Freaking Back Pack!!

[koreshot]

On a trip out to Jackson Hole this winter, I had probably the most embarassing moment on the hill in years.

My wife was taking a beginner class in snowboarding so I decided to join her at the end of my ski day to keep her company on her last run down the bunny slope. The class consisted of about 15 adults all new to winter sports - first day on snow type of stuff. The students and instructor went ahead of me and I was the last one to get on the lift by myself and ride up. As I reached the top i lift the bar and prepare to get off the chair as the entire class is looking over waiting for me (it turns out my wife had talked me up telling everyone how I had spent the day hiking up the headwall and this and that). As i reach the top i push off the chair, but nothing happens. I try again, nothing. Now i am starting to get worried cause i have a second or two before i am past the point of no return. Try again, nothing. At this point the chair accelerates as it goes around and starts to head back down. I got myself partially loose and now im halfway hanging off the chair, legs and butt hanging in the air, my body being held to the chair by the backpack - like a torso wedgie. I now realize that I had forgotten to tuck one of the ski loops back into the bag after my last hike up the headwall and it is somehow caught on the chair. Finally after going 20 or so feet DOWNHILL while dangling off the chair suspended on a single ski strap, the stoner liftie woke up and stopped the lift. He walked over and helped me pull back up on the chair and unhook. At least there was powder underneath so i didn't have to take my skis off to get off the chair. Needless to say, there were about 15 people laughing their butts off the entire time. My wife was laughing the hardest. Bastards....

Has anyone else managed to get themselves tangled on a chair? Or am I the only idiot here?

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Now who would have thought hiking up the headwall would actually turn out to be your less adventurous part of the day.

 

[maplevalleymaster]

When I was really little I fell off a lift from 8 feet. I rode a lift that was too tall and it just didn't work...

 

[lloyd braun]

that is exactly what you get for wearing a backpack on the lift.

If you have to have a backpack at all, you should always load a lift with it in your lap and off of your back.

you kinda deserve the embarrasment!

glad you didn't get hurt.

PS> why did your skis hit the stop gate at the top of the lift's bullwheel?

 

[koreshot]

that is exactly what you get for wearing a backpack on the lift.

If you have to have a backpack at all, you should always load a lift with it in your lap and off of your back.

you kinda deserve the embarrasment!

glad you didn't get hurt.

PS> why did your skis hit the stop gate at the top of the lift's bullwheel?

OK Dad. You are right. If I finish my homework can I play on the play station before bed?

Jeez... some people have a way with words.

 

[lloyd braun]

OK Dad. You are right. If I finish my homework can I play on the play station before bed?

Jeez... some people have a way with words.

whooooooo, didn't you expect a response like this?

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Great story. I like a person who can laugh at himself.

When I was a kid my cousin and I where riding a chair in front of 2 kids we didn’t like. We where making fun of each other as kids will do. I was rocking my skis (moving tips up, tails back motion). As we where getting close to the top I wasn’t paying attention. Tips went down, caught in snow, I went out face first, very embarrassing to say the least.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Caught!

I was riding up a lift at Vail many years ago when I decided to get off at a mid-station. I had a nice light windbreaker that had a variety of drawstrings with the little "tension balls" at the ends of the various strings. Unknown to me, the one on the hood, which I wasn't wearing, had caught on the back of the lift chair. As I tried to get off, by butt came off, but the hood pulled me back. The "stoner" attendent must have been asleep. I was hanging suspended by the armpits in the windbreaker. I must have gone 50' forward and about 10' up in the air, when the strap tore out of the hood and dropped me. The A-hole attendent never noticed. I wasn't hurt, but I was pissed. I don't wear stuff with those kinds of straps anymore.

 

[koreshot]

whooooooo, didn't you expect a response like this?

No, I was kind of hoping you would go with:

"Sucker! You deserved that you decroded piece of crap for making such a grave mistake! I mean, who doesn't religiously take their completely empty backpack off their back every time they load a lift? I wish the lift had kept going longer so more people could laugh at you dangling off the lift. And then when you got almost to the bottom with thoughsands of people watching, I wish you slipped farther down, but the backpack slipped around your neck and slowly choked you. And as you drew your terminal breath, you crapped your pants for everyone to see. You would deserve that for not taking your back pack off!"

 

[koreshot]

Great story. I like a person who can laugh at himself.

When I was a kid my cousin and I where riding a chair in front of 2 kids we didn’t like. We where making fun of each other as kids will do. I was rocking my skis (moving tips up, tails back motion). As we where getting close to the top I wasn’t paying attention. Tips went down, caught in snow, I went out face first, very embarrassing to say the least.

Thats funny, a friend of mine did the same exact thing at the bottom quad by the snowshed bunny slope. Except he was 20 years old and he was hitting on a chick that was sitting next to him at the time. When his tips caught he grabbed on to her and almost took her with him. What a gentleman.

 

[bvibert]

Great story. I like a person who can laugh at himself.

When I was a kid my cousin and I where riding a chair in front of 2 kids we didn’t like. We where making fun of each other as kids will do. I was rocking my skis (moving tips up, tails back motion). As we where getting close to the top I wasn’t paying attention. Tips went down, caught in snow, I went out face first, very embarrassing to say the least.

