Patrol Tip of the Week

[ski911]

I am going to try and keep this going on a weekly basis (or as I feel like it).

 

Please, for the love of god (or whomever you choose) put your restraint bars down on the chairlifts! The chair can stop very quickly, in the case of an emergency, and the possibility of falling out is there. It is also a very good example to set for "new" skiers and riders who may not know about the risk.

[method9455]

My biggest issue is the snowboard leash.

 

1) Snowboarding bindings don't release, if anyone is going to have a leash shouldn't it be skiers?

 

2) The leash isn't connected in any manner that makes sense. It goes from shoe laces to the frame (Most bindings) or the straps (Ride Bindings). First, straps are the #1 thing that break so why connect the leash there. The #2 problem on snowboards are loose screws connecting the binding to the board. So now we have a safety device connected to the #1 and #2 worst points of failure. Sounds like a poor plan to me. In stead there should be a little insert maybe 6 inchs in front of the front binding, with a loop to attach the leash to directly to the board, or don't bother with one at all.

 

3) The most likely time to lose a board is when you take it off. I've almost lost mine before hiking in the park if it slips in your gloves and goes flying - no brakes on it, easy way to kill someone. A longer leash like the oldschool way would prevent that.

 

4) The other time is falling off the outside of gondolas, which has happened before, those need some redesign although most places they let you bring the board into the gondola.

 

 

Don't know what this has to do with restraint bars but it seemed appropriate.

[rgrwilco]

yeah i always thought the leash was pointless, so i never used one. also if you got a chair full of snowboarders, the bar is very inconvenient.

[Glenn]

I am going to try and keep this going on a weekly basis (or as I feel like it).

 

Please, for the love of god (or whomever you choose) put your restraint bars down on the chairlifts! The chair can stop very quickly, in the case of an emergency, and the possibility of falling out is there. It is also a very good example to set for "new" skiers and riders who may not know about the risk.

 

I don't know, unless you are leaning forward I don't understand the risk of the emergency stop. I've been on the lift plenty of times with the bar up during emergency stops. The chair, swings forward and pushes you into the seat. If the chair remained perfectly vertical during an emergency stop then I could understand why the bar would be neccessary as the momentum would push you forward off the seat rather than into it.

 

Everytime I've heard of people falling off lifts there was horsing around on the chair lift. If you don't know not to screw around 40+ feet in the air on a bench, then I don't know if anything, including a bar is going to prevent your injury.

[ski911]

You are right, the biggest risk is for anyone leaning forward. Another thing that happens, however, after it swings forward, it will swing back. If you are in the middle of a long span, it can also bounce significantly.

I know they are pretty strict about it in New England, but, it is not a law in PA.

Leashes are stupid (in my opinion). No release unless there is a break, and usually the first thing that gets taken off when removeing the board.

We chase alot of runaway boards, very dangerous when they get cooking.

Most of the time the brakes on skis keep them from going too far.

[method9455]

A lot of good comments in here. We did in fact have a death from my town with 2 kids screwing around on a chair lift. The quad at mountain creek at South crosses a trail that is pretty flat about halfway up - the trail goes perpendicular to the lift. The two kids were fucking around and even with the bar down one slipped through and fell to his death.

 

While I agree the bar coming down on snowboarders is a hassle on a triple with foot rests, if there are no footrests it doesn't matter. Double/Quad its an annoyance but should be done. A triple it just doesn't work - the middle section is too narrow for the board to come up and rest, and the rests are usually too low and drag you down, so the bar has to be up. I think on triples they should cut out the middle foot rests or limit it to 2 snowboarders per lift.

 

Brakes on skis also give out, I've seen skis come back to the shop a couple times every year with brakes that don't work, I bet a high number of skis get loose too. Moving skis and snowboards are very dangerous - especially to little kids or beginners who are sitting/have fallen.

[i ride gnu]

the only incident that i know of that goes along with the restrain bars was at cb last year when someone got caught on the meadows lift, theyre jacket got snagged and it brought them around the end, tripped the safty stop but the lift stopped about 20 feet later and he was already hanging over a pretty steep drop. not that a restrain bar would have helped but it kinda goes along with the thread

[ski911]

While I'm on the lift subject, please do not bounce the chairs! I could show you a very gruesome video of what happens when a cable derails. It doesn't take much to get the whole line bouncing, and apart from scareing others on the lift (not cool) if the cable bounces high enough it could come off at one of the towers and potentially drop everyone.

