Most chairlifts have a similar design and operate using similar principles. In North America, the chairs are generally attached to an underground or surface-level haul rope by means of a grip that catches and releases the rope when the chair is not moving. The chairs are usually arranged in pairs so that as one chair moves up the hill, the other is moving down. When both chairs reach the top or bottom of their respective runs, they are turned around and begin their descent or ascent once again.
The grip that attaches the chair to the haul rope is operated by hydraulics, electromagnets, or springs. When the lift operator wants to release a particular chair from the haul rope, they activate a switch at their control panel which sends a signal to release the gripper on that chair. This can be done individually for each chair, or all at once if necessary.
The release mechanism varies depending on what kind of gripper is being used. For example, hydraulic grippers use oil pressure to open and close while electromagnets use an electric current. Springs simply need to be released in order to allow the gripper jaws to open up and release the rope.
Once achair has been properly released fromthehaulrope itwillcoasttoa stopattheendofthetowerarmanddischarge itspassengersintothe loadingarea wheretheywillthenbe abletogetofftheliftandmake wayforthenextgroupofriders