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How longs a queue?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I have been looking at the head wear thread in which there are pictures of lift queues. How long does a lift queue have to be before you find it a hassle? Do you do anything to avoid them? How do you set about this? I have my own ideas but was wondering what other snowHead 's think.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Depends on the lift - there are some lifts that you have to take i.e. in 3V to get back to your valley.

If its a lift I don't have to take or there is an alternative, I'll miss it if the queue is well outside the marked queing area
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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?
T Bar wrote:
I have been looking at the head wear thread in which there are pictures of lift queues. How long does a lift queue have to be before you find it a hassle?

Depends what the lift leads to.
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T Bar, Learn an alternative route to your destination, avoiding the nasty lifts. If it's impossible, head back to the bar for a vin chaud. Serre Che is improving thanks to new chairlifts, but there are still some bad ones, La Balme in the afternoon back to Monetier being one. Stay on the Villeneuve side for a bit longer and ski back down to the bottom there, or even download, before catching the ski bus back, bus queues tend to be in the opposite direction. Only a hassle if it's more than 5 minutes. A sharp pair of elbows and being a pixie help with the queue jumping. Taller folks in front don't notice you until you've squeezed past them.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Helen Beaumont, You....a queue jumper Shocked Shocked Shocked wink . I would stab you with my stick!!! Laughing Laughing Laughing .
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Helen Beaumont, What are the dimensions for the 'Pixie' gang? I think Missus R32 could possibly join! She doesn't use elbows.....she just uses me rolling eyes Laughing Laughing.

Agree with Helen, head to the bar....for a soft drink of course or avoid certain lifts Cool .
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Any q longer than 5 mins and I get irritable, being there to ski and not queue. Try and use singles lines if they are favourable if not just mutter to yourself in German as you push to the front Shocked

Try and avoid the usual suspect spots if poss. Have an early or late lunch not only missing lift queues but restaurant ones also.

If you do encounter people pushing, block them or 'pop' their binding as they go past - great entertainment Very Happy

I just hate the lack of organisation of European lift queues, if they addopted the North American way of handling them the Alps would be so much more appealing.
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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!
R32 wrote:
Helen Beaumont, You....a queue jumper Shocked Shocked Shocked wink . I would stab you with my stick!!! Laughing Laughing Laughing .

Don't worry R32, she won't get very far ahead in the lift line coz when she gets to the front the lifties will stop her until a grown up will ride with her. wink
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Quote:

if they addopted the North American way of handling them the Alps would be so much more appealing.
_________________

Agreed. I've never skied in N America but was impressed with half a day in New Zealand, with singles lines. The way that people faff around because they can't bear to be separated from their companions for a quick ride up a mountain is intensely annoying on a busy day. Especially when you know that, when they reach the top, they will probably huddle round the off-ramp faffing again about where to go and fiddling with their boots. Standing at the back of a big queue watching chairs go up half empty is bad for the blood pressure. My personal solution is to avoid skiing where and when there are likely to be queues.
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Any liftline longer than 5 mins sucks.

A queue is a sign of incompetence. It shows the firm in charge has failed to match supply with demand.

If I see a long line, then I skirt around the outside of the crowd and barge my way through to the front. My skitime is valuable.
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I ski in La Rosiere. Sorry but I don't understand this thread.
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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.
Single lines are great, all lifts should have them. I was amazed when skiing in Val d'Isere last season that the Solaise 6-pack had lifties organisng skiers into groups of six so that every seat was filled.
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rob@rar wrote:
Single lines are great, all lifts should have them.

Gotta agree with that.
OK if you're skiing as a group then you might want to sit together if you can but the sooner you all get to the top then the sooner you can go skiing.
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 brian
brian
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You youngsters, eh ?

I remember the days of 10 deep lift lines on the White Lady t-bar, could be up to an hour ! Scottish queuing was a thing of military beauty, and I can assure you young Mrs Beaumont, your elbows would have met with short shrift !! Evil or Very Mad

So a typical weekend day was hammer up to get on the first lift about 8.45am. Ski like a daftie until 10 when the queues would be building to the max. Grab lunch at about 11 (not difficult when you had your brekkie at 5) so you could catch the lunchtime lull. Things would start to ease around 3 and you'd ski like a daftie again until the last lift.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
...... queuing as an avenue of pleasure has been discontinued ....

Fritchi Freeride Plus skins .... Toofy Grin
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
brian wrote:
You youngsters, eh ?

I remember the days of 10 deep lift lines on the White Lady t-bar, could be up to an hour ! Scottish queuing was a thing of military beauty, and I can assure you young Mrs Beaumont, your elbows would have met with short shrift !! Evil or Very Mad

So a typical weekend day was hammer up to get on the first lift about 8.45am. Ski like a daftie until 10 when the queues would be building to the max. Grab lunch at about 11 (not difficult when you had your brekkie at 5) so you could catch the lunchtime lull. Things would start to ease around 3 and you'd ski like a daftie again until the last lift.

Aaah those were the days eh Laughing

I remember them well and now most days apart from Easter you sometimes feel like you almost have the mountain to yourself, aaah for the good old old days wink

Seriously though Scotland is far politer than France in my experience but I don't see so many people who are on their own shouting "single" when they approach the tow as they used to but that could just me getting hard of hearing with old age wink

France is a bleeding nightmare IMHO and you just have to forget about being British and get in there or you'll be overtaken by all and sundry. My experience of the USA is based on Mammoth where queues are hellish polite and orderly, almost regimented and woe betide anyone who even appears to be edging forward when it's not their turn - I was shouted at by some old bloke for doing just that whilst chatting to a local instructor! Shocked
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

France is a bleeding nightmare IMHO

You go to the wrong place, at the wrong time, roga. It has to be better than waiting for 40 minutes to get on a tow at Cairngorm, with my 9 year old son, only to have him fall off after 30 metres (it was his first time on snow) and start all over again. That was - what - 1983? Then having ALL the lifts shut the next day, in a gale. The fish and chips on the way home on the bus was good, though!
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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?
I've only done a couple of resorts - where I skied in Lenzerheide-Valbella all those years ago I don't recall problems with lift queues, and I've never seen a queue more than 9 or 10 deep at Resort X even during the kids skiing lessons - I can't help thinking/hoping that long queues such as in those photos are the exception rather than the norm aren't they (we need a 'hopeful' smiley). I'm hoping it won't be like that in VT next year snowHead
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Bones,
Quote:

Any q longer than 5 mins and I get irritable, being there to ski and not queue. Try and use singles lines if they are favourable if not just mutter to yourself in German as you push to the front

Try and avoid the usual suspect spots if poss. Have an early or late lunch not only missing lift queues but restaurant ones also.

If you do encounter people pushing, block them or 'pop' their binding as they go past - great entertainment

I just hate the lack of organisation of European lift queues, if they addopted the North American way of handling them the Alps would be so much more appealing.

Yay!! to all of that! Toofy Grin
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I just like the fact that when there's a few of us boarders, everyone gives us a mega-wide berth Toofy Grin Toofy Grin
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I HATE when people stand on your skies, i usually tend to give them three tries before smacking their ski. Aaargh! But besides that, it all depends on the run, is it worth the wait?
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
1) Go to a different resort!

That's why I don't go to Vail much these days, evne when I'm in Colorado. The queues are long, at least by US standards. There're far better places to ski than the lift queue of Vail. Much better snow too. Wink

Smaller resorts are better in general. I'm not much of a high milage cruiser any more, for the very reason resorts with lots of well groomed runs tend to be the same as having hellishly long lift queues. Sometimes, even in resorts of "family" destinations, the lift that access "expert only" tend to have a shorter line. And when all else fails, go play in the park!

2) Don't come down to the base.

The bottom lift are inevitably busier than the upper mountain lifts. Bottleneck effect. So stay up there and don't even think of coming down to the village for lunch!

3) If need be, get up early!

I'm not an early riser by nature. But for skiing (and biking), I will rise bright and early, especially if it means I can avoid an hour long lift queue.

If I have to wait half an hour to get on the mountain in the morning, that's bad enough though I will tolerate it if the rest of the skiing is good. But if I have to do that more than once during the day, I'm going to a different resort and never come back! (So far, there's only one single resort I've had to do that. And I've never been back since)
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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!
This is a queue Very Happy. This is an old photo I saved from RG's great site. For anyone who goes to La Plagne his site is a must. Very Happy

http://www.perso-laplagne.fr/

This is an old photo taken in Plagne Bellecote prior to the new Arpette life being built.

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's funny, the only really serious queuing I've seen in the last few years was exactly there, at Pagne Bellecote in Feb.

Yet, despite the crowds, Gregory and I waited seething in the queue as we saw six seater bubbles departing with 2's and 3's and occassionaly even empty. Muttering at how inconsiderate people were, we arrived at the front of the queue to find a single gate for pass checking, catering for a 6 man lift! Not only that but a gruff female liftie, grabbed Gregory in that 'kids should be tough enough to bounce off the wall' kind of way and started shoving him around trying to get him to trigger the lift gate.
"Dad, if she'd let go of me I could have gone through much quicker because she didn't know which pocket my pass was in and I did"
He and I boarded a 6 man bubble alone.

