Snowboard lifts

"Joe Ramirez" wrote in message ...
Do people ever fall out of the chairs? I've always wondered about that.
Surely there must have been some accidents over the years. And do lift
riders ever drop their skis or boards? That seems even more likely,
especially considering that among the lift passengers will always be some
folks who have been drinking and some who are just kids.

Joe Ramirez

It happens sometimes but it's pretty rare. Usually to people who are
not paying attention. I've seen statistics posted in the skiing
newsgroup so I think the info is on the net if you want to look it up.

The one time I saw someone fall off, it was near the loading area and
it was a kid reaching down to his boot while someone else lowered the
'safety' bar. Always give a warning when you lower the bar. I've
been hit in the head (well helmet really) so many times by people who
just don't pay attention to what everyone else on the lift is doing.

Personally, I never use the safety bar. There's a lot of debate out
there about if they cause more accidents then they prevent.

snoig

Personally, I never use the safety bar. There's a lot of debate out
there about if they cause more accidents then they prevent.

We call them "unsafety bars"... however I like the ones with
footrests...

On Wed, 07 Jan 2004 15:27:03 GMT, (toddjb)
allegedly wrote:

I have never seen anyone fall out.

I saw a kid fall out just after they got picked up... the chair was
about 6-8ft off the ground. Took a while for the lifty to realise, and
stop the lift.

On a related note, recently in Laax, Switzerland I saw a group of kids
in ski school coming down near the big monster pipe. It was in a semi
white-out with some fresh powder. The kids were having fun until a
couple of them, unknowingly simply skied off the edge of the super pipe.
It's about 20ft to the floor. They weren't happy.

As far as dropping things, why would you?

No-one drops things intentionally, unless it's litter. :-(

I had both straps on my front binding spontaneously release just after
I'd got onto the lift. Was about 30ft up and the board just dropped.
Thankfully we were still within the roped off area that you get, and the
thing just stuck tail first into the snow. My fault because the leash
wasn't fixed... but you never know what could happen.

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow -
Securing your e-mail

The Snowboard FAQ lives here - http://rssFAQ.org/

Switters wrote in
:

SNIP

I had both straps on my front binding spontaneously release just after
I'd got onto the lift. Was about 30ft up and the board just dropped.
Thankfully we were still within the roped off area that you get, and
the thing just stuck tail first into the snow. My fault because the
leash wasn't fixed... but you never know what could happen.

- Dave.


Ooops. Probably just as well the leash wasn't fixed, as the momentum of a
falling board might have been quite 'noticeable' when the slack was taken
up....

ACey

"Joe Ramirez" wrote in message ...
One of the things that people pointed out to me in the thread I started is
that it's easier to ride a lift with skis than with a snowboard. I have read
other comments to that effect elsewhere as well. (Of course, if you don't
know what you're doing, anything can be difficult. While in Breckenridge
this August, my son and I took the lift up to the top of peak 8, so we could
hike around up there. It was by far the longest lift I've ever been on in my
life. However, we didn't know how to work the safety bar at first -- you
have to reach way up and pull it down in front of you -- so all the way up
there was nothing holding us in our seats but friction and fingers. It was
rather unnerving, I must say, especially since the ride went on forever. My
wife wasn't too happy when we told her about this "adventure.")

Anyway, it occurred to me that everything about ski lifts -- the chairs, the
bars, the loading and unloading platforms -- was designed with skiers in
mind. It's sort of a forced marriage for snowboarders to use them, right?
Not surprising that it can be awkward. Has anyone thought of designing lift
chairs or loading areas with snowboarders in mind? As boarders become a
greater and greater percentage of total ski resort guests, it may make sense
to modify more of the facilities to accommodate them. For example, perhaps
slots to hold boards could be added in back of the seats, so riders wouldn't
have to dangle their boards from one foot. Or maybe loading areas could be
enlarged or redesigned to provide space for riders who need to adjust their
bindings. It just seems logical to me that some changes could be made that
would assist snowboarders without inconveniencing skiers.

Joe Ramirez


I found a stomp pad at my local snowboard shop that has a velcro strap
on it to keep the discomfort out of your ankle when riding the lift.
Also helps a little on an icy ramp when you get off. Cleverly enough
its called a "strap pad"

On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 13:13:31 GMT, ACey
allegedly wrote:

Ooops. Probably just as well the leash wasn't fixed, as the momentum
of a falling board might have been quite 'noticeable' when the slack
was taken up....

It wouldn't have been so bad. With about 1-2ft of slack, the momentum
wouldn't be that high... can't be bothered to do the sums though :-)

At the worst it would have jarred my leg a little. Better that than land
on someone from 100ft up! :-|

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow -
Securing your e-mail

The Snowboard FAQ lives here - http://rssFAQ.org/

1. Sit back, relax, enjoy the ride and pay attention. Skiing/Boarding is, by
nature, a dangerous sport - on or off the lift!
2. We call those "safety bars", bitch bars.
3. Theres nothing wrong with the current system.
4. Resorts aren't going to invest millions in new lift systems designed for
boarders. Simple.
5. Ever tried standing up to strap in?? If you stop at a place where the
heelside of the board is slightly lower than the toe side, you can lean down
and strap in. Easy and your butt stays warm.
6. I usually strap in on the chair, impossible to do if the bitch bar is
down.
7. Set the back of your board on top of your rear foot while on the chair.
8. Loosen the front binding a couple notches for the ride up. It will
relieve the pressure.
9. If you can't exit the off-ramp safely, stick to the beginner chair.
10. There's a reason some of the ramps are so big. It's to keep the pussys
off the runs.



"Duffman" wrote in message
m...
"Joe Ramirez" wrote in message
...
One of the things that people pointed out to me in the thread I started
is
that it's easier to ride a lift with skis than with a snowboard. I have
read
other comments to that effect elsewhere as well. (Of course, if you
don't
know what you're doing, anything can be difficult. While in Breckenridge
this August, my son and I took the lift up to the top of peak 8, so we
could
hike around up there. It was by far the longest lift I've ever been on
in my
life. However, we didn't know how to work the safety bar at first -- you
have to reach way up and pull it down in front of you -- so all the way
up
there was nothing holding us in our seats but friction and fingers. It
was
rather unnerving, I must say, especially since the ride went on forever.
My
wife wasn't too happy when we told her about this "adventure.")

Anyway, it occurred to me that everything about ski lifts -- the chairs,
the
bars, the loading and unloading platforms -- was designed with skiers in
mind. It's sort of a forced marriage for snowboarders to use them,
right?
Not surprising that it can be awkward. Has anyone thought of designing
lift
chairs or loading areas with snowboarders in mind? As boarders become a
greater and greater percentage of total ski resort guests, it may make
sense
to modify more of the facilities to accommodate them. For example,
perhaps
slots to hold boards could be added in back of the seats, so riders
wouldn't
have to dangle their boards from one foot. Or maybe loading areas could
be
enlarged or redesigned to provide space for riders who need to adjust
their
bindings. It just seems logical to me that some changes could be made
that
would assist snowboarders without inconveniencing skiers.

Joe Ramirez


I found a stomp pad at my local snowboard shop that has a velcro strap
on it to keep the discomfort out of your ankle when riding the lift.
Also helps a little on an icy ramp when you get off. Cleverly enough
its called a "strap pad"

"tlf" wrote

1. Sit back, relax, enjoy the ride and pay attention. Skiing/Boarding is, by
nature, a dangerous sport - on or off the lift!
2. We call those "safety bars", bitch bars.
3. Theres nothing wrong with the current system.
[...]

You said it, man. Don't 1uck with the Jesus!

How do you manage to strap in on the chair? I can't if there's no empty seat
next to me. No big deal, but I'm curious..

"Joe Ramirez" wrote in message
...
For example, perhaps
slots to hold boards could be added in back of the seats, so
riders wouldn't
have to dangle their boards from one foot.

Ever try getting off a moving chair on foot without it stopping?
There's a good likelyhood the chair will hit your leg, knock you
down, and run over you.

Bob

Ever try getting off a moving chair on foot without it stopping?
There's a good likelyhood the chair will hit your leg, knock you
down, and run over you.

This is generally a non-issue for detachable express lifts... for
example, at Timberline Lodge (Mt Hood) they allow foot passengers
pretty much all year, and for summer riding/skiing, you have to carry
your gear and get on and off the chair on foot.

They only stop it for those who request it, mostly senior citizens and
small children.

Mike T