist below is a starting point for that record. Adapt it to your lift: the manufacturer's manual, the ANSI B77.1 standard and your state's tramway rules decide what your crew must actually check.
What the rules say. Ski area lifts in the US are built and run to ANSI B77.1, the passenger ropeway standard, as adopted by each state. Wisconsin's lift program, for example, sums it up: "Prior to public operation, daily preoperational inspections need to be performed and documented," each lift keeps an operational log with daily entries, and operator training "needs to be documented."
Before you start
- Use your lift's own procedure. Fixed-grip chairs, detachables, T-bars, rope tows and conveyors each have their own checks. This list is the frame; your manual fills it in.
- One person signs for each lift, each day. The record shows who inspected, when, and what they found.
- A failed item stops the lift. Write down what was found and what was done, and do not open until a passing check is on file.
- Check the weather first. Wind, icing and visibility decide whether the lift runs at all, whatever the checklist says.
The daily pre-opening checklist
Print one per lift per day, or keep it on a phone. Tick each item, and write a note beside anything that is not right.
Conditions
- Wind at the top and bottom stations, against your lift's limits
- Ice and rime on the haul rope, sheaves, chairs and ramps
- Visibility along the line, enough to see the full length if your procedure requires it
- Snow on the line: nothing touching the chairs, rope or towers, and clearance under the chairs
Stations and loading areas
- Load and unload ramps groomed, level and the right height; no ruts or bare spots
- Maze and lines set, with ropes, fences and signs in place
- Signs at loading and unloading: rules, restraint bar, "prepare to unload", the lift's sign code
- Stop switches and emergency stops at each station tested and working
- Communication between stations tested: phone or radio, both directions
- Operator huts clear, heated where needed, with the lift's procedures at hand
The line
- Walk or ride the line as your procedure requires, looking at towers, sheave trains and the rope
- Sheaves and liners: nothing unusual in how they run, sound or look
- Rope position on the sheaves and through the stations
- Chairs and grips: restraint bars, seats, footrests and hangers as your manual lists
- Tower ladders, signs and padding in place
Drive and safety systems
- Brakes tested as your manual describes
- Safety circuits and stop devices tested
- Backup drive or evacuation drive ready to use
- Gauges and readings within their normal range, written in the log
Evacuation readiness
- Evacuation plan for this lift known to the crew on duty
- Rope rescue equipment in place and checked
- Enough trained people on duty to run an evacuation, or a plan to get them
The test run and sign-off
- Run the lift empty for the time your procedure sets, watching and listening at each station
- A test ride by a crew member before the public loads, if your procedure requires it
- Every item above passed, or the lift stays closed with the reason written down
What a good daily record looks like
An inspection that isn't written down is hard to prove. A good record answers five questions for each lift, each day:
- Who inspected it, by name, with their training up to date.
- When the inspection finished, and when the lift opened.
- What was checked, item by item, against your procedure.
- What was found, in plain words, with any problem described as it was seen.
- What was done: fixed, deferred with a work order, or the lift kept closed.
Keep the daily record with the lift's operational log and maintenance records. Holds during the day (wind holds, a stop for a fallen rider, a mechanical problem) belong in the same record, with the time stopped, the time restarted and the reason.
Paper or phone?
Paper works when it is filled in, signed and filed every day. The weak points are the ones every lift mechanic knows: a form left in the hut, a box ticked from memory, a binder nobody can find when the insurer calls.
A checklist on a phone fixes most of that: the time and name are recorded for you, a failed item can be made to stop the lift from being marked open, and last season's records are a search away. That is how lift inspections work in Verdynt/OS: a lift that fails its check cannot be set to open until a passing check is on file.
Common questions
Who has to inspect a chairlift every day?
The ski area does, before the lift carries the public, following its own written procedures under ANSI B77.1 as adopted by its state. The state's inspector, or an approved third-party inspector, inspects separately, on the schedule the state sets.
How long should we keep daily lift inspection records?
Follow your state's rules and your insurer's advice; many areas keep them for several years. Ask your insurer for their recommendation before you throw any away.
Is this checklist enough on its own?
No. It is a frame for your record. Your lift's manufacturer manual, ANSI B77.1 and your state's tramway rules decide what must be checked and how.
Can the inspection be done on a phone?
Yes, as long as the record shows who inspected, when, what was checked and what was found, and it is kept with the lift's log. Check your state's rules for any format they require.
Sources: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, ski lift FAQ (quoting ANSI B77.1-2011). This guide is general information, not engineering or legal advice.
More from Resources.
Put this checklist on your crew's phones.
Verdynt/OS keeps every lift check with the inspector's name and time, and a lift that fails cannot be opened until it passes.