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Boy Dangles From Resort's Ski Lift After Backpack Caught

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Did no one else see this story? It was carried on early news reports on Sky yesterday. My apolgies if this is already elsewhere on the forum.

Boy Dangles From Resort's Ski Lift After Backpack Caught

You have to wonder what his parents were doing other than dialling the local news stations and, one assumes, planning lawsuits.

This also presents me with an excellent chance to point out "I told you so", now do we see why wearing sacks on lifts is dangerous? Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I think you've miss-linked there, ise, is this the american story? In which case it is in the snowNews...

http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=3972
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I saw it on TV too. He certainly fell a long way. shows why all our chairlifts have little signs telling people to put their backpacks on their fronts. Most don't bother though unless forced by the lifties.

When he was about 9 my little brother got lifted up (by his hand-me-down jacket) at the end of the old Lauberhorn T bar and also eventually fell off - not quite as far though.
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Ian Hopkinson, mislinked and too late as it was on snownews anyway.

Somewhat reassuring to find that stupidity and ignoring the rules does sometimes have consequences though.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
ise, I think this has been discussed before but when I was a beginner in Andorra I asked my instructor about backpacks to which he replied 'It's up to you if you wear them or not'. Consequently I learned the hard way after getting tangled up on a lift Confused . What hope do we have when total novices aren't taught properly and there are no clear signs stating the 'Rules'?

Maybe the lifties and Instructors there just sometimes fancy a laugh wink

Needless to say I don't wear a backpack anymore!
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Paul Holland, I've seen many signs on the chairs in France but the lifties don't even attempt to enforce the rule. I don't use one myself but I was thinking about taking my Camelbak next time. Will probably put that under my jacket, even if it makes me look a bit like Quasimodo.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I can't understand why anyone wouldn't remove a backpack; apart from being a hazard, it's b....y uncomfortable on a chair! Personally, I avoid taking a backpack if at all possible. If I have a camera case, I wear it under the jacket, at the front.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
kuwait_ian, I've never skied in France, but last season in Soll I kept an eye out for any obvious signs saying to remove backpacks, but I didn't see any.

My girlfriend now has to carry her own spare goggles, scarf, gloves, hairbrush, hat, headband, jacket, ski pants, socks (...... Little Angel ) so she wears a backpack (despite my protests!) but none of the lifties or her instructor for that matter warned her about it.

I guess you have to have fallen foul of it or seen someone put in a nasty position to realise how dangerous it can be.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
laundryman wrote:
I can't understand why anyone wouldn't remove a backpack; apart from being a hazard, it's b....y uncomfortable on a chair! Personally, I avoid taking a backpack if at all possible. If I have a camera case, I wear it under the jacket, at the front.

I know someone who did himself a very serious injury, with internal bleeding, from doing just that Sad
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
kuwait_ian wrote:
Paul Holland, I've seen many signs on the chairs in France but the lifties don't even attempt to enforce the rule
I know, that's crazy - one wonders whether the resort could be held responsible in the event of an accident seeing as the lifties, as you quite correctly say, rarely enforce this rule.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
PG, however, one feels for the lift guys. As, I think, easiski, pointed out in another thread, people can be quite aggressive if confronted nowadays. I'd not want to be a lift guy continually telling people to take their sacks off.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
laundryman, Covered in an old thread, but Mrs Frosty spent a week in hospital when she fell on a bum bag containing a camera that was strapped to her front. the bag squashed her internal organs against her spine and damaged her pancreas. She was closely monitored as they feared the Pancreas may rupture.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
PG and Frosty the Snowman, I'd thought of that kind of possibility, but hadn't come across any examples before now. I've found that with a case at the back, it's either secure and therefore difficult to remove at chairlifts and difficult to reach into quickly, or it flops around and interferes with skiing. I'm in a serious quandary now!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
laundryman, The side is not a bad location for the smaller bumbags. For a camera bag, if you have a long enough strap put it diagonally over one shoulder so the bag lies just above waist level under your arm at the opposite side. If it flaps about a bit, a waist strap or a bit of bungy cord will keep it in place. One of these bungys with hooks will be quick and easy to release to use the camera.

My own solution is a digital camera so small it will go in a breast pocket where it will hopefully survive any fall. It's only about 1cm thick so shouldn't do my chest much harm if it does take a hit. If I take the DV camera, it goes in a jacket side pocket where it is vulnerable to damage in a fall but unlikely to hurt me. My jacket has just enough pockets and pouches so I can carry all I need for the day, except water, without a backpack. But I only ski on-piste so goggles, sunblok, reading glasses, wallet, tissues, piste map and camera is all I need.

Anybody know if there is a pack made with deliberate weaknesses somewhere in the straps or buckles so if you do get caught, something breaks or releases before you get hung up to dry ? If not an opening for a snowHeads-designed, safety-first, all purpose goody bag. wink

Or would something like this sling bag be any good? Only 4" thick (100cms), maybe you could sit just slightly sideways with it in position on a chair ? Single strap close to the body so less likely to catch anywhere and a quick release buckle on the front if you really needed it. It's really designed for a laptop and I'm not suggesting you are that addicted to snowHeads that you'd need one on the slopes - - - but it looks like a good bag.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I've always skied with a small backpack and hardly ever remove it. but i do always makesure all straps are done up well and it is only a small pack plus with my weihgt i dont think the straps would hold Embarassed
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
bootneck, Thats what I thought until I found myself being dragged backwards on my @rse Embarassed
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've always skied with a rucsac and worn it on chairlifts for at least the last 10yrs and never seen any signs prohibiting it. This all sounds like jobsworth safety prats taking things to extremes as usual, and I've never had any problems, even when using a big sack with ice axes, ropes etc - if you're carrying a lot of stuff it's better to sit slightly diagonally on the chairlift, and don't try and fill a 6 man chair if you've got sacks, but as for compulsory taking the sack off, that's b@llox.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I also ski with a rucksack and unlike plake have seen signs onalmost every lift, but have never taken it off

the only time it ever casued problem was when I was boarding and got squeezed into the middle seat of a three man chair (serre chevalier, the one going towards La Cucumelle from Villeneuve I think): as I turned myself side on for the exit, sharon was wedged on the chair behind my bag and didn't manage to get off onto the exit ramp. fpor some reason she didn;t trip the safety bar either, and as the chair swung round to head back down sharon leapt off, leant back, skiied under the safety ropes round the installation then came back up and pulled a hockey stop at the edge of a 50 degree slope.

It's never caused me a problem, but if you do have trailing things that get caught - learn how to wear a rucksack! The waist straps aren;t there to make it look nice, they serve a purpose. A properly fitted rucksack will place most of the load on your hips, the shoulder straps are there to keep it against your back rather than to bear the weight
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my girlfriend had to rip one of the un-done straps from her backpack as it got caught in the skilift. we both wear backpacks, but since then we are both very cafeful about a) doing up all the straps, b) wearing them on our chests on skilifts.
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