Blue Mountain Death

[Keelhauled]

Pali at A-basin doesn't have bars, but I think the rest of their lifts do.

 

[Piste_inyoFace]

Do you realize that you DO have the ability to hold the bar up from someone "crushing" your leg, and also the ability to hold it down when you are uncomfortable?

Oh I know. I usually get caught off guard when someone tries to throw it down to too early and as I said they TRY to put the bar up when we 100 ft in the air. Not that I allow it to happen

 

[MommaBear]

Do you realize that you DO have the ability to hold the bar up from someone "crushing" your leg, and also the ability to hold it down when you are uncomfortable?

Works both ways. I reached up to pull a bar down on a lift at Winter Park. Woman on the lift put her arm up to stop it. I explained I was from the East Coast and would feel safer with the bar down, would you mind? She said, yes, I would mind. And wouldn't let me pull it down. She basically told me to suck it up and deal with it. Most nerve wracking ride on a lift I've had the pleasure of.

 

[Piste_inyoFace]

Works both ways. I reached up to pull a bar down on a lift at Winter Park. Woman on the lift put her arm up to stop it. I explained I was from the East Coast and would feel safer with the bar down, would you mind? She said, yes, I would mind. And wouldn't let me pull it down. She basically told me to suck it up and deal with it. Most nerve wracking ride on a lift I've had the pleasure of.

Oh hell no. I woulda put that thing down n told her to go kick rocks. It’s there for a reason

 

[Edd]

Works both ways. I reached up to pull a bar down on a lift at Winter Park. Woman on the lift put her arm up to stop it. I explained I was from the East Coast and would feel safer with the bar down, would you mind? She said, yes, I would mind. And wouldn't let me pull it down. She basically told me to suck it up and deal with it. Most nerve wracking ride on a lift I've had the pleasure of.

Unacceptable but it’s definitely awkward to get into an argument with a stranger on a lift. She sucks for sure.

 

[Killingtime]

That must be another one I'm thinking of then, given I've skied both Loveland & Alta, but I feel like there's another 1 or 2 out west I'm forgetting (my memory is terrible). In any event, as eastern skiers, it's surprising to see lifts without bars.

There was one at Park City when I was there a few years back. Jupiter Lift? It was a rickety old double chair. Anyway I’m sure Vail has replaced it by now

 

[So Inclined]

That must be another one I'm thinking of then, given I've skied both Loveland & Alta, but I feel like there's another 1 or 2 out west I'm forgetting (my memory is terrible).

A couple at Taos - Lift 7(?), which goes over the terrain park, and 7a(?), a short center-pole double come to mind. Pretty sure the older one up the front that they replaced this past summer was bar-less too.
I'm an East Coast skier and a little skittish around heights. So it was deep, calm breaths and a hand curled round the backrest, when possible, for me there.

 

[kbroderick]

Lighten up Francis....Pa. did away with Motorcycle Helmet laws a few years ago, so they respond to some lobbies. I think it would be more an Insurance carrier thing anyway? How they don't have bars out west is curious.

The insurance companies have to have statistics to indicate what the expected risk differential between bars without required usage (e.g. Maine), bars with usage required (e.g. Vermont) and bars not present (certain lifts in various other places, including Alta, Red Lodge Mountain, where I just moved back from), and others. I'd expect that the cost per incident would be relatively high and that rates would reflect that, if there were any statistically significant safety benefit from bars.

Given that insurance carriers don't charge enough to require bars on all lifts (aside from the old single-pole doubles, I believe most of the lifts that don't have them could be retrofitted), the only logical conclusion is that there is no significant safety benefit (in general) to having safety bars, nor to using them.

If anyone can share actual data (even via PM), I'd be very curious to know if there is a difference in insurance cost with or without safety bars, but I'm assuming the insurance carriers keep their data close to the chest.

On a personal note, I grew up skiing in Maine (where bar use is optional but prevalent), spent about 15 years in Vermont (where it's required) and just got back from four years at Red Lodge, where only one of the lifts has a bar. Yes, there is a psychological adjustment, