Do you avoid "chairlift judges"?

A snowHead

This amusing review from the US advertising journal Ad Week covers a campaign by Steamboat ski resort and introduces a phrase I've not heard:

"There's a place off Priest Creek where there are no chairlift judges."

I think they're talking about those rubber-neckers who want you to perform a theatrical wipeout or amusing technical cock-up.

Of course the phrase "chairlift judges" could have a second meaning, which neatly leads to the following piece of news for chairlift critics:

Snow 24 News reports: "The new Eggalm six seater high speed chair has weather protection pull-down bubble hoods and luxurious leather seats (but no walnut veneer)." [The Eggalm is in the Austrian 'Zillertal' ski area, near Mayrhofen.]

Apart from the walnut veneer, all that seems to be missing now is a pull-down coffee table to replace the rather boring safety bar. Whatever, I've never heard of chairlift leather seats, and wonder how well they'll stand up to the elements.

Returning to the thread heading, do you hide away from chairlift judges? [Alternatively: would leather seats make you feel your liftpass was money well spent?]

A snowHead

Leather seats wouldn't do it for me, but I do like a nice deeply padded chairlift. Makes the uphill journey that much more comfortable!

While I don't hide away from chairlift judges (more like chairlift critics when they see me ski) I do get a little depressed by the laughter and abuse that sometimes comes at me from above!

Regards

Rob

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

I regularly perform for Chairlift Judges when im boarding! to rousing applause on several occasions!

Just cant get the hang of getting off the lift at all Confused

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No, I've never heard of leather chairlift seats and I think they'd be highly impractical. Once wet, they'd never dry out! Yes, I know they have pull down hoods but not everyone pulls them down (I think it's a macho thing) and any spare seats might get snowed on. Also, snowboarders always have wet bums from (no, I daren't say it Laughing

)

Personally, I don't care about chairlift judges - but then I don't wear a fluorescent one piece suit rolling eyes

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Chairlift judges probably fall asleep anyway, rendering them incapable of delivering a sentence.

What we need are chairlifts wide enough to seat a full jury. We're nearly there now with 8-seaters.

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I broke my leg in full view of the gondola judges last March Blush

I prob should have played along and got a stretcher down for the sympathy vote. But I got back up and skiied the rest of the way down the mountain, broken leg and all ..

brian

I gave the occupants of the Portettes chair at Val Thorens much amusement last year by misjudging how much speed I'd need on the direct line under the chair and ending up having to climb out up a 5 feet near vertical bank covered in thigh deep powder.

How I feckin laughed Evil or Very Mad

After all it is free

So, have chairlift judges got anything to do with the chairlift bar? And in America do they have circuit chairlift judges that just ride around on the chairlift all day?

I saw a beauty of a dismount in the Skiwelt this Jan.
Rob was a first week skier so not all that accustomed to chairlifts, me and Alan had a bit more experience and were showing him the ropes, so to speak.
After 3 days Alan decided to have a little fun with Rob at the top of a 4 man chair. Just as we get to the top Alan puts his hand on the seat to push himself off (nothing too strange there) but put it on the seat between Rob's legs. This caused Rob to sit back against the back of the chair so whilst I popped off and Alan sprung off Rob was unbalanced and couldn't get off in time. So what does he do? Pushes himself forward and launches himself off the chair a good 6 feet above ground level just after the dismount area and immediately before the big pulley wheel. I was unaware of what was going on but could hear Alan laughing so looked across to see why, it was then I noticed a ski coming past me at just below eye level, which was a tad unexpected, and Rob attached to the top of it, another ski was not far behind but at a near vertical angle, arms were flailing somewhere above. Somehow Rob landed it and stayed upright which caused Alan to literally fall over laughing. Much questioning of Alan's parentage then followed.
It seemed quite funny at the time and the rest of our group who saw it were equally amazed but later it dawned on us that it would be best not to try and repeat it, god knows how no one was hurt.

