Chairlifts

Detachable chairlift

A detachable chairlift carries seated riders on chairs that let go of the moving haul rope in each station. There they crawl along a rail at about walking pace, so boarding is easy. Before leaving, each chair is accelerated and clamps back on to a rope running at 5 to 6 m/s.

A detachable chairlift on the mountainSchematic six-seat detachable chairlift with bubbles: chairs bunch together in both stations where they leave the rope, and spread out on the line at full speed.
  1. Drive and tension station
  2. Chairs leave the rope and slow down
  3. Haul rope at line speed
  4. Tower with sheave trains
  5. Return station

At a glance

Typical range
Per carrier
4–8 people
Line speed
5–6 m/s
People per hour
2,400–4,800 people/hour
Grip
DetachableOptional bubble · Skis on: Yes
Wind tolerance
Beginner-friendly
Comfort and boarding
Found on some lifts:
  • Weather bubble
  • Heated seats
  • Loading carpet
  • Footrest
  • Safety bar

How it works

Through the bottom stationSchematic station at larger scale: chairs come off the bullwheel with grips open, crawl past the boarding line on a row of tyres, speed up and clamp back on to the moving rope.
  1. Bullwheel
  2. Grip open: chair off the rope
  3. Boarding at about 1 m/s
  4. Tyres slow, then speed up the chair
  5. Grip closes at rope speed
  6. Haul rope never stops
The detachable gripSchematic cutaway: closed, a fixed and a moving jaw clamp the rope under spring force; open, the opening rail presses the roller, the lever turns and the moving jaw swings clear of the rope.
  1. Fixed and moving jaws clamp the rope
  2. Disc springs hold the jaws shut
  3. Roller and lever
  4. Opening rail in the station
  5. Jaw open, rope free

On the line, each chair hangs from the haul rope on a grip whose jaws are held shut by a pack of springs. The rope does not stop: it runs continuously around a bullwheel in each station.

As a chair enters the station, its grip runs onto a rail that takes its weight. A roller on the grip meets an opening rail, which turns a lever, compresses the springs and swings the moving jaw clear. The rope runs on without the chair.

A row of tyres now drives the chair through a friction plate on the grip. The tyres turn slower and slower, so the chairs bunch up and pass the boarding line at about 1 m/s. French rules limit boarding speed to 1.3 m/s.

Past the boarding line, faster tyres accelerate the chair to rope speed, the jaws close on the rope and the grip is checked before the chair leaves the station.

The same trick lets one line run fast and still be easy to board. Doppelmayr and Leitner build detachable chairs for four to eight riders; France had 387 of them at the start of 2025, 288 with six seats.

How to ride it

Riding a detachable chairliftFour frames: two skiers wait at the line as a chair arrives, sit down, ride with the bar and bubble down, and stand to ski off the top ramp.

  1. Wait at the line

  2. Sit as the chair arrives

  3. Bar down, skis on the footrest

  4. Bar up, stand and ski away

  1. Wait behind the gate; move to the boarding line when it opens.
  2. Look back and sit as the chair touches the backs of your legs.
  3. Lower the safety bar, pull down the bubble if there is one and rest your skis on the footrest.
  4. Raise the bar as the top station approaches, stand when your skis touch the ramp and ski clear.
Read the full guide: How to ride a chairlift

Where you’ll find it

Scandinavia

The main lift at the larger areas such as Åre, Trysil and Hemsedal, though usually as four- and six-seaters. Sweden had five eight-seat chairs, against 75 in Austria.

The Alps

The workhorse of nearly every large Alpine ski area, including the six- and eight-seaters with bubbles and heated seats.

On PisteWindow

Lift types are recorded for 74 of 247 destinations so far.

History and notable examples

Poma built its first detachable chairlift at Pralognan-la-Vanoise in 1972.

Doppelmayr opened the first heated chairlift seats on 26 December 2004, on five detachable chairlifts in Lech and Schröcken in Austria.

Compare with

Gondola

Cabins on one rope, skis off.

4–10 people · 5–7 m/s

Compare with
AttributeDetachable chairliftFixed-grip chairliftChair-gondola comboGondola
Per carrier4–8 people1–6 people4–10 people4–10 people
Line speed5–6 m/s1.8–2.8 m/s5–6 m/s5–7 m/s
People per hour2,400–4,800 people/hour800–2,400 people/hour2,400–3,900 people/hour2,000–4,500 people/hour
GripDetachableFixedDetachableDetachable
EnclosureOptional bubbleOpenEnclosedEnclosed
Skis onYesYesNoNo
Wind toleranceMediumLowMediumMedium
Beginner-friendlyEasyManageableEasyEasy

Questions

Why does the chair slow down in the station?

It has let go of the rope. Tyres move it slowly past the boarding line while the rope keeps its speed, then speed it up and the grip closes again.

How do heated seats work on a chairlift?

Heating mats in the seat pads draw power only in the station, through collectors on the grip running on power rails: Doppelmayr gives about 420 W per seat at 48 V for 16 to 21 seconds. The stored heat lasts the ride. Leitner heats only seats that are occupied.

What is the bubble for?

It is a clear weather hood you pull down over the chair. It keeps wind and snow off; it also catches wind, which is one reason bubble chairs may stop earlier in a storm.

Is the grip safe if the power fails?

The jaws are held shut by springs, not by power, and each grip is checked as it leaves the station.

When do detachable chairs stop for wind?

It depends on the lift and the operator. Operators commonly slow chairs from gusts of roughly 55 km/h and stop them by about 75 km/h. See the wind tool for the ranges.

Can I take a sledge or a child on my lap?

Rules vary by area. Most require children to sit on the seat next to an adult, with the bar down.

Names in other languages

Names in other languages
LanguageName
EnglishDetachable chairlift
DeutschKuppelbare Sesselbahn
SvenskaKopplingsbar stollift
FrançaisTélésiège débrayable
ItalianoSeggiovia ad ammorsamento automatico
NederlandsOntkoppelbare stoeltjeslift
EspañolTelesilla desembragable
DanskAfkoblelig stolelift
Norsk bokmålKoblingsbar stolheis

Sources

  1. Doppelmayr/Garaventa · Seat Heating brochure (ENG, 09/2013) · Checked
  2. LEITNER AG · Sustainability: products from LEITNER · Checked
  3. LEITNER AG · Winter sports ropeway systems brochure (EN) · Checked
  4. Lift-World (lift-world.info) · World's first seat heater for chairlifts (news, 26.12.2004) · Checked
  5. Mt. Ashland (operator) · Wind Holds & Delays · Checked
  6. Palisades Tahoe (operator blog) · Determining factors that guide operational decisions · Checked
  7. POMA · The history of POMA · Checked
  8. remontees-mecaniques.net · La pince débrayable (dossier) · Checked
  9. remontees-mecaniques.net · Le télésiège (dossier) · Checked
  10. remontees-mecaniques.net · Les télésièges débrayables (fonctionnement, page 3) · Checked
  11. remontees-mecaniques.net forum (enthusiast/operator posts) · Résistance au vent (forum thread) · Checked
  12. SAM Magazine (via search excerpt) · Local warming: first heated chairlift starts operations · Checked
  13. skiresort.info · Ski Arlberg innovations · Checked
  14. STRMTG (French cableway regulator, Ministry of Ecological Transition) · Rapport annuel 2024-2025 (parc au 01/01/2025, annexes 1, 4, 5) · Checked
  15. Sugarbush Resort (operator blog) · Blow, blow, thou winter wind · Checked
  16. Wikipedia (pointer only) · Detachable chairlift · Checked