The obvious solution in the circumstance was to stop checking passes for that lift for half an hour or so to clear the back log.
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admin, The answer is to avoid Bellecote especially in February Toofy Grin
The lift co publish a very neat pamphlet of routes showing how to avoid the presure points in Paradiski Very Happy


Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Tue 11-09-07 8:23; edited 1 time in total
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I believe I have seen that lift queue from La Rosiere Toofy Grin
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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.
Frosty the Snowman wrote:
I believe I have seen that lift queue from La Rosiere Toofy Grin

Plenty of time to look around when you're riding those long drag lifts Wink
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Whitegold wrote:
A queue is a sign of incompetence. It shows the firm in charge has failed to match supply with demand.

It actually shows that the firm is very competently seeking to maximise the return on its investment. Legally companies exist for the benefit of their shareholders, not their customers. The only way to turn the tables is to refuse to deal with that kind of business.

I never queue, not even for 2 minutes. For me, the most important information in Where to Ski and Snowboard is the resort's star rating for queues. I read it and I act on it.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Frosty the Snowman wrote:
I believe I have seen that lift queue from La Rosiere Toofy Grin


Laughing What? Through all the low cloud and high winds from an antique lift Laughing
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
If you end up in Bellecote with mega queues and need to get back to Plagne centre take the drag -takes you round a couple of bends which can be fun-but gets you back much quicker-WELL USUALLY wink
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
redrunmarcus wrote:
If you end up in Bellecote with mega queues and need to get back to Plagne centre take the drag -takes you round a couple of bends which can be fun-but gets you back much quicker-WELL USUALLY wink


There are warning signs about the bends wink but as you say they are fun snowHead
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boredsurfin, Fortunately low cloud only is a problem in low resorts wink

Thankfully all the lifts in Shangri-la face away from the abominations that are the Tarentaise MEGA resorts, so I suspect I spotted it from the Traversette Mountain Restaurant terrace whilst basking in the glorious sun (behind the windbreak)
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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?
Don't ski at peak times of the season.

I usually ski in early/mid January, and very rarely come across more than a 2 minute queue Little Angel
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Whistler during Presidents week - queues so long there was no actual place left to queue Shocked
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:

Don't ski at peak times of the season.

We don't, but the worst queues I have ever experienced were in the Chamonix Valley in mid-week, mid January. Absurd, completely chaotic queues first to buy a day pass, then a second equally stupid queue to get on the lift (can't remember which one, think it may have been Le Tour). We were there against my better judgement because there'd be plenty for my non skiing sister in law to do. I've only skied in Chamonix once since and had no problems with the Brevent lift - though the Brevent/Flegere slopes were much more crowded than I'm used to. I was with a friend who has an apartment in Chamonix and she even found a parking space near the lift. The views were wonderful, and the skiing was good, but the numbers on the slopes did detract from my enjoyment. This was low season (hence the parking space) and I dread to think how crowded it is in high season. I like having great expanses to myself, thanks! Because we don't do queues we leave our French place for the four weeks of the French February/March holidays, and don't go down there till after New Year. We swap the busiest weeks with fellow apartment owners and borrow theirs at quieter times. We rarely queue at all.
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IMV, La Plagne is a very crowded and dangerous place on a bluebird day in high season..at least getting out of the bowl..!!
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Realise I'm relatively new here but god the people banging on about La Rosiere are irritating. I've skiied there quite a bit and yes its fine, I really like the cruisy pistes and its good fun when there's a bit of powder. Frosty the Snowman is right in that queues aren't an issue either.

But its not that good - its small by comparison to local resorts, its a pain to get to up and down the hill if you want to explore the other resorts in the area and it suffers badly from the sun. La Thuile is better IMO but if you don't like drags for any reason you'll hate the connection from La Ros.

I really hope none of the less travelled on here get the impression its a skiing mecca that can't be missed. I do like the St Bernards in the car park though....
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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!
levart, wink
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 brian
brian
Guest
levart, it's an in-joke. rolling eyes For historical illumination: snowHead s has among its distinguished membership, an enthusiastic La Ros chalet owner who has been known to be somewhat evangelical in his promotion of the resort !

There is a serious grown up thread around where the pros and cons of the place are laid bare.

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=17956
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pam w, this year in mid jan mid week it was shocking.. weather was crap first thing so most people piled in at about 10 .. by 11 the Q for the chair up was massive luckily we had a guide so no q for us.. also they where only putting 2 people on each chair instead of 4 making you sit on the outside.. apprently in the rain some grease had dripped onto people ski jackets and they had complained demanded some money .. so if you were stuck in the Q next to someone with a bright shiny new jacket and old strides you knew who to hit..
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