I've seen my fair share of this working the lift on the bunny slope. Usually I see it happening in slow motion, so it's even funnier.

 

[lloyd braun]

No, I was kind of hoping you would go with:

"Sucker! You deserved that you decroded piece of crap for making such a grave mistake! I mean, who doesn't religiously take their completely empty backpack off their back every time they load a lift? I wish the lift had kept going longer so more people could laugh at you dangling off the lift. And then when you got almost to the bottom with thoughsands of people watching, I wish you slipped farther down, but the backpack slipped around your neck and slowly choked you. And as you drew your terminal breath, you crapped your pants for everyone to see. You would deserve that for not taking your back pack off!"

now that is funny! I wish I had written that, but I'd hope you will be removing your backpack everytime this year.

PS what do you need a back pack for anyway? are you a gaper? J/K but really what do you need one for. I ski a lot and never wear one on the slopes. Backcountry yes, slopes NO!

 

[koreshot]

PS what do you need a back pack for anyway? are you a gaper? J/K but really what do you need one for. I ski a lot and never wear one on the slopes. Backcountry yes, slopes NO!

Back packs are very important. I always ski with one on my back, even on the east coast. I keep food, hydration, extra layers, compass, ski tuning gear, radio and sun block there. I wear a beacon and avalung at all times and I keep my shovel and probe in the back pack in case of an unexpected slide. I ski alone a lot so its important that I am ready for anything. I was thinking about getting a harness at some point in the future too...



Ok seriously now. I don't normally wear a backpack unless I am doing some hiking. Im cool throwing the skis on my shoulder for quick hikes but I am in crap shape so for anything longer than 10 minutes I like to have the backpack. The day this happened to me, I had done a few laps on the headwall in JH, which is a mild 15-20 minute hike for someone coming in from sea level - it was nice to have the backpack.

 

[Marc]

Back packs are very important. I always ski with one on my back, even on the east coast. I keep food, hydration, extra layers, compass, ski tuning gear, radio and sun block there. I wear a beacon and avalung at all times and I keep my shovel and probe in the back pack in case of an unexpected slide. I ski alone a lot so its important that I am ready for anything. I was thinking about getting a harness at some point in the future too...



Ok seriously now. I don't normally wear a backpack unless I am doing some hiking. Im cool throwing the skis on my shoulder for quick hikes but I am in crap shape so for anything longer than 10 minutes I like to have the backpack. The day this happened to me, I had done a few laps on the headwall in JH, which is a mild 15-20 minute hike for someone coming in from sea level - it was nice to have the backpack.

If all you need is a way to carry your skis and otherwise wouldn't need a backpack, just get a 6' piece of webbing (or 12' water knotted into a loop, a bit bulkier to carry but easier to use) and a biner and make a sling. It's a lot more convenient than carrying around a whole backpack, plus you can carry it with you all the time for any unexpected side country hikes.

 

[Marc]

By the way, your story made me laugh, however, I have got the plastic tightening piece on the waist elastic of my coat caught in the lift chair before but fortunately noticed it in time. I was sitting in a very odd position, normally that wouldn't happen.

 

[Lostone]

When his tips caught he grabbed on to her and almost took her with him.

Uh... Did he get any? :lol:

At Smuggs, they won't let you on the lift with a backpack on. They insist you carry it... yep... Every single time.

 

[koreshot]

Uh... Did he get any? :lol:

At Smuggs, they won't let you on the lift with a backpack on. They insist you carry it... yep... Every single time.

Yet another good reason to not ski at Smuggs... their concern for your well-being.

Or is it business motivated? Did they figure that with the 5 billion skiers being served by 4 lifts if someone gets stuck on the chair like I did, it will cause lift delays so long it will take the entire season to recover and get back to the norm of 1 hour lift lines. :flame:

And yeah, he did get some the next day... women really do go for a$$holes.

 

[SkiDork]

I wear a bright yellow backpack. Mostly for identification - everyone knows to look for a tall dorky looking dude with a yellow backpack.

I carry some BS in there - sometimes food for the kids, depending on what lodge we're at we acn just eat it - but not all the time. It prolly isn't totally necessary...

But gues what - I've been wearing it for so many years that if I ski without it I feel naked - like something is missing. Strange stuff.

I've never gotten stuck on a lift or anything. Maybe because I know there are no loose straps flying around, or maybe it's just luck - who the f knows.

Dork out

 

[riverc0il]

At Smuggs, they won't let you on the lift with a backpack on. They insist you carry it... yep... Every single time.

i think jay has a sign on the freezer suggesting you remove back packs before boarding. this only makes sense to me, with all the crap hanging off my pack, i wouldn't want it clipped onto my back going up a lift.

 

[awf170]

i think jay has a sign on the freezer suggesting you remove back packs before boarding. this only makes sense to me, with all the crap hanging off my pack, i wouldn't want it clipped onto my back going up a lift.

Yeah they do. But from what I've seen they don't care. I like taking it off anyway though. When I have a backpack on I feel like I'm one inch away from falling off the chair it all times. I tried skiing with a backpack many times but I just hate it so much. I will wear it if I plan on hiking at all, skis hurt my muscleless shoulders. Digs right into the bone.