Poma
Encyclopedia
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...
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, 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, 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, aerial tramways, people mover
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
s, and surface lifts. Poma has installed more than 7800 devices on five continents, in 73 countries which can transport up to 6.25 million passengers per hour. Poma's only major competitor is the Doppelmayr Garaventa Group which is based in Austria and Switzerland. Italy's Leitner
Leitner Group
Leitner Group is an Italian conglomerate, based in the province of South Tyrol, that owns and runs several industrial and equipment companies....
was historically another competitor until 2000 when Leitner's parent company became the majority owner of Poma. Poma and Leitner remain independent, but formed a strategic partnership which includes the combined purchase of raw materials and the formation of Leitner-Poma as a joint venture in North America.
The majority of Poma's installations are constructed in ski areas in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. But they are also constructed in amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
s, scenic locations, and industrial transportation applications. The term Poma lift technically refers to any Poma installation, but it is mostly commonly used as a generic term for a platter lift
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...
, as it was the company's first and most popular system.
History
Alpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez is a ski resort at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, in the commune of Huez, in the Isère département in the Rhône-Alpes region.-Tour de France:L'Alpe d'Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France...
in France. In 1947, He founded Pomagalski S.A. in Fontaine
Fontaine, Isère
Fontaine is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Grenoble, and is adjacent to it on the west. In the 1999 census, Fontaine had a population of 23,323. The commune has a land area of 6.74 km² .-External links:*...
, France. The first Poma chairlifts were built in 1958 in France and the United States. 1967 brought the first detachable gondolas built by Poma. The corporate headquarters and the production shops are still in Fontaine, but since 1988 most of their management, design engineering, sales and service offices are in Voreppe, France. Poma currently employs approximately 750 people worldwide.
Early Poma chairlifts were installed at Squaw Valley, California for the 1960 Winter Olympics. Poma also supplied lifts for the Olympic Winter Games at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia in 1984, at Albertville, France in 1992, at Lillehammer, Norway in 1994 and is now working on lifts for the 2014 Games at Sochi, Russia.
Fixed Grip Chairlifts
The Alpha chairlift terminal was introduced in 1982 and continues to be popular today. Prior to the Alpha terminal, Delta terminals were used. This type of terminal was such a great success that even presently a majority can still be seen operating worldwide. Both the Delta and Alpha chairlift terminals have the capability of being converted into detachable lifts later on, thus increasing the chairlift's capacity without constructing an entirely new installation.
Detachable Chairlifts
Poma introduced detachable chairlifts in 1982, shortly after its competitor, Doppelmayr
Doppelmayr
The Doppelmayr Garaventa Group is an Austrian-Swiss company that manufactures chairlifts, cable cars, gondolas, surface tows for ski and amusement parks as well as urban people movers and material handling systems. To date, Doppelmayr and Garaventa have produced over 13,700 installations in 78...
. The first Poma detachable chairlifts ran at an operating speed of 5 m/s - which, at the time, was the fastest in the world. In 1991, Poma unveiled their Omega detachable terminal which was more compact than previous terminals. The company built its first six passenger detachable chairlift in 1993 and its first eight passenger lift was constructed in Méribel, France in the year 2000. Also in 2000, the company replaced the Omega line of detachable terminals with the new Phoenix model. In addition, Poma also have now introduced the Multix terminals in their detachable chairlifts, while new North American lifts continue to feature the Omega terminal.
Gondolas
Poma built its first detachable gondolas in Val d'Isere, ChalmazelChalmazel
Chalmazel is a commune in the Loire department in central France.-Ski area:Chalmazel is a small ski resort situated above the village of Chalmazel in central France. The main activities offered at the resort are alpine skiing, nordic skiing, snowshoeing, ski touring, dog sledding and hiking...
, Les Menuires
Les Menuires
Les Menuires is a ski resort in the Belleville valley of Les Trois Vallées between Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Val Thorens. Owned and operated by Compagnie des Alpes, It is in the Savoie département of France....
(France) and Queenstown (New Zealand) in 1967. It built the world's first six passenger gondola in 1973, also in France in Villard-de-Lans
Villard-de-Lans
Villard-de-Lans is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.The town is a centre for skiing in winter and hiking and hot air ballooning in other seasons.-1968 Winter Olympics:...
