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A Bad Week with Chairlifts and Kids

thetrailboss

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Must be the holidays. By my count, there were at least four incidents of kids falling out of chairs at ski areas in the last week.


Wow. What the f^&*?

One debate that has arisen is the effectiveness (or lack thereof) for safety bars on lifts. One "ski instructor" commented on one of these articles (in the post section) saying that he "never uses the safety bar with kids" because it provides a false sense of protection. Some bars now come with devices to prevent kids from falling out.

As an eastern skier, I almost always lower the bar. But out here the culture is different and I have gotten used to folks not lowering it.

Thoughts?
 
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thebigo

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Since my daughter started skiing with instructors at age four, they always rode up two kids w/ one instructor per chair. Instructor sits in the middle and they put the foot rest between the kids' legs. Obviously only works on a quad with footrests but the method appears damn near fool proof. I personally have adopted it when riding with kids.
 

mtl1076

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always love this debate, at least on a personal basis. Take a 5 year old kid and tell them to sit back in the chair when they ride. Send them up once with the safety bar and watch them move forward and lean on the bar. Next lift ride have them not use the bar and watch what happens. Chances are they slide all the way back and stay that way the length of the ride.

That said professionally its my job to require bar use and thats fine.
 

ss20

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It's my worst nightmare as a ski instructor at a hill that is predominantly teaching children. Personally, I will have my hand somewhere on the child whenever riding up the chairlift. It's instinctual at this point.

What is generally a bigger concern is children being taught to reach up for the bar. By reaching up for the bar they're stretching themselves out straight and getting to the edge of the seat. They don't realize how close they are to the edge of the seat because they're so focused on reaching for the bar. Telling kids to reach off to the side to lower the bar is much safer but can be overlooked by a green instructor.
 

Smellytele

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With my own kids I would actually take my ski pole and place it in front of their chests to the riser pole, It would force them back in their seat.
 

dlague

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Loveland ski area has no safety bars at all.

A Basin Pali lift doe not have safety bars.

We find that people rarely use them here in Colorado.

At Ski Granby one of their worst accidents I happen with the safety bar down.

Safety bars are not effective for older kids and adults but smaller children can easily slide under the bar.

Not against safety bars but......

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deadheadskier

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All lifts should have safety bars and everyone should use them. There is zero argument that a rider is safer without one; no matter their age.

Though I do find it humorous when some folks argue they leave the bar up so they can jump from a chair that's falling. You know, the one in a million chance a chair unropes in your life time and you miraculously summon your inner James Bond to leap from the chair, dodge bullets and ski to safety. File that one with those who argue they are safer skiing without a helmet.

/Thread

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The Sneak

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All lifts should have safety bars and everyone should use them. There is zero argument that a rider is safer without one; no matter their age.

Though I do find it humorous when some folks argue they leave the bar up so they can jump from a chair that's falling. You know, the one in a million chance a chair unropes in your life time and you miraculously summon your inner James Bond to leap from the chair, dodge bullets and ski to safety. File that one with those who argue they are safer skiing without a helmet.

/Thread

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Ha! I had a friend of a friend who thought like that. He would get really upset if you lowered the bar.
 

Not Sure

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In my early teens I was on a rollback ...100' or so . I used the bar all the time except for this time with a friend who protested when I went to lower it (somehow it wasn't macho?) . We were at a really high spot when the lift stopped and rolled back ,It suddenly stopped and the momentum swung the chair back to about an 45 degree angle and forward ..not as much . ...Scared the living shit out of me .

I had my 4 yr old son with me on maybe his second time out . He decided to throw a fit and I grabbed him by both forearms he squirmed and almost slipped out of his jacket and under the bar . I stopped his momentum with my right leg. That was my last time with him till he was older.

I was at Blue 2yrs ago and ready to load the six pack when an instructor came up with 10 kids . They were maybe 8yrs old . She said can you take 5?!! . Gulp "I guess?" Kids load fine but I was on pins and needles given my earlier life experiences . Kids were chatting and knew each other pretty well and I couldn't stop watching for any quick movements. They unloaded like pros ,as they skied off they obviously had skills.

I can see not having bars on double lifts as each person has a vertical post to grab but a six with the bar up is insane!. There's a ton of seat real estate there. Add some fresh snow and a slick set of ski pants .....Your only chance for a grip is to grab for the back of the seat .
 
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thetrailboss

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I think all of the new lifts I have seen installed out here have not just safety bars, but with new bars that have "fingers" that stick down to prevent a kid from sliding out. In my 29 years of skiing, there have been many more times that I was glad to have a safety bar as opposed to wishing I did not have one.
 

BenedictGomez

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I do find it humorous when some folks argue they leave the bar up so they can jump from a chair that's falling. You know, the one in a million chance a chair unropes in your life time and you miraculously summon your inner James Bond to leap from the chair, dodge bullets and ski to safety.

I've never heard someone say that, that's pretty funny! I also cant recall hearing a ski chair spontaneously come off the wire with people on it, though I guess it's happened.
 

crazy

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Though I do find it humorous when some folks argue they leave the bar up so they can jump from a chair that's falling. You know, the one in a million chance a chair unropes in your life time and you miraculously summon your inner James Bond to leap from the chair, dodge bullets and ski to safety. File that one with those who argue they are safer skiing without a helmet.

/Thread

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That argument for leaving the bar up is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard in my life. Wow.
 

jmgard

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I was on Spillway longside when it fell... you don't even have time to think about jumping off
 

ironhippy

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I was on Spillway longside when it fell... you don't even have time to think about jumping off

And even if you did "jump off" the chair as it's falling, you are still falling the height of the chair. You might be able to have less injuries because you are away from the chair hardware, but jumping off the chair isn't going to help much if you still have 50 feet down to fall.
 

KevinF

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I routinely ski solo and periodically I get asked to help a kid's ski school class onto the lift (i.e., ride up with one to manage the bar, etc.)

I've never said "no", but sitting beside them as they're perched at the edge of the chair gives me the heebie-jeebies to this day. I keep my eyes on them for any sign of "slippage".

I've seen lifties at Stowe put the safety bar down for a chair full of kids so they aren't trying to reach for it.
 

ghughes20

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And even if you did "jump off" the chair as it's falling, you are still falling the height of the chair. You might be able to have less injuries because you are away from the chair hardware, but jumping off the chair isn't going to help much if you still have 50 feet down to fall.

Reminds me of some guys years ago who said he'd never wear a seat belt in a car because if he gets in a car accident, and the car catches fire, he wants to get out quickly. He never thought he has to survive the accident first.

Back to safety bars, when the best argument against use is that they provide a false sense of security, or they're not completely effective for small children you've won the argument without saying a word.

Future Darwin Award Contestants.
 

So Inclined

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I routinely ski solo and periodically I get asked to help a kid's ski school class onto the lift (i.e., ride up with one to manage the bar, etc.)

I've never said "no", but sitting beside them as they're perched at the edge of the chair gives me the heebie-jeebies to this day. I keep my eyes on them for any sign of "slippage".

You know how they used to say every cigarette you smoke takes like, 15 minutes off your life? Pretty much every lift ride I have to take up with 4-6 year old guests nibbles at least 1-5 minutes off mine. Some, a bit more than that.
 
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