Do you sit on your poles on a chairlift?

A snowHead

I recently saw a discussion on a Facebook skiing group that was started by the reluctance of some Americans skiing and snowboarding in Finland to lower the safety bar, something the Europeans of course were used to doing. One (American) commentator said "Skiers don’t like it because if you sit on your poles someone (usually a tourist from out of town) will inevitably slam the bar down on your poles". When asked why someone would sit on their poles the same commentator said "Everyone does this. I don’t want to be holding them whole time so I put them under my leg."

Is this an American thing? I must confess I've never heard of people sitting on their poles on a chairlift. Weird. Puzzled

Edit: Another (again American) commentator said "Never met a skier in my life who doesn’t sit on their poles. Besides knowing how to carry skis this should be one of the first things taught to skiers" Shocked

A snowHead

I think it's an American thing because they have old chairs with wooden slats at the back that allows you to push your poles through. Almost all modern chairs in European resorts have closed back that won't allow the shoving of poles through them.

You can see the effect in Ski Essentials videos:

New chair, holding poles in hands -

http://youtube.com/v/Xcn32hHTeE0?t=220

Old chair, poles between legs -

http://youtube.com/v/h0byPl-Ktt0?t=46

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Observe any liftie/patroller/instructor using their phone with one hand and eating a buttie with the other. Their poles will be lodged under their leg.

If you want to do something with your hands while you're on the lift, then securing your poles is quite useful, otherwise you might drop them. I normally put the bar down first though, so there's no tangles, and then you have to remember to reverse the order when getting off. Simply put your poles between your legs, then lift one bum cheek and slide the handles under your bottom or thigh. It's not uncomfortable because of all the layers you have on anyway.

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I sit on my poles and have done more or less since I started (maybe I picked it up on an early trip to the states). I do however only put them there when the bar has come down

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Never tuck it under my bum/leg. I did see some ski racers doing it last year, but it looked like hassle.

I normally just tuck them under my arm like a drill sergeant would his cane. That frees up both hands to do whatever I want.

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Never have, and never will sit on my poles.

Also, what is with the whole safety bar up for the Americans?? Literally don't get it! Same as people who don't wear seat belts when driving. What are the benefits?

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@Roscoe, I asked that question of an American and the response was “it saves time”. Puzzled

Does it? Does the lift go slower with the bar down? No, it doesn’t save any time at all.

After all it is free

If I want to use a camera or phone, yes (under a leg rather than sitting on them, which sounds a bit uncomfortable). Otherwise I hold them in one hand.

Reddit gets quite heated on the lift bar down or not. The Americans like to point out it is a "comfort" bar not a "safety" bar.

I literally can't see any good reason for NOT using the comfort/safety bar. Lift goes round the same speed if you use it or not! Rest the legs on the foot rest and feel marginally less like you will slip off.

Suspect they would have a heart attack at the nice heated chairs with the pull down shields in Switzerland!

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Lovely Californian chap did this with his extra long powder poles. Shoved them out of the back of the slatted chair lift and sat on them. Unable to get them out at the top and ended up hanging like a trapeze artist - much to everyone's amusement.....

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You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Personally I loop my poles around one leg so I can have my hands free but noticed skiing with guides the other week they tended to go with the under-bum option - but all of us were doing both options with the safety bar down.

As for "comfort bar" vs "safety bar" I'd love to see some of those Americans on a modern European lift. You know, the ones with all the "Safety bar must be closed during transit" messages written on them - and better still see them freak out when it says "Automatic safety bar" Smile

A snowHead

I just hold the poles in my hands like almost everyone else, usually by putting my hands over the bar and regrasping them.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Wrist straps for the win. I don’t know what I’d do without gloves with wrist straps.

I did see a stupid insta post the other day where someone dangled their poles off the footrest. It actually works better than you’d think. I’ll try and find it

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@johnE, you keep your gloves on your hands?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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I can’t find it. It basically goes like this… put the straps of your poles over the footrest, then secure with rested feet/skis, and let them dangle. When you raise the bar, the poles will be conveniently right in front of you to grab and alight the lift.