[rgrwilco]

i was under the impression that lifts are counterweighted so that if the cable does come up, people dont die, like when creeks gondolas cable derailed last season. or am i mistaken, and if i am, why isnt there a device that goes over top of the wheels so that the cable cannot leave them?

 

 

wow this is scary

 

http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/chairlift/yan2.html

Edited January 21, 2007 by Dirt McGirt

[Glenn]

You are right, the biggest risk is for anyone leaning forward. Another thing that happens, however, after it swings forward, it will swing back. If you are in the middle of a long span, it can also bounce significantly.

I know they are pretty strict about it in New England, but, it is not a law in PA.

Leashes are stupid (in my opinion). No release unless there is a break, and usually the first thing that gets taken off when removing the board.

We chase alot of runaway boards, very dangerous when they get cooking.

Most of the time the brakes on skis keep them from going too far.

 

And your body moves with the chair as it continues through the pendulum motion with various points of a greater and lesser "G-Force." Unless you do something weird (ie horse around) physics will keep you in the chair.

 

I will admit conditions with high wind gusts are a good time to put the bar down as they tend to move the chairs in a little less graceful fashion then emergency stops.

 

I suppose if I skied I really wouldn't mind having the bar down, but I can't ever seem to find a comfortable position to rest my board with 3 other people on a lift (or 2 in the case of a triple) and the foot rests. Like someone else said, if they don't have foot rests no problem at all.

 

If someone on the makes the move to put the bar down I never stop them though. It makes some people feel more comfortable (both to rest their feet and the heights). Just please give some warning before you yank the bar into my head .

 

BTW cool topic, please continue with the "series"

Edited January 21, 2007 by Glenn
pimp the post

[method9455]

For the snowboarders - we always put the goofy people on the left and the regular on the right, then when the bar comes down you only criss cross in one spot and its just the noses. I kind of sit sideways to make it work, but it is much better without the footrest.

 

Wasn't there an incident with a kid falling out of the laurel glade lift at Camelback last year? If I remember correctly his backpack got caught on the way down and he was hanging there but they rescued him.

[riderossi]

We were being really anal the other night telling kids to put their bars down because the chairs were coated with ice from snowmaking and it wouldn't come off. If you have 3 boarders on a lift all you have to do if you are in the middle is lift the nose of your board in the air while the bar is coming down and then you can easily get it onto the foot rest. Then just lift the bar at the last tower and your board will slide right off and you'll be good to go.

[AtomicSkier]

I am a firm believer in the putting the bar down. It is a safety device, and a pretty dam good one. It's like not wearing a seatbelt, "What are the chances of it happening?" If I'm going to get hurt skiing, I don't want it to be from falling off the lift. That just wouldn't be a nice way to go.

 

However, I will say one thing, I am guilty of not putting the bar down all the time. The only time it won't go down is if I'm riding with 5 other boarders on the 6Pack, because I understand it's a pain for them, and I just hold on to the side (as I'm always sitting on either side). Some snowboarder got pissed because I put the bar down, and he said something, so when I put it back up, I brought it back down and gave him a nice little pop on his helmet, a "Thank you".

 

Putting the bar down keeps you safe, gives you something to lean on, and let's you rest your legs. Put the bar down.

[zaldon]

I am going to try and keep this going on a weekly basis (or as I feel like it).

 

Please, for the love of god (or whomever you choose) put your restraint bars down on the chairlifts! The chair can stop very quickly, in the case of an emergency, and the possibility of falling out is there. It is also a very good example to set for "new" skiers and riders who may not know about the risk.

 

 

hahahaha "The chair can stop very quickly" i have never even come close to falling off of a chair lift high speed or fixed grip when they stop it even in windy conditions. not to mention the number of "new" skiers/ boarders that sit in the middle of 2 seats and smash their leg on the "gay bar". "put your restraint bars down on the chairlifts!" i say no thanks i feel safer without it

[stevePSSC]

For the snowboarders - we always put the goofy people on the left and the regular on the right, then when the bar comes down you only criss cross in one spot and its just the noses. I kind of sit sideways to make it work, but it is much better without the footrest.

 

Wasn't there an incident with a kid falling out of the laurel glade lift at Camelback last year? If I remember correctly his backpack got caught on the way down and he was hanging there but they rescued him.

 

 

 

okay well today on the park lift this kids jacket got stuck on the chair as he was getting off.. and i guess the lifty wasnt paying attention and the kid ended up going back down with the chair and was about a good 15 or so feet off the ground before the lifty stopped it (due to me, my bro and our friends screaming at the dude..)

 

so the like 11 year old is just hanging with his board on from the lift with one arm on the chair holding on for his life.. and well every rider up at the top of the park took their boards off and ran to help this kid in any way they could.. which i thought was awsome minus the whole situation and all.. but i was sitting on the lift and the chair he was on was like 7 or so feet away from me and i was stuck on the lift and felt bad cuase i wanted to help but couldnt.. this kid was in pain and scared not to mention..

 

so after about 5 mins they were able to lift Kevin Breen high enough to unclip his step in binding and release his board.. after that he just hung there for another 15 mins.. soon enough the park crew was there, guys on snowmobiles, lifties and a whole group of just your everyday park rats.. they finally got a rope thing around the cable and pulled one of the park crew guys up to the lift so he could un hook the kid and bring him down.. he was alright just really sore and his shoulder hurt like hell he said..

 

i thought he was gonna end up falling and getting really hurt due to the steep landing under him and all the rocks.. it was a scary site but it was amazing to see all the kids who were just there to ride the park take off their stuff and sprint to this little kids aid.. it was a pretty scary 20 mins for me and i wasnt even the one hanging from the lift..

 

 

yeah heres the thread on it http://www.paskiandride.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3564

[Tyler]

happened more than once last year at BC...here is a thread

 

http://www.paskiandride.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4007

[am476]

some guy yelled at us for putting the bar down in Park City because it makes him claustorphobic.

 

the park city guy may not be used to the bars. i went to alta in utah last year (not too far from park city) and realized that they don't even have bars to put down on any of their chairlifts.

[n0xidee]

I went to Seven Springs Mountain on Sunday and was very surprised to see that about 80% of the lifts don't have a bar that came down. Also on the other 20% that did have a bar, thats all it was, was a straight bar going across with no leg rest or anything.

[Timeless]

At Brighton and Solitude (Utah) they have these 'orrible little "doubles" with only a centre pole to hang onto, one of these on millicent goes over the biggest drop from a lift I have ever experienced and the one to the peak at solitude is not much better.

[Papasteeze]

At Brighton and Solitude (Utah) they have these 'orrible little "doubles" with only a centre pole to hang onto, one of these on millicent goes over the biggest drop from a lift I have ever experienced and the one to the peak at solitude is not much better.

 

LOL.... I was trying to remember where in Utah I got vertigo at.. talk about scary!

[snorovr]

At Brighton and Solitude (Utah) they have these 'orrible little "doubles" with only a centre pole to hang onto, one of these on millicent goes over the biggest drop from a lift I have ever experienced and the one to the peak at solitude is not much better.

 

Thats how the Whistler Peak chair used to be in the early 90's. That shiz was SCARY!!! I know a few people who still wont ride it cuz they were so scared of the old one.

[Skizilla]

Just please give some warning before you yank the bar into my head .

 

 

Yeah no kidding!! I get beaned at least a couple of times a season from someone just yanking the bar down as soon as they get on. I guess it's another reason to wear a helmet.

[SkiUtah]

Before the Canyons it was Wolf Mountain. (Park City West before that) and they had a center pole lift with no footrest/bar like the Millicent lift at Brighton. However, this was half again as long as the Millie lift and went up the side of a ridge with a big drop in places. The wind would frequently rip over the ridge and the lift would break down a lot. Talk about scary! ASC put in a new lift but it follows the same line.

Edited January 23, 2007 by SkiUtah

[jordan]

While I'm on the lift subject, please do not bounce the chairs! I could show you a very gruesome video of what happens when a cable derails.

if my memory serves me correctly, that happened on the black forest lift at BB a few years back

[bigdaddyk]

I don't mind having the bars down. It gives you something to rest your arms on. I ski and find most foot rests uncomfortable because they are up too high and they wrench your knees and legs trying to get your feet on them. The only one out of JFBB that I think is at the correct height is the triple lift at BB that services boulder trail and Bunnys.