 Poster: A snowHead
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Back on skis, drag lifts are generally pretty easy compared to with a board but there is one problem I still have. If sharing a t-bar with a child or someone who is much lighter. How to avoid pivoting because of the weight imbalance on steeper pitches? It is worse if it is a stranger and I don't want to get too cosy 
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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 always possible - but I try not to share T-Bars. It's far easier and safer on your own!
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brian
brian
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nessy, there's no easy answer. Having shared t-bars at easter with my 8 year old (almost bearable) and my 6 year old (bar across calves), I share your pain  I'm 6'3" btw, I guess it must look pretty comical.
Disagree about not sharing. As well as being not selfish (if there's any queue), it's more relaxing if there's weight on both sides of the bar.
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nessy, Avoid small kids or much smaller/bigger peeps on T bars. V. diff if you cant. Make sure you both hold onto the outside of the bar as well as the T part.
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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 find going solo or with my wife when she's on her board, it's actually easier than going with another skier. I did share a T-bar ride a few weeks back with a small kid, wasn't too bad just feel a little unsecure with the bar just above the back of your knees.
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| easiski wrote: |
| Make sure you both hold onto the outside of the bar as well as the T part. |
Or push the T part away from you.
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| easiski wrote: |
| Make sure you both hold onto the outside of the bar as well as the T part. |
I only have 2 hands, so where do I put my poles? (No rude answers please  .)
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maggi,
the hand with the poles(outside) is also just holding the end of the T under your butt... (sort of pushing it in)
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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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maggi, this all seems a bit of a, hmm, social problem?
I assure you I would remind the other person, irritate them beyond belief by random edge sets and steering, or leave them by dropping off back and skating to the exit, as needed. Without a qualm, that is.
Ya know, there could be book money in this, whaddya reckon easiski?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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maggi, So far I've not tried a T bar, but I fully support your notion about telling you at the bottom what the top is like (I harbour that thought with All lift types). In some ways I find the logistics of the lifts as fearful a prospect as the skiing. I just hope that like the skiing that all this sort of thing gets easier with practice. To be honest I'm still dreading the prospect of my first chair or T bar 'with skis'!! I'm kind of hoping that MK has a poma!! 
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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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Another thought has just occured that I thought I would share with you bearing in mind the first post concerned children. I do recall Eva this year, having to ride with her seven year old son on the T just to get him up the particular run he wanted to do as he was finding that he wasn't heavy enough to hold the T bar down himself - how heavy would a child need to be to be able to overcome the spring mechanism?
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Megamum,
Chairs are simple... to get on... you sit down on the chair.... to get off... hands on knees and stand up!
If the worst comes to the worst you go around again .... where's the drama there?
DO NOT try to hang on etc... if you fall getting on or off then HEAD DOWN ... you do not want to have a head to head with a chair! (I was taught if a kid starts to fall on loading or unloading to shove it to the snow where its head is safe...) A strategically placed ski pole in front of a small kids belly seems to work very well ... but I do admit with the smallest (3 years) I tend to grab a collar or back of bib in case they try to wriggle...
T-bar's are a tad trickier.... FLEX YOUR ANKLES... stiffening the ankles will make your skis bounce around more because you gave yourself stiffer suspension system... just keep those legs relaxed but enough strength in the muscles to keep toes(skis) pointed straight ahead...
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You know it makes sense.
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little tiger, thanks, some good tips!!
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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I was on a T Bar behind a 6'2" 15 stone man who had a little girl (6yrs ish) put on the T Bar with him by her instructor. Needless to say both fell off - totally irresponsible of the Instructor I thought.
Personally I hate them and do try and avoid them at all costs, my SO is not good to be on with, he has his skis too wide. Leaning in towards each other is supposed to help though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Did T-bar for first time ever this year in Wengen. I thought that they weren't as bad as they are made out to be. In particular I think that they are much easier on steep bits than a button lift. The bar just pulls you along whereas the button tries to rip away from you. Sharing with my kids didn't cause any grief although as a skier it was tricker sharing with a boarder as their board tends to go sideways. 
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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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Had my first experience of Tbars in Zell a few years back. Managed ok but got into the firing line of girl behind me who wouldn't let go once she got to the top. Bloody thing knocked me off my feet & dragged me backwards. She did start to apologise but one look from me & she took the wiser option & fled the scene. Pretty spectacular bruise on my right buttock, full kalideoscope of colours (similar to the air immediately after incident)
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Hi, this may not get a response, but I am currently a year 12 student from NSW, Australia and for my HSC Design and Technology major project, I am thinking of solving the problem of riding the T-bar with children or with someone with a large height difference by making an adjustable t-bar which can accommodate for the height difference. Any feedback, improvements or any general comments would be much appreciated and if anyone would benefit from this idea, it would be great if you could reply!
