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Using ski poles getting off the lifts

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Can't say I've ever noticed anyone using poles either - sounds very dangerous - I think that I probably use free hand to help push off from chair occasionally.

Also, ALWAYS keep your poles as vertical and close to you as possible when walking around, walking up steps, standing in gondola queues, going through lift gate etc etc THANK YOU !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Don't.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Quote:

Also, ALWAYS keep your poles as vertical and close to you as possible when walking around, walking up steps, standing in gondola queues, going through lift gate etc etc THANK YOU !


+1 to that.
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Wouldn't use a pole in both hands. A slight push off the chair with the free hand or using both poles as one in one hand when a tad more speed to clear the off ramp may be useful.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
laundryman wrote:
Quote:

always hold both my poles in one hand, vertically, off the snow

I thought that's what everybody did. I've never been aware of use of poles, which certainly seems like asking for trouble.


Same here, I've never used poles to get off a lift, ever!

I've not been on a lift with anyone else who has either, as far as I recall.
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I have seen people use poles, and it just gets on my nerves, stand up positive and just exit the lift ramp, ditto for those who stop to fix gloves, poles , snowboards.
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Can't really see what the issue is here. Some people don't use poles getting off a lift (I agree - let the chair nudge you down, not complicated), but others feels more secure doing so. No big deal. It's a big beautiful world folks Happy
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pam w wrote:
I did get off one 6 man chair today, with 6 people on it, and wondered about the mayhem which would be the result of 12 sticks being walloped around. It was a brand new chair though so the off ramp was beautifully engineered. Chair stops very briefly and releases the bar (impossible to open it before) then very gentle deposits you on the top of a gentle but positive run off.


Nice
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But I would say that if you do prefer using poles to get off a chair whatever you do don't put the straps around your wrist - disaster awaits!
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It can be dangerous to use poles when getting off a chairlift - the pole can stick in the snow and get caught by the chair, which might pull you over, or result in a bent pole. I've noticed many of those who use their poles getting off don't take their pole straps off while on the chair and ride with their poles hanging in front of them, which could result in the pole catching the snow (or the safety net) as the chair comes in to the top ramp - if the pole is still attached by the pole strap it's possible to be pulled off the chair and under it.
We always teach the "poles in one hand" method of riding the chair - use the other hand if necessary to help yourself up. We also teach to exit the unloading ramp as quickly as possible, and I will tell other people to get a move on if they are blocking the ramp....or just ski over their nice shiny new skis if I'm on my old teaching skis! wink Very Happy
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Ah! that reminded me of an accident some years ago in Les Saisies when a man got off a chair and fell onto his pole, which must have been quite sharp and severed his femoral artery. Lots of blood, spoilt suit, doctor on hand fortunately and a helicopter off to hospital.

I had seen crowds in the distance in the morning and a Belgian friend I was skiing with in the afternoon had heard the story from a ski instructor she'd shared a lift with.

@skinanny, people who hang around the ramp are such a pain. I've been with French instructors who've told them off but I've never got the nerve!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Can easily get up from chair lift but I'm generally not aiming to be fully upright until well clear. Usually have to shuffle my behind forward a little prior to dismount - relatively long thighs, short shins and not the tallest. Far easier when you wait for the right moment. Poles together in front of chest (no straps, hate the things), organise as ski away to sensible decision ppint away from unload area or to start agreed run.

Wouldn't want to be without poles much, useful for downhill queues and skating on flats, but need to improve my use for turns.
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Quote:

Usually have to shuffle my behind forward a little prior to dismount

me too, so do most people, I think.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
D'you know I've never thought about this but when I get off the chairlift I have a pole in each hand. I stand up and slide away. I don't push myself off with my poles but they are ready for a defensive parry should someone try to encroach on my landing area Toofy Grin

One year one of our guys didn't raise his poles as the chair came in to land. One pole got trapped under the chair and ended up with the lower 30cm or so bent at 90 degrees. Oh how we laughed. We laughed even more when the liftie tried to fix it and snapped the end off.
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@pam w, a lot of the time I make a big fuss about clearing the unloading area with the kids I'm with, and sometimes other people pick up on it! I also teach the kids to keep sliding as they sort out their poles - if they are old enough for poles then they have to be able to handle them without needing to stop to rearrange themselves. Very Happy
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
All in all, as a snowboarder, I'm starting to think that poles are in fact evil and dangerous.