There was another time when one of the girls sat down before a 4 man chair arrived and put her arms out as she fell over. That was right at the point that the 2 people either side sat down, as it happened on her jacket but not actually on her arms. Now in this squatting position she was being pushed along by the chair but couldn't stand up properly due to her jacket being pinned down. As the chair left the loading ramp it sloped away quite quickly, she carried on down the slope a little but soon realised she was hanging by her trapped jacket from the chair. Much shouting followed and the lifties quickly stopped it and managed to untangle the mess that followed, in doing so releasing both her skis. She was plonked on the next chair alone and her skis were laid across the next. Of course when she got to the top no one spotted a skiless skier trying to dismount and she failed to run at the right speed when she got off the chair, falling flat on her face. Fortunately her skis made it fine. No one hurt again but it did take a good 10 minutes for the collective laughter to stop before we could carry on.

Writing this I've just realised that I'm the common link (albeit unwittingly) in both incidents, maybe I should just ride alone in future.

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I seem to be judged on chairlifts all the time, in fact no-one other than my skiing companions will sit on a chair with me Crying or Very sad

Others will wait in 30 minute queues to avoid me. A few years back in La Plagne a French girl was distracted and sat on the same chair, as it moved off she turned round, saw it was me and promptly fell off. Fortunately we were only about 8ft off the ground.

Do you think it's something to do with my choice of clothing? Embarassed

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Rossi Quantums. She probably had a pair scare her in the cradle.

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Interesting comprex, they were called Opens over here. Is that a difference of name or have your eagle eyes let you down? Well spotted anyway snowHead

Probably the eyes, Alan Craggs. I couldn't make out whether they had the silly little windows in the tips. snowHead

You know it makes sense.

Are those Raichle (excuse the spelling) boots? Perhaps people are just jealous?

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

I nearly always ski back down to the flat at Morillon directly under the lift, it avoids the punters on the main slope. The trouble is you get a running commentary from the chair lift at times, I find not looking and listening to the walkman works for me Very Happy

A snowHead

Another picture bonus for Mark Lehto! Yes, Raichle they were.

Now who can get the make(s) of the jacket and salopettes?

A snowHead

Just remember that if you get a particularly good round of applause from a chairlift: stand up and bow. It's only polite.

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

I always make sure i take a board full of snow up with me for unsuspecting passers by (or ski school) that stand under the lift as i'm going above............ Blush

At the stag do in Val D'Isere this year the stag slid off the bit where you get on to the beginner lift (the tit had already done up his bindings!), anyway while laughing about it he forgot the lifts came back down as well..............oh my god how we laughed as the lift coming down hit him in the (ample) stomach and knocked him over..............the best abs work out ever

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Encore!

When Quebec still had ski co-ops to avoid VAT on lodging, we were late one morning to get to the piste through being slow with the dishwashing. The dishdryer that day couldn't find his salopettes, and decided he'd wear thermal leggings under corduroy trousers (themselves not too dry already).

Well, it was only -10 or so; he would have gotten away with it except the snow cannon had been going all night and the chairlift was coated with ice. He sat down anyway, lit up a cigarette and stoically ignored the cold.

As an aide to dating, the gentleman on the lift in front of us had brand new 200cm+ Rossi 4S skis. He dismounted and turned for the gladed piste underneath us.

Donald can't get off the lift! He's pulling in a panic, I'm shoving and we get him off with most of the rear pocket area still frozen to the lift. Amazingly, that takes less than 10 seconds and the lift doesn't even stop as we drop less than 4 ft to the snow. The waistband of the trousers is still intact, so at least he has some wind protection.

Next thing I hear is -splat-. The man on piste is stretched out full-length, his arms across his face, the Rossis straddling the cedar. OF course, he had been watching the chair, laughing, too busy except for the last minute protective instinct. Goggles snapped in half vertically, massive bruising of the forearms, and me left with a distinct memory of the sound of flesh hitting timber at 40kph. Shocked

Fortunately, that was the last day of skiing that week.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Alan Craggs, Not sure on jacket and salopettes, but the sunglasses definitely didn't come from specsavers. Wink

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Alan Craggs, I think I recognise a Phoenix jacket there, no idea about the salopettes though.

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

After all it is free

I think the socks are Salomon (though I am less sure of the spelling again). Salopettes C & A?

Without wanting to be unkind, I think Alan is modelling the latest range from Sue Ryder Shops.

