In short, not much. In the National Elevator Code, they’re called “inclined elevators,” but many use terms like lifts, trams, funiculars, outdoor elevators and others interchangeably. They’re all synonyms for describing the same thing. It really only varies by the person you talk to and the region they’re from. There’s no right or wrong way to describe a Hill Hiker®.
In fact, we hear many different terms for these systems when our customers search for us. They include things like hill climber elevator, outdoor lift, outdoor tram, outdoor elevator, lakeside lift, lakeside elevator, lakeshore tram, high bank lift, waterfront elevator, beach elevator, exterior lift, inclined elevator, incline tram, cottage lift, hillside trolley, commercial hill lift, hillside home elevator, custom hill elevator, etc.
