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Chair Lift Help!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
My major issue with chairlifts is (still) heights. Particularly when I'm not restrained by a nice bar to cling on to. It took me 2 ski holidays to be willing to ride one alone (as in without someone I know) and I'd still rather not be next to the small child and have to look after them.

Megamum's suggestions make a lot of sense, but I'd be tempted to see if the OH can do without poles, or you look after them and ski without - then 2 free hands is good.

Wearing a helmet is good - hurts less when you misjudge how far the lift is coming.

Avoid the old fashioned ones, make sure you pick a "Detachable" lift, as they are much easier to get on/off. Even better might be one of the ones that allows pedestrians/downloading as those tend to be friendlier. The old fashioned ones seem to try and remove your legs at the calf on arrival, and then slow down in a sulk that they haven't for the journey.

Avoid "up and over" type chairlifts, to start with at least - downhill is definitely scarier. With that in mind, make sure your selected lift goes somewhere with suitable runs down, rather than reds/blacks only.

Avoid boarders - probably my scariest chairlift related moment was when 2 boarders didn't do the shuffle to the red line thing, got on early and lay across the entire chair between the 2 of them. Me and a small child got rugby tackled to the floor by the lifty and had to get the next lift (alone, so lift was horribly unbalanced and I had to deal with the scary bar thing.

Possibly worth trying to time things in the early stages so you don't get busy chair lifts - then you can have a 4 man to yourselves so the bar doesn't get brought up too soon, and there's less risk of collision on exit.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I shall say this again, because it is worth repeating - get the man a lesson and specify to the instructor that he needs to learn how to use a chair lift safely! As instructors are trained in how to teach someone to get off the lift it is well worth it - plus the instructor might well be able to ensure that they get a chair to themselves, and can get the lift slowed down for both loading and unloading. Very Happy
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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?
skinanny, seconded. How is anyone is supposed to "pick the right chair lift" and when they do go through an 11 point checklist - awfully limiting.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
ffs, let's not over-complicate this. The ability/competence of getting off a chair lift is in direct proportion to the general skiing ability/competence. As he gets better at skiing so he will get better at getting off a lift. He'll fall over a few times while learning both, but so did everyone else on earth who's ever learned to ski so don't worry about it.
(I'm deliberately excluding getting on a lift because that's a simple matter of, er, sitting down. This shouldn't be beyond the ability of anyone, to be honest).
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Yoda wrote:
A few tips from personal experience:-

1) Make sure that you stand next to your mate whilst waiting for the chair to arrive; he will surreptitiously remove his rucksack and place it on the seat next to him - i.e. the place where you are about to sit down. As the chair moves off above your body thrashing about on the ground the onlookers are highly amused.

2) On a chair with slatted seats, remove your rucksack and hold it on your lap, making sure that at least one of the buckles gets caught in between the slats. This makes getting off at the top quite interesting (not me this time, a guide I was with managed this wink )

3) Covering your face with white factor 50 is so effective that the french teenager who has sat down next to you will throw herself off the lift when she turns round and sees the ghostly apparition beside her.

4) The old guide's trick of standing a couple of inches forward of everyone else (so that their calves take the whack and you can just sit down wthout pain) works well unless all of the passengers know it - then everyone keeps shuffling forward until you all fall off the front of the loading area.

5) Always wear a helmet.


Laughing Laughing Laughing

I should ski with you just for the comedy value.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
I'd like to add my name to the list of posters who should grown up/have demonstrated their stupidity etc.

Are you fuxxing serious? I doubt he'll go on the trip anyway it'll probably clash with his crochet evening and Ethel will have baked some biscuits and he'll be feeling a slight chill on his tummy anyway.




Yoda wrote:
4) The old guide's trick of standing a couple of inches forward of everyone else (so that their calves take the whack and you can just sit down wthout pain) works well unless all of the passengers know it - then everyone keeps shuffling forward until you all fall off the front of the loading area.


I'm looking at you kristof. Due to this very real worry I've developed a new shuffling method of course it owuld be stupid to share it with the world so NehNeh
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
skinanny wrote:
I shall say this again, because it is worth repeating - get the man a lesson and lend him a blouse. Very Happy
Has he seen this forum?
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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!
My post above was (partly) intended to show that Aim's boyfriend's fears are not irrational - even UIAGM guides sometimes have "encounters" with chair lifts Laughing

But almost everything in life involves taking some sort of risk - crossing the road, chatting up a girl (was the outcome of that one worth it Aims. Did he have to summon up a lot of courage ? Often the things with the best outcome involve taking the biggest risk.

Yuman Beans are driven to seek out risky situations, well those that actually enjoy skiing are, I reckon. Why else do we continually push the boundaries other than for the rush and the satisfaction of achievement? If you don't enjoy skiing enough to defeat the chair lift dragon then maybe it's not for you?
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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.
This is definitely my favourite current thread.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Randomsabreur, I knew I'd forgotten something wink - yes, a helmet is a good idea - the hardest ever belt I've had was from a chair lift bar cracking the back of my head when I didn't get it right - luckily I was wearing one or I think I would have been knocked out.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
adie wrote:
do you live near the Isle of Wight as there is a chair lift down to alum bay, now I know you can't use skis, but if its the getting on and off thats the problem, then maybe this could help.


We got seriously wrist-slapped at Alum Bay - we lifted the bar ourselves Shocked Shocked how ridiculously reckless can you be?? There. you're supposed to wait for them to get the chair virtually stationary, lift the bar for you and help you off rolling eyes Their comment was to the effect of "suppose you're skiers are you - they always think they can lift the bar themselves"
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