Ski lift with swivel chair

Claim 1

In a ski lift including a plurality of cable towers spaced along a lift path between embarking and disembarking stations with wheel supports offset to one side thereof for suspension of a traveling overhead cable therebetween, cable drive means, and a plurality of passenger units, each unit suspended therefrom by a standard having a cable attachment means, the improvement comprising: (a) at least one passenger unit bearing swivel means dependent from its respective standard; (b) swivel motive means actuable by a passenger during passenger transit to operate said swivel means and selectively rotate said passenger unit from facing the forward path of direction of said unit, said swivel motive means including a hydraulic cylinder and piston actuator and is operative to elevate said passenger unit along a cam guide means carried by its respective standard with said respective standard including a sleeve bearing a helical track and receiving concentric tubing having key means within said track and said passenger unit carrying hydraulic pump means with hydraulic supply and return lines extending to said cylinder and piston actuator; (c) forward direction restoration means to return said unit to face said path of direction, said forward direction restoration means actuating said swivel means to reverse the rotation of said passenger unit; and (d) control means located along said lift path to automatically activate said direction restoration means and restore said unit facing forward at a preselected location along the passenger transit of said lift path.