It's only a matter of time until a celebrity (under the influence of cocaine or otherwise) is injured by them. Poles are clearly a risk factor you can easily remove from your lives. You know it makes sense.
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No, @philwig, snowboard)ers) are the problem...
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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?
At Valfrejus the 6-man chair that goes up the front of the Punta Bagna now has a lock on it that doesn't release until the chair is under the canopy of the top station. This is so late that you have to lift the bar and get off in one flowing movement - no time for shuffling.

We wondered why the lift kept stopping until I was caught and ended up in a tangle with two others.
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I see more skiers fall or cause issues than snowboarders, and we always teach ppl if in doubt ? Carry your board to save issues Razz
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winterfunman wrote:
I see more skiers fall or cause issues than snowboarders, Razz


That's cos there's a lot more skiers than boarders Laughing
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But they ALL think they can ski , just because they have mastered snow plough

Other side too they don't mind if they damage their rental gear , where as a higher percentage of snowboarders own their own equipment

Very Happy

Did you hear the joke on ski sunday ??

How do you know if there is a skier in your local ?? Wait 5 mins and they will tell you
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Cant say I have seen much of an issue but sounds like beginners who have not been shown how to get off and getting in a fluster.

I only use my poles to clear a path of all the ditherers milling around the exit deciding where to go/what to have for lunch/putting on gloves/picking up the poles they dropped.
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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!
Amazing how many skiers can't do it without poles though. @pam w, has a great point.

I often ski with both poles in one hand, so effectively poleless, so I can concentrate on my lower body technique.
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Just back from Soll and it happened to me twice! Evil or Very Mad Fab modern lift system in the area therefore lots of 6 and 8 man chairs. Think about it, @CharlieL! If someone is pushing off with poles, the poles are not in front of their own skis, (or they'd fall over them), they're in front of the poor people at either side of them. No, I didn't fall over but I did have words. It's rude and inconsiderate, even if it turns out not to result in an accident.

And whilst I'm on one, don't walk with your poles horizontal, flapping them from side to side behind you as you move jauntily in your ski boots like the "follow that bear" advert. That's a right pain in the bum, too.
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I very rarely take my poles out of my hands when I get on a lift and haven't caused an accident (or even seen one for that matter). I've seen skiers and boarders fall over, ski/ride across someone else/me and other various mishaps but not to my recollection as a product of not having both poles in one hand.

Sure I can see the issue if someone plants both poles really far apart like they're trying to start a rate quickly but I could easily plant both poles outside my skis and still have the total space occupied less than the width of my shoulders.

I've also been whacked by poles carried on one hand, had people get in the way trying to walk from a lift exit that's pretty flat, the aforementioned person fall over in front of me. It appears the issue is the ability in general of someone getting off a lift, not whether they have the poles in the "right" place or not.

Anyway, I don't imagine it is malicious or even particularly dangerous outside of a freak incident. As long as someone holds their hands up/apologies for a mistake it'll be right.
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@alicia, totally agree. One of my pet hates too!! No need to use poles to get off the lift. I've narrowly missed being tripped up a few times when someone has planted their pole in front of my ski!! rolling eyes
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There is absolutely NO need to use poles to get off a chairlift, if you can't get off without using them you shouldn't be on it in the first place.
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It's Darwinian out there in those lift queues and on those lifts. Remember that your poles are your greatest weapons.....
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+/-1
have seen it, quite a bit. have had people pretending they're Vonn or Mancuso off the lift. Have had poles planted between my skis. If they've faffed with the straps then *I* have to wait till the very last moment to disembark, else one or other is going to get hurt. If they haven't then sod em. If they drop the stick from being a dick (actually most seem to be women/kids tbh), then that's not my issue.
Worse are those that stand up and got in to either the most radical snow plough, or shout to all their freinds n the chair go left or right and crank on a sharp turn totally oblivious to that fact that yeah there's other people on the lift too.
Liftie had to stop lift this weekend then shout on the tannoy all all the planks that don't slide away, but decide to be a wall of boarders clamping in a foot, and skiers faffing with poles, and get this... waiting for their friends on the next chair!
We had chairlift lessons in les gets. Do they not do this any more?
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To be honest it doesn't bother me if people use them or not, some people seem to need it.
So long as they don't affect me or cause a safety issue by getting in my way.