. The world's first ten passenger gondola was built by the company in 1984, followed by the world's first 16 passenger version in 1988.
Funitels
The company has built three funitels to date: the Funitel du Grand Fond, a detachable funitel built in 2001, the Funitel du Bouquetin, a fixed grip jig-back funitel built in 2003 (both located at Val Thorens in France) and the more recent Funitel de la Perdrix in Super-Besse, France, which was built in 2008 and is the first Funitel to feature the shared mechanics of Leitner and Poma.Telemix
Telemix is Poma's brand name for a detachable lift that is equipped with both gondola cabins and chairs. The terminal stations are the same as the company's detachable gondolas and chairlifts.Surface Lifts
Poma's first model was the Pomalift, a surface lift with a disk that skiers sit on. It has the ability to travel at high speeds because the platters are detachable from the haul rope, and because the perch is telescopic and has a pneumatic system which allows for a smooth and progressive departure. They are still sold today along with T-Bars and fixed grip platters.Reversible Aerial Tramways
Poma has built a number of large aerial tramways, the first being the Aguille du Midi Cable Car on Mont Blanc in 1956. In 2003, Poma built the world's largest reversible ropeway to connect the French resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne, the Vanoise Express. The double decker tramway can hold up to 200 people at a time in each cabin. Currently, Poma works on the replacement of the Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York, which will use a design based mechanically on the Vanoise Express.Funiculars and People Movers
Poma has built numerous funiculars which are cable driven railways that can climb steep pitches. Poma also has a partnership with Otis Elevator to build Automated People Movers.Leitner-Poma of America
Leitner-PomaLeitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma of America is a North American aerial lift manufacturer based in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is the North American subsidiary of French-based Poma, which is owned by the Italian company Leitner Technologies, part of the Leitner Group. The North American company was formed in 2000 when...
of America, Inc. is a partnership between Poma and Leitner of Italy that builds Poma lifts in North America, New Zealand, and Australia. Leitner-Poma offers the full line of Poma products and manufactures most of the components at its headquarters in Grand Junction
Grand Junction
Grand Junction is the name of several places:United States*Grand Junction, Colorado*Grand Junction, Iowa*Grand Junction, Michigan*Grand Junction, Tennessee*The Grand Junction Railroad in the Boston, Massachusetts areaUnited Kingdom...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Poma came to North America in the early 1950s under the name of Pomalift, Inc., installing its first lift in Canada in 1952 and in the US in 1953. Pomalift Inc. changed its name to Poma of America in 1981 with the establishment of its office and factory at Grand Junction, Colorado. Since 1989, all detachable chairs for North America, New Zealand, and Australia have been designed and built in Colorado. In September 2001, the merger of Poma and Leitner's North American operations was announced forming Leitner-Poma of America.
Agudio
Agudio S.P.A, Poma's Italian operations, also known as Poma Italia, specializes in funiculars, cablecars and other specific rope transportation systems. It was founded before Poma in 1860.Sigma Composite
Sigma is based in Veyrins, Isère, France and specializes in the production of cabins for gondola lifts, funiculars, ferris wheels and people movers. Its two competitors are Doppelmayr subsidiary CWA and an independent Swiss company Gangloff.SEMER S.A.
Semer is based in le Fayet, Haute-Savoie, France, it is responsible for the automation and electronics used in Poma Group's products.COMAG
Comag is based in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Savoie, France, and operates as Poma's civil engineering and mountain installations company.Also part of the group are Sacmi and SKIrail, and a network of overseas subsidiaries such as Leitner Poma Japan, Poma Beijing Ropeways, etc.
See also
- Ski liftSki liftThe 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:-Lift systems and networks:...
s - List of aerial lift manufacturers
- Telemix, a type of hybrid lift developed by Poma
- Maokong GondolaMaokong GondolaThe Maokong Gondola is a gondola lift transportation system in Taipei, Taiwan. Opened on July 4, 2007, the Maokong Gondola runs between Taipei Zoo and Maokong. The line has four stations...