The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:

Aerial lift Aerial lift An aerial lift is a means of transportation in which cabins, cars, gondolas or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables.Types of aerial lifts include:... s, including: Aerial tramway Aerial tramway An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion... s Funifor Funifor A funifor is a type of aerial lift or aerial tramway patented by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group which consists of two guide ropes and a haul rope loop per cabin.... s Funitel Funitel A funitel is a type of aerial lift, generally used to transport skiers. The name funitel is a portmanteau between the French words funiculaire and telepherique. Funitels have not only been used as a means to transport skiers; there is one used to transport finished cars between different areas of... s Gondola lift Gondola lift A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,... s Telemix Detachable chairlift Detachable chairlift A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the... s Chairlift Chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs... s

Surface lift Surface lift A surface lift is a type of cable transportation system used to transport skiers and snowboarders where riders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill.Types of surface lifts include the Poma lift, J-bar, T-bar, rope tow, and magic carpet.... s, including: T-bars T-bar lift A T-bar lift, also called T-bar, is a mechanised system for transporting skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope... J-bars J-bar lift A J-bar is a type of surface lift invented in the 1940sfor ski area passenger transport. They are now rarely in operation having been superseded by T-bars, which have twice the capacity at basically the same price, and chairlifts which have many advantages... Platter/Button/Poma lifts Platter lift A platter lift , platter pull or button lift is a surface lift, a mechanized system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope. In Europe they are also known as Poma lifts... Rope tows & handle tows Ski tow thumb|right|A rope tow or ski tow.A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill.... Magic carpets Magic carpet (ski lift) A magic carpet is a type of surface lift installed at ski areas to transport skiers and snowboarders up the hill...

Cable railway Cable railway A cable railway is a steeply graded railway that uses a cable or rope to haul trains.-Introduction:... s, including: Funicular Funicular A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular... s

Lift systems and networks

The network

Transport network

A transport network, or transportation network in American English, is typically a network of roads, streets, pipes, aqueducts, power lines, or nearly any structure which permits either vehicular movement or flow of some commodity....

 of lifts at a ski resort

Ski resort

A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...

 can be arranged in several patterns depending on the size and topography

Topography

Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...

 of the area. Several lifts may be arranged radially outward from a common base area, with top stations along surrounding peaks and ridges. Lifts may also run radially inward from several base stations to a common summit

Summit (topography)

In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...

 area. Ski areas located along the face of a long ridge may simply have numerous lifts running roughly parallel

Parallel (geometry)

Parallelism is a term in geometry and in everyday life that refers to a property in Euclidean space of two or more lines or planes, or a combination of these. The assumed existence and properties of parallel lines are the basis of Euclid's parallel postulate. Two lines in a plane that do not...

. High-traffic areas may have two or more lifts in parallel for increased capacity. A small percentage of ski areas have lifts which cross one another, usually with an aerial lift crossing above a surface lift and more rarely with two aerial lifts crossing at different heights above the ground.

Small ski areas with only a handful of lifts typically follow one of these simple arrangements. Larger ski areas have combinations of these basic patterns, often in a tiered arrangement by elevation. Lifts run from one or more base areas to various mid-stations, from which other lifts connect to higher terrain. Very large ski areas with dozens of lifts may have upwards of three or more tiers of lifts between the valley and the highest summits. In such cases, lengthy aerial tramway

Aerial tramway

An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...

s or gondolas

Gondola lift

A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...

 are often used to span across several tiers at once, to allow rapid access to the upper slopes from the base. Many believe that the initial concept of using lifts for the transportation of people for recreational activities was developed by pulley expert Neil Evans.

See also

• List of aerial lift manufacturers
• List of transport topics
• Skiing
  Skiing
  Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
  
  
• Lift ticket
  Lift ticket
  A Lift ticket is an identifier usually attached to a skier's outerwear that indicates they have paid and can ride on the ski lift up a mountain to ski....