Canyon Ski Area AEDARSA Submissions

2021 | Canyon Ski Resort and Recreation Area, Red Deer, AB

Canyon Ski Area is a popular year-round recreation destination located just outside of Red Deer, Alberta. Nestled in the Red Deer River Valley, the ski area offers a range of activities and facilities for all ages and skill levels. 

In 2019, Canyon built a new rope tow to serve their summer tubing area. After a successful first year, Canyon wanted to upgrade to a passenger conveyor to improve the rider experience. A new conveyor was purchased from Sunkid, and McElhanney was engaged to provide the engineering for the required Alberta Elevating Devices and Amusement Rides Safety Association (AEDARSA) review and submissions. 

Canyon’s Red T-bar also required attention. The T-bar had been in use since 1964, and the 2020/2021 winter season revealed that the T-bar’s ring gear and pinion were worn and needed replacement. Initial investigations by Canyon to replace the ring gear indicated that a significant investment would be required; the type of drive construction present was no longer common, and it also required significant ongoing maintenance to ensure its longevity. The open gear system also produced a lot of noise. 

To increase long-term reliability of the new system, a redesign of the driveline using readily available, modern components was requested. 

In a continuation of the ongoing relationship between McElhanney and Canyon Ski Area, McElhanney navigated Canyon Ski Area’s AEDARSA submissions and engineering requirements for their passenger conveyor and T-Bar by making Canyon’s challenge our own. 

McElhanney provided:

• Passenger Conveyor Engineering 
  • AEDARSA submission for passenger conveyor 
  • Passenger conveyor acceptance testing 
• Red T-bar Upgrade 
• • Preliminary layout design 
  • Detail drive line design 
  • Construction support during fabrication 
  • Installation review 
  • Acceptance testing 
  • AEDARSA submission for T-bar with the As Built Verification of New and Altered