However, placing a nice shiny metal pole on my top sheets and scratching them .... well ..... Mad
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I saw a woman use her poles like she was poling to dismount from a chair. Amazing to watch as she didn't push off the chair at all and nearly got mowed down. Very dangerous, inefficient and unnecessary. Amazing. So many oblivious people around it is frightening.
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You lot are funny sometimes. When we were kids we used to stick our poles in between the skis of the kid next to you getting off the lift, we also used to try and poke the binding to release a ski as you got on a drag lift (very effective) and as a result you soon learn some basic posture lessons. Same with any opportunity to take bits of other people's kit and chuck it down the hill, usually poles, though Mrs MP did fall for this in fairly spectacular fashion giving a ski away to a SH who was quite clearly going to run off with it snowHead

Lesson 1. When getting on a drag lift keep your weight on your heels, otherwise the person behind you can fairly easily pop you out (not like that, we were kids), leading to embarassing attempt to ride a drag lift with only one ski.

Lesson 2: If someone sticks a pole between your skis on leaving a lift the only way out of this is to take the pressure off their pole so that you can ski forward. The only way to take that pressure off their pole is to push them away from you, ideally a hand against the shoulder guarantees they will move, especially if they are small people (<18 stone)

Lesson 3: When there are kids around, watch out. They are dangerous.

I've had a couple of moments where someone has attempted something like this on chairlifts, usually just inexperience, you just keep a wide stance and watch that there is nothing in front of you and they either cope with you removing the pressure from their pole or they don't. If they don't, they fall over. Ho hum, got to learn falling over at some stage, might as well cover it at the beginning.

Also to everyone concerned about getting poled in lift queues, the answer to this is to back off a bit. If I can pole you, you are basically a metre from my backside. Given that the skis are 60-70cm sticking out the back I don't think it is unreasonable for you to be more than a foot behind me - indeed there should be more than a foot of your skis sticking out the front. I probably have a touch of nerves about people getting too close to my backside based on the binding release mentioned above. And prison.
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I've never seen anyone do this and am totally perplexed how it helps. You just stand up and slide down the slope in front of the lift don't you? Why do you need to push to do this?! I've never had any issue not getting momentum when simply standing up from the chairlift.
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Skiers don't need poles. Beginners don't have poles, experts don't need poles, intermediates only use poles to compensate for bad technique and not carrying speed properly. They're vestigial - from the days they had an ice-axe on one end and a sharp point at the other for poking bears and were about 2 metres long. THROW AWAY YOUR CRUTCHES AND BE HEALED MY 2-PLANK BRETHEREN!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Richard_Sideways, Laughing I think there are situations where poles are of definite value (moguls, for example) but I do feel that anyone who is not comfortable spending a few hours skiing without them has got some real problems. They are too often used as a kind of safety blanket. I tried in vain taking some from my sister in law, who was clutching them tight to her abdomen with (could you have seen them through her gloves) white knuckles.

I was made to ski without poles on cross country skis last time I had a lesson - a salutory learning experience. wink I saw a guy on cross country skating skis (mine are old lady classique) doing a good lick uphill with no poles at New Year - impressive technique. I have also seen an ESF instructor skating on alpine boots, with an enormous armful of slalom poles, up a significant incline at warp speed.

The skiers I most enjoy watching on the mountains are the piste patrollers - who are always without poles.
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Richard_Sideways wrote:
Skiers don't need poles. Beginners don't have poles, experts don't need poles, intermediates only use poles to compensate for bad technique and not carrying speed properly. They're vestigial - from the days they had an ice-axe on one end and a sharp point at the other for poking bears and were about 2 metres long. THROW AWAY YOUR CRUTCHES AND BE HEALED MY 2-PLANK BRETHEREN!


Halelujah brother.

That said - you do need poles for poling. Maybe we should have a poll on poles.
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@Mistress Panda, don't forget T-bar fights.
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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!
Do participants in Alpine Downhill (e.g Lindsay Vonn, Bode Miller etc) have to use poles? I would have thought if they could ski faster without them they would just throw them away (halelujah I am cured style) once they finish launch from gate.
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I imagine they ski faster with. That's why throwing them away isn't a hallelujah cure Wink
Only 1 week a year punters might ski better without.

Any way, need them to stab idiots in the lift queue Wink
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My poles often come in handy for giving snowboarder pals a tow along the flats. I feel its important to give something back to those less fortunate than us graceful skiers....
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