 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| andyrew wrote: |
| ..and the device aluded to by Alastair Pink above on either Combe or Plan de l'homme in meribel or mottaret (can't remember which one) which we discovered much to our terror a couple of weeks ago which we referred to as the "nut cracker" |
Good name! 
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| I've seen several people fall of chairlifts, but not come to any harm. |
When mounting/dismounting or falling off half way through the trip up the mountain?
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Mrs A fell off a chair in Val d'Isere a good many years ago. It was at the end of the day and it was snowing. It wasn't busy and the liftie was in his hut. As the chair came round she brushed the snow off the seat then turned to sit down. What she didn't realise was that there was also ice there and she carried on turning. We managed a short distance before she simply slipped off the seat. Fortunately, the fall was far enough for the seat to miss her head but she landed with her knees apart and tore her ACL.
In the Maurienne last week, I noticed that the lifties were very hot on telling people to remove their rucksacks - now I know why. This wasn't a problem until I managed to get a buckle wedged between two seats so that I ended up being pushed sideways into the stop rope. Why don't they just make chairs like benches with a solid seat and back and no holes to get stuff caught in?
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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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| philwig wrote: |
| In Canada I've often been asked by ski school people to look after kids on the chair lift. Specifically they will hand you a kid, and you (as a tourist snowboarder) have to make sure they get off at the top and meet again with the instructor. When it first happened I couldn't understand how come they didn't want my CRB check, but on reflection it's a country without the Daily Mail. I don't know kids ages, but these have been from tiny things who I'd guess may be 5 up to borderline "yoofs" who I suppose are 12 or so. |
I've never been asked specifically to "mind" the little one they put next to me! 
In some cases, they asked if I "mind" sharing a chair with the little one, which I don't. And in all those cases, the kid were the ones asked me to kindly lower the safety bar. By now, I've realized that's my duty, and my ONLY duty!
Yesterday, I did have an instructor specifically ask me to kindly man the bar when he put 2 of his students in my "care".
No one ever asked me to take care of the children beyond raising and lowering the safety bar. On the other hand, I've only skied in Canada no more than 10 times...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ramzee,
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If you've ever seen a chair do a full e-stop and the chairs swing up, nearly hit the rope, then come back just as hard (thankfully the chair was under maintenance at the time, but I've seen what could happen!).... you'll put the bar down!!!
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You would swing with the chair and stay on. The chair swinging upwards shows a safe design, if it stayed horizontal when the lift stopped then you would be likely to slip off. For chairs rides of less than five minutes I won't pull the bar down but it is unusual in Europe for someone else not to pull it down before you've barely sat down.
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altis, the gap at the bottom of the chair is normally to do with having the seat hinged so that it doesn't collect snowfall when not in use
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rambotion, From what I witnessed you would be launched some way into the distance...... What about a de-rope and sudden drop down/bounce? (assuming chair stays connected).
I agree that the bar doesnt really stop kids from sliding out or idiots from being idiots.... There are other reasons for the bar though....
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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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rambotion,
No.
Very far wrong. At least in case of fast detachables.
Had the quite terrifying experience last year of a full on emergency stop. Could see the tension wave approaching. Force dropped 5-10 metres then flung 2x whatever drop was into the air, dropped similar distance the began to attenuate.
Without bar would have been a significant throw and a 40m drop from chair anyway.
Bruises on thighs from chair bar to prove it.
Small children would have died.
Took me whole season to be happy on lifts again. And I have ridden lifts a lot for 40 years with nary a whimper.
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Chairs are safe enough. There are very few accidents. Skiing is risky and this is one of the risks for the minority.
Parents / ski school have a duty to teach small children how to ride chairs safely.
How old was the girl that came off and died the other week? I though she was 14 or similar? That is almost certainly tall enough to be physically safe so I would hazard a guess she wasn't sitting still or back against the chair.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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AndrewBailey,
You're probably right about that. I'm sure we've taken the kids up the same lifts in the summer.
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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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pam w, while reassuring that the chair would have been OK we were all thrown upwards and only held near the chair by the bar, which rose up as we did keeping us more or less in the same region of space.
If we'd been travelling without the bar, I would not be typing this.
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You know it makes sense.
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under a new name, yes, I'd never travel without the bar, though it does irritate me when people grab it down when you've barely sat down.
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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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pam w, Being tall I have many scratches on my helmet from exactly this! Mind you I never had this problem before helmets....... 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Chattonmill, you probably did, but you can't remember thanks to repeated blows to the head. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w, quite agree - and the really bad lift companions are those that pull it down quickly but also very fiercely, no need for that at all - being quite, well very, short I sometimes struggle to even get hold of the bar but always succeed. My OH now grabs hold of it and holds on until he looks along and says 'OK?' or words to that effect to everyone on the chair.
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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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Rumour has it that at one of the Snowheads Bashes when a group of SHs boarded a chairlift and one of them called out "bar!", indicating that they desired the safety bar to be lowered, a certain female snowhead called out "where?" - thinking that the location of a place offering alcoholic refreshment was being pointed out....
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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LOL! That's one very good "chair lift story"! 
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maggi!!
We also discovered, on a chairlift at the eosb, that 3 pixies and I do NOT equal a Frosty the Snowman the pic is out there somewhere!
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FAQ
) gentleman's arrangements! 
