On which type of ski slope are conveyor belts commonly used?
3 Answers
Conveyor belts are commonly used on advanced ski slopes. Introduction to conveyor belts: Also known as transmission belts, they serve as the driving medium in conveyor belt systems. A conveyor belt system is a transmission system consisting of two or more pulleys with an endless rotating belt that moves continuously. One or more of these pulleys are power-driven, causing the belt to move and transport materials placed on it. Introduction to pulleys: The power-driven pulley is called the drive pulley, while the others are referred to as idler pulleys. In industrial applications, conveyor belts are used for two main purposes: material handling in factories where objects are transported in boxes and pallets, and bulk handling for moving large quantities of materials and agricultural products.
Last winter, I encountered this exact situation while driving an off-road vehicle across the snowfields of Inner Mongolia! Transmission belts work best on compacted fresh snow tracks—those snow roads that have been pressed down but haven’t yet turned to ice. The ribbed rubber belts can grip into the snow surface, unlike smooth ice which can cause skidding. However, if you come across mirror-like icy roads, it’s still safer to switch to studded tires. I remember one time late at night on a winding mountain road, the snow had compacted into icy sheets, and the transmission belt struggled to maintain traction. Eventually, I had to rely on low gear to slowly crawl down the mountain. Now, whenever I head into snowy areas, I always keep an extra set of snow chains in the trunk.
Over a decade of snow driving experience tells me that snow tracks perform best on freshly compacted powder snow on beginner slopes. The rubber cleats dig into soft snow, providing twice the grip of regular tires. However, on old snow trails where the snow has turned to icy slush, these tracks can actually make the vehicle skid more easily. I once witnessed at Changbai Mountain ski resort - a pickup truck equipped with snow tracks transporting equipment started spinning uncontrollably on an icy cement-mixed road, eventually requiring a bulldozer to pull it out. Always keep a tire pressure gauge in your vehicle - reducing pressure to 2.0 bar makes for much more stable snow driving.
