 Poster: A snowHead
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This last holiday I’ve had people slam the bar down about 12 times on the chairlift cracking either mine, the wife’s or the kids helmets.
In all cases it was literally as bums just touched the seats.
Is this a new thing? I have always thought the etiquette was to look across the chair to see everyone is seated fine then slowly pull it down. And if with just English speakers, an obligatory shout of “heads”.
I’ve only really been clattered about once per trip previously, but this week it fell well more than usual! In one case the bar was on the back of my wife’s head and even as I was shouting, the guy at the end was still trying trying to yank it down, even though her head was nearly on her lap.
Is this a new trend appearing where it’s cool to slam it down the moment you make contact with the seat?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I don't know, but thinking about it, I think I often put my own hand up automatically (and defensively) to stop the bar coming down prematurely.
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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?
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Yep. Happened to me loads. Poles trapped, snowboard not yet in comfy place, hand trapped, head/helmet clouted
More often than not it's not just the bar but the bubble cover too. Personally, I like to see where I'm going, like to breathe fresh air, and don't find it cold (I mean, I'm wearing goggles & loads of thermals, jackets, trousers, gloves, buffs, etc). But no-one even asks; just down it slams. (OK in high winds, sure. But otherwise? Well, at least ask, huh? And get warmer clothes.)
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@ish303, ...indeed very annoying...I don't think it's a new thing, it just depends on who is on the chair. It's polite in CH to say 'OK?' before pulling it down or 'Ca va?'...
What's still weird is people putting it UP well before the dismount. If you are still over a height you would not want to fall, or things you would not want to fall onto, keep it down, people....
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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At Serfaus last week I timed the interval between the occupants sitting down and the automatic safety bar coming down. Five seconds...plenty of time for folks to get situated, still not off the ground so no risk. Slow it down folks, ask if everyone is ready, us tall people and those needing a couple of seconds to get comfortable will appreciate it at NO additional risk to you!
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@valais2, yeah, indeed, it takes 2 seconds to raise it 
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I'm tall and on some chairs I have to tip my head to the side so it doesn't get whacked.
Sometimes I'm not quick enough and BAM.
There is then a tiny pause before the perpetrator raises is it a few inches before slamming it even harder, as if there were no reason for the failure of the bar to come down.
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| Quote: |
What's still weird is people putting it UP well before the dismount
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Yes, that too. One chair in Notre Dame de Bellecombe is particularly scary for that. Generally we were on our own on it. If not, just as I have a defensive hand up to stop the bar being slammed down, I keep skis on the footrest and hand on the bar in a defensive effort to avoid that feeling of dangling over the void.
We don't have to be passive victims here. Big tall strong men are in a particularly good position to impose their will on this situation.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I don't think it is a change, from time to time you notice it, then a few years go buy and then it seems to happen again in waves. This season I've not had any issues. Last year I did.
As the OP says, look around, check everyone is ok, then slowly pull it down when you see others starting to do the same.
I wonder if the area/resort you are in is more beginner friendly the quicker they want it down?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Many years ago Mrs A managed to fall out of a chair just after take off. Her skis landed apart and she fell through the middle, busting an ACL. She had slipped because she was trying to brush the snow of the seat before turning and sitting down.
Ever since then I’ve always embarked with caution. Poles in my right hand, I hook my left arm over the back of the seat and lean forward, pushing my bum firmly into the corner. When everything is stable I reach up and pull the bar down slowly. Sometimes someone will get to the bar quicker but, because I am tall and leaning forwards, they don’t get very far before my head is in the way. This happened repeatedly in our first week in La Plagne this year. Never did I hear an apology and, what really annoyed me, often they just kept pulling - even harder. I took to just sitting there with my head in the way until they stopped pulling - much to the bemusement of a gaggle of British girls who asked if I was alright.
I think it’s about time that bars had dampers to stop them moving too fast.
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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.
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@under a new name, goodness that must have been a very abrupt stop...
It’s hard to monitor whether someone is about to yank the bar down, and I have had a fair number of head-whacks. But I find stopping the bar being raised prematurely to be far easier - one hand on bar and one foot on footrest, eyes firmly ahead and a firm low voiced ‘non’.... that seems to do it....
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So thats why we need to wear helmets, of course!
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You know it makes sense.
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@ster, helmets increase your chance of getting whacked by the bar as they make your head so much larger
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The other thing I have noticed is folks reaching up, sometimes quite high, to put their feet on the rests as they are coming down. For goodness sake! The last little bit of the bar’s journey is the most risky. With all the bits of safety equipment screwed to bars these days, it’s all too easy for poles, fingers or even gonads to be caught in the wrong place.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Happened to me at Christmas. New goggles present from my daughter, been skiing 10 mins got on lift French tw@t on far end rammed bar down as soon as I sat! Big scratches all over googles I swore in Anglo Saxon very loudly, he apologised profusely, like others above I now put hand on bar to stop it being rammed down!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's not something I've had a problem with, but then I am quite small. Lifting the bar UP however, is something I have different views on from my partner, and so is most problematic when it's just the two of us I am quite confident that I can sort things out quickly and efficiently, and so like @under a new name, leave the bar down until we are not over a drop. He thinks it's just another thing I leave till the last minute (as you may be able to imagine, we also disagree on the correct time to arrive for a bus or train), and likes to have it lifted well in advance to avoid unnecessary panic. I would argue that almost all panic is unnecessary, and would rather not fall into the void 50m before the lift station.