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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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@talacysea, well done for reviving a 16 year old thread. The great majority of t-bars in Europe have been replaced with chairlifts or simply abandoned, so it’s not the problem it once was. In our ski area (which comprises 3 villages and 200+ km of pistes) we still have 3 t-bars, but I don’t think any of them will be around for long. Holiday skiers paying fortunes for ski passes simply won’t tolerate these things any more (and why should they).
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@telford_mike, haha yeah I didn’t think anyone would respond but glad someone did I live in Australia and there are quite a lot of t-bars still around, especially in Perisher and Thredbo, and the recent trip I had there, all the lifts were closed and only the t-bars were open, which inspired by project.
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@talacysea, still plenty of t bars in Scandinavia, and people here don't make a fuss about them, perhaps because they've grown up with them. Surface lifts are much more resistant to the wind than chairs or gondolas.
It's an interesting idea, can't imagine what solution you'll come up with but good luck.
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@talacysea, same here in Scotland. The speed the t-bar comes through will negate the opportunity to make an adjustment on the bar itself.
So the adjustment would be a personal aid to attach to the bar. However, I can’t see anyone carting extra bits about just for a T-bar.
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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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| GlasgowCyclops wrote: |
| @talacysea, same here in Scotland. The speed the t-bar comes through will negate the opportunity to make an adjustment on the bar itself... |
And survive the whip when dismounting/releasing at the top.
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I actually think this should be a simple test for on-mountain competence.
I relatively steep t-bar. If you can make it to the top without falling or doing anything weird you are good enough for the slope. It’s not that hard but catches out those who over-estimate their ability (of which I see far too many on the slopes). The advent of chairlifts has made this worse, it is so easy to access the spoke that many do so without the ability to safely navigate the piste. Generally find a better standard of slope user on surface lift served slopes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| zikomo wrote: |
I actually think this should be a simple test for on-mountain competence.
I relatively steep t-bar. If you can make it to the top without falling or doing anything weird you are good enough for the slope. It’s not that hard but catches out those who over-estimate their ability (of which I see far too many on the slopes). The advent of chairlifts has made this worse, it is so easy to access the spoke that many do so without the ability to safely navigate the piste. Generally find a better standard of slope user on surface lift served slopes. |
Don't you just hate a condescending prick?
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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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@zikomo, Ooh I don't think we've had a "License To Ski" thread for a while... still a terrible, terrible idea.
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T-bars are still common in Austria. Although mainly on nursery slopes, they are also used on some of the glaciers, and to serve terrain parks. There are a few still around that provide 'main lifts' without alternatives, often in smaller resorts. Fortunately the Gauxjoch lift linking Paß Thurn with Kitzbühel was replaced by a chairlift last season. The Kitzsteinhorn still has several, but in main season only the Maurerlift does not have an alternative - but it's worth the effort as the two blacks down are often the best snow on the mountain on the Maurer glacier.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm 6'5" and heavy - I won't share a T-bar. I've had too many bad experiences - and it's always the bigger person who comes off worst - a T-bar across the thigh can get painful real quick.
Chairlifts are also not straightforward, there's a technique to getting off, and the lower the lift the more difficult. And the child restraints that some lifts have, press down on the most unfortunate if places!
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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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@talacysea, I'd suggest you start a new dedicated thread. Your post is just going to get lost in the sea of those who don't realise they're responding to a zombie thread.
Edit, Sorry I see you already have.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Quick note to all who dislike the "t".
Do not visit Glacier 3000 (les Diablerets/Gstaad) one of the t is approx. 2.8km long. Great scenery though!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Rogerdodger wrote: |
Quick note to all who dislike the "t".
Do not visit Glacier 3000 (les Diablerets/Gstaad) one of the t is approx. 2.8km long. Great scenery though! |
Can't wait, now it's included on the Magic Pass. My favourite place is nearby Les Mosses with 11 drags and no chairs. I can cover 150km in a week on them 
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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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I - 6'1" and pushing 15 stone - shared a T-bar with my 5 year old daughter in Finland a few times. Putting the bar behind my knees seemed to be the way forward, meaning the bar on the other side was about the right height for her. It would be a stretch to call it a comfortable journey though.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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T-bars account for only 5-10% of all the world's skilifts.
Despite being -90% cheaper to install than a chairlift, T-bars are not popular with customers (who buy the liftpasses).
T-bars are a niche (and declining) problem for the ski industry.
As others have already said above, T-bars move too fast at the entry and exit points to be adjustable.
You'd have to slow the T-bar speed to a point where liftlines or financial losses become unviable.
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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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‘90% cheaper’ and more resilient to strong winds is a good reason to keep them and to keep ticket prices down.
They are also the most social of all ski lifts. It’s impossible to get on one and not talk to your companion. It’s like Country dancing ! The secret is leaning your shoulders together. It’s just practice 
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Riding t's was just a part of learning ski technique.
Starting my journey many years ago on Cairngorm, if you don't use the t you don't ski!
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FAQ
), then I really, really don't like them 
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