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John Scott, yup Phoenix jacket - you obviously recognise quality when you see it Razz

Sorry Mark Lehto, salopettes were Tenson, but socks were pre-Thorlo days for me so might well have been Salomon!

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Alan Craggs I have just discovered Thorlo - so what lies ahead on the ski-boot front? (My Raichles are a little battered now).

Mark Lehto, well after those I tried some Nordicas which were some sort of hybrid rear entry/4 clip, not very successful. Then Raichle Flexon Comps, an excellent boot. Next were Salomon's "new style" front entry (what were they called? - the ones Stenmark was supposed to have had a design input). Then I discovered Technica Icons and have stuck with them since - one old pair for plastic (lots of walking on tarmac) + one new pair for snow snowHead

You know it makes sense.

Here's a potential chairlift judge, by the name of Eddie.

Please don't show the image to anyone of a nervous disposition.

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

Apparently his ski boots were a little uncomfortable - it's like they had spikes on the inside.

A snowHead

Thanks - will head to cham one year (hopefully this) and see what they have. Hope you kept the jacket though...

A snowHead

I fell over trying to get off the 4man chair in Arinsal, whilst boarding, unfortunately I was on the inside, and as i tried to get up I slid further and further over, until I was in the middle of the "get off" bit and heard cries of "get down!" as a chairlift went over my head (luckily empty), then after everyone had turned to look round, my instructor came over, grabbed my board ( with me still attached) and pulled me across and down the slope- despite me protesting strongly!

The most glorious thing was , you could see the whole event unfolding as I was in the background of the beginner ski school video that they showed in the pubs on the bar crawl - oh the shame! Embarassed

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

Nadenoodlee, that reminds me of the time a friend got her coat caught in the chair lift on the glacier at Tignes. It's funny for a few seconds then a bit serious. Similarly, a friend once got their foot wedged in a crack rock-climbing a few hundred feet up, funny for a few seconds but then a serious situation.

I once got my head cracked by a lift boarding in Austria, the lifft normally has a steep run off and I stopped right away to fasten my binding, before I bent down to do it i got cracked by the lift, I'd a helmet on so no harm was done. The problem was it had snowed a hell of a lot the night before and what had been a few feet below the lift was now level with it Very Happy

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All this talk reminds me of the time I left my ski stick behind in a chairlift, back in those days when ski lift gates opened to the side (I was only about 8 at the time) as I opened the skilift gate at the top one pole got caught in the gate, result I left the lift with one pole whilst the other carried on down the mountain on the chair, skied the rest of the morning with one pole and picked the other up after lunch so the ski teacher and I got an extra run in, not all that bad after all Laughing

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Alan Craggs, weren't those the Grand Prix, 9.0 being the top tier? Never have I met a more difficult boot to get into. If you liked the Flexon Comp, I hear Dalbello has a new version out, the Krypton: http://www.dalbellosports.com/ Click on Boots/Krypton.

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Saw a woman at Laax fall off a six man chair at the start due to someone in the middle sitting in the "wrong" seat. Luckily there was such a big drop immediately after the boarding point that she fell into the hole and the chair and skis passed safely over her head.

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I think Nordica made the Grand Prix 9 comprex, but I didn't have those. the Salomons had an unusual construction but I just can't remember what they were called. They were their first departure from the rear entry years, and introduced "sensifit" to the world of jargon.

After all it is free

Ah, yes, Alan Craggs, I was confusing one incident of extreme pain with another, Equipe 9.0 mid-entry. Eouf.

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comprex, I too have been frozen to a chairlift. This was on my first ski trip, to Sauze D'Oulx, dressed in woollen ski pants (Army issue hand me down) on a side facing skis off chair lift. Clotes - the name is deeply etched. The whole experience of mounting the chair from the elevated wooden deck was unnerving to say the least so I didn't worry about the snow on the seat, but by the time I reached the top I was frozen to the chair, and on dismount ended up hanging from the chair by my stretching pants. They stopped the lift, the lurch dumping me into a deep drift. I dug myself out, wiped the blood from my face and put skis on for the first time; and from there the addiction began.

Help!!

Do you avoid "chairlift judges"?

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