This disagreement was particularly noticeable last weekend, when we were on a chair with the bubble pulled down in bad weather. The outside front was covered in frozen snow and so we could only see out of the sides or through the small gap by our feet. After he lifted the bar halfway along, “we must be there by now,” I put my arm on it and told him to look at his feet for the green lights!
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Origen wrote: |
| I don't know, but thinking about it, I think I often put my own hand up automatically (and defensively) to stop the bar coming down prematurely. |
Yeah, I am normally the first person to get my hand to the bar to do this, but even towards the end of the week where I was conscious of this and trying to to stop it I still wasn’t quick enough to stop frenchy on the end doing it. It’s almost as if it’s one motion, like they grab the bar as they are lowering their back bottom so it’s literally closing as they are sitting.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@under a new name, grief ... that indeed would stick in the mind.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yup. Happened to me just a couple of days ago. I’m 6’4, so unless I’m positively leaving back the bar will always hit my helmet. The two French ladies next to me grabbed the bar almost immediately their ar5es hit the seat. No checking that everyone was ready and not apologies when it smashed into my helmet.
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As for lifting the bar up. You really can leave it until your skis are almost touching the run off. There’s a chair in Les Gets that has a lock on the bar so it can’t be lifted until you’re a couple of meters from alighting. If there’s not a lock, I just leave my feet on the footrest until we are in line with the sign that indicates you should lift it.
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| Timmycb5 wrote: |
| I just leave my feet on the footrest until we are in line with the sign that indicates you should lift it. |
This.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Def small man syndrome as its usually us tall chaps that get battered first; it must be part of their anger complex! In all seriousness I always put my arm up now to stop this happening, pretty much on every lift. Its not only the head that can get crunched, some of the newer lifts have a V section to stop kids from slipping out and if not properly aligned and sat back in the seat ones crown jewels are also at risk . . .
As for lifting the bar early this is a moot point; however on larger capacity chairs I'd rather it opened slightly early (unless there are small kids on board) rather than at the very last minute; have had several near missus where people are faffing with gloves and poles and not paying attention - the bar gets raised and they're not prepared for the exit 
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| Quote: |
I always put my arm up now to stop this happening
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Well exactly. Can't think why all these tall men are just sitting there waiting to have a bar slammed down on their heads. Then moaning about it on the internet. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Putting the bar down - totally unheard of in North America - well, Tahoe anyway!!
Bar was always left up unless someone specifically requested it be put down.
And... hardly any chairs with footrests. Thankfully most chairs not too long!
Thats my only moan - skiing was brilliant tho 
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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.
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Better than having short person syndrome
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I always grab the bar first and move it slightly to tell everyone I have it then wait for everyone to be ready then lower it slowly. When it comes to getting off I raise it slightly to make sure skis are clear then wait for the sign / lights before raising it fully. Of course it helps when I have my uniform on!
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Of course it helps when I have my uniform on!
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Jawohl!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I’ve only been rapped on the helmet when not bothering to take off my rucksack on older lifts, mea culpa! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Seeing less head mounted GoPro's of late, is this to do with the advent of the kiddy restrainers that drop between your legs on most chairs and would clatter a GoPro?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@stevew, I concur there seem to be fewer, but I don't think that's the reason...the bar shaves 'em off just fine without the kid-catchers. I think the novelty of go pros is on the wane in general. I haven't used mine in years. My kids are up and away and I've seen quite enough of me skiing.
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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?
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| Quote: |
I concur there seem to be fewer
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Yes, I'd not thought about it, but you're right. Was a bit of a fad but always did look pretty silly and when you see the good edits (and have tried to do even a wee bit of editing yourself) you realise how difficult it is to make anything worth watching.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| @ster, helmets increase your chance of getting whacked by the bar as they make your head so much larger |
This is true!
That said, I always control the bar and it comes down when I deem everyone settled in. Habit from when I skiied with my children when they were small.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I always lean back immediately on sitting having learnt my lesson at last.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Leaning back quickly just means you smack the back of your head instead (worse on chairs with a lid).
I've had sit-slammers have the bar down before I've even managed to sit down before.
Not sure if Go-Pro tellytubbies are on the wane cos they realised they looked daft, or because all the Go-Pros got knocked off by chairlift bars or when ducking to get in to gondola?
Fortunately living in Germany the GEMA music cartel was so restrictive (I think only Iran and NK were stricter), that attempting to watch someone's sick edit was pointless cos it'd be blocked anyway. I just used that Youtube block as a warning that the vid contained their poo-poo taste in music, that I wouldn't want to hear anyway, and it saved 3 minutes of my life
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@andy,  full of sweetness and light and love of your fellow man this morning then Andy!
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@andy,
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the vid contained their poo-poo taste in music,
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Yes! Why do they even need music?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Why do people put music over video edits?
Because wind noise and heavy breathing only cater to quite a specialist video market.
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@Richard_Sideways,
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