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My OH sits on his poles, you don’t get such cold hands apparently not holding poles. Frees up his hands anyway to hold mine, or my gloves if I need to delve into a pocket. I think he picked up the habit from our daughter who spent a season in Whistler.

After all it is free

Can't remember when I started the habit of sitting on my poles - but it must have been in the last 5ish years after watching a few instructors do it.

The benefit of being completely handsfree on the lift and not having to worry about poles is great.

As the lift is approaching I swing the poles and place the handles between my legs - important that they don't protrude beyond my body - so they do not get stuck in the backrest of a lift. I am literally sitting on the handles.

Depending where I am positioned as the lift approaches, as I sit I then angle them either to the left or the right to avoid the footrest coming down with the safety bar. By having the poles only under my body it is very easy to make adjustments if needed.

As I disembark at the top station and standup I grab the poles and flip back around.

It has all become a reflex now and can't imagine going back to holding poles in my hands on a lift!

For those that have skied with me on the bashes - they will be able to attest no faff and no issues from this technique!

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Oh skiers and their poles - what a carry on... you're all nuts.

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I'm a pole sitter-oner. I do always make sure to angle to poles so that they don't get whacked by the foot rest, and if it's a chair with a bubble, and weather that's likely going to result in the bubble being pulled down then I won't sit on them.

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Depends how long the lift is. I’ll sit on them if I want to use my phone or faff about in some way. I think an instructor suggested it once.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I sometimes sit on my poles, either if I know I'm going to eat something or if it's very cold (def helps to avoid cold hands if you are not holding two metal poles in one of them). If I sit on them, i do it before the bar comes down - just have to angle the poles to be clear of the footrest. But mostly i just hold them.

I object very strongly to having to sit on someone else's poles though. Has only happened once, on a 3 man chair where I was on my own, with a couple next to me. I ended up slightly further forward than them, so was sitting down marginally later. Shouldn't be a problem, except that the bloke next to me had his poles across his lap and onto the seat. I didn't see this, so was somewhat surprised when I tried to sit down and couldn't. This was compound by him trying to pull the bar down almost before I'd sat down. It was a non detachable chair, so by this point I was almost out of time to get on. Cue some robust language along with pushing the bar back up, forceful rearrangement of the offending poles and Friday on the bar coming back down again until I was actually on the seat. All of this done by me, with zero acknowledgement from the couple that maybe, just maybe, there was something wrong. I suspect they didn't want to share the chair Laughing

A snowHead

I can see why see might be useful if you want to use your phone whilst on the lift, but then I never do that, as if its in your pocket you can't drop it off the lift, so if it rings on a lift I ignore it until I'm off (and away from the disembark zone snowHead

). I don't see it as a massive inconvenience to hold two poles together whilst on a lift.

A snowHead

When it was very cold I liked to curl fingers round the tea bag warmers in my mittens, and that meant jamming the poles under a buttock. In recent years I never used the straps on poles, even when skiing, and certainly wouldn't have them on straps on a chairlift. And getting off - both poles in one hand, vertical, straight ahead of you, and the other hand to push off smartly if necessary.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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So, if you sit on your poles long enough, does it feel like someone else is skiing?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I use Leki Trigger poles, so they don’t have straps. I always tuck them under one leg so the poles are behind one knee and then pressed up against the opposite thigh. This frees my hands so I can eat/drink/text etc but I wouldn’t say I’m sitting on the poles exactly.

I have skied a lot in the US though and have always found it odd that people down lower the bars on chair lifts in what is such a strong litigation-culture.
Not having the bar down definitely doesn’t make you feel comfortable when sitting on a chair with a backpack on, but they do seem to be keen on people taking their packs off, which is a PITA and something I avoid doing if I possibly can

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@knackered knees, Not now we know where you keep putting it, Nein Danke!

After all it is free

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No. Because it’s uncomfortable.
But then I’m only meagrely gluteally upholstered

Help!!

Do you sit on your poles on a chairlift?

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