Hunter mtn

[phillycore]

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Use your safety bar people

[RidgeRacer]

That sucks and my heart goes out to the family. I do appreciate Hunter's candor. Had that happened around these parts I'm not sure that we would hear from the ski resort directly like that.

[AtomicSkier]

Always sad to hear.  Someone fell off the 6er at Blue the other day as well (or so I hear).  Despite it being a moving couch (in the word of JohnnyLaw)....but the fucking bar down!  What's the harm?

[trackbiker]

Bar was down. Skis got caught on the tower? She must have had her skis twisted sideways.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Woman-dies-after-falling-off-Hunter-Mountain-ski-5983295.php

[Johnny Law]

Sad the bar is kind of useless from a safety perspective but never want to see people die skiing

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Sad the bar is kind of useless from a safety perspective but never want to see people die skiing

I've never understood your logic on that subject. If I'm sitting on the six pack at blue and the lift comes to a quick stop. My slippery pants on slippery seat and poor reflexes could possibly send me on the ground where if the bar was down no chance at that. Yes some ski areas like bridger bowl, big sky, grand targhee, Loveland and ABasin have lifts with no bar but they are generally the Old school Riblet style doubles tilted back. Just my inflation adjusted two euros.

[phillycore]

There's a lift at targhee that's scary as hell...no bar and the two seats are on the outside of the pole.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Phillycore that's the Blackfoot lift and its pretty high like 60-100 feet mainly over a treeless slope that is vertigo inducing.

[Kyle]

I can see her falling off the chair with the bar down, alot of lifts don't have the footrests and if you're a smaller person you could easily slip through the gap. If her skis got caught in a support tower it probably ripped her out of the chair fairly easily.

[Johnny Law]

I've never understood your logic on that subject. If I'm sitting on the six pack at blue and the lift comes to a quick stop. My slippery pants on slippery seat and poor reflexes could possibly send me on the ground where if the bar was down no chance at that. Yes some ski areas like bridger bowl, big sky, grand targhee, Loveland and ABasin have lifts with no bar but they are generally the Old school Riblet style doubles tilted back. Just my inflation adjusted two euros.

Your logic is sound but the only study on the subject found as many people fall off with the bar down as up.

[jordan]

Your logic is sound but the only study on the subject found as many people fall off with the bar down as up.

 

I'd bet that the bar actually helps with full size adults (although adults should know better/sit properly).  However, I think that the data is skewed because kids are more likely to fall off the lift with the bar down than up due to a false sense of security, issues with sliding under the bar, and issues with putting the bar down/lifting it up.  I have been told by the people in the know at Loveland Ski Area that this is why they don't have any bars on their lifts (even the new lifts don't have bars at Loveland)

 

As such, most ski ares really just have bars on the lifts to help with public perception and marketing (and in the case of VT, its the law).  I would bet that since the owners of Loveland have no interest in turning a profit (seriously! read the new 75 year anniversary book) and are able to maintain enough business to break even with things just the way they are...they couldn't care less about improving public perception to attract more tourists.  

[phillycore]

Phillycore that's the Blackfoot lift and its pretty high like 60-100 feet mainly over a treeless slope that is vertigo inducing.

Yes... It's scary. The lift at squaw by the resort at squaw creek is another one that made me feel like....oh shit... That mofo is high when you go over the valley

[jordan]

Your logic is sound but the only study on the subject found as many people fall off with the bar down as up.

Actually, it found that many more people fall off of lifts with bars than without (about 3:1) 

 

NOTE: I understand that this data is skewed because it doesn't take into account that there are many more lifts with bars than without

 

However, I found it interesting that you are approximately 2.5 x more likely to die in an elevator (per mile traveled) and 7 x more likely to die in a car crash (per mile traveled) than on a ski lift.  

 

https://www.nsaa.org/media/68048/NSAA-Ski-Lift-Safety-Fact-Sheet-10-1-2012.pdf

[NMSKI]

The biggest issue I would imagine is sitting the fuck still. My unscientific study says that 95.1% of people that fall of ski lifts were dicking around at the time of said fall.

[Johnny Law]

Actually, it found that many more people fall off of lifts with bars than without (about 3:1)

 

NOTE: I understand that this data is skewed because it doesn't take into account that there are many more lifts with bars than without

 

However, I found it interesting that you are approximately 2.5 x more likely to die in an elevator (per mile traveled) and 7 x more likely to die in a car crash (per mile traveled) than on a ski lift.

 

https://www.nsaa.org/media/68048/NSAA-Ski-Lift-Safety-Fact-Sheet-10-1-2012.pdf

Nice work that's the one I was looking for.

 

The even is back of the napkin math accounting for the dominance of safety bars.

 

VT I can only think of smuggs that actually enforces the bar as you said it's 99 percent perception.

Edited December 31, 2014 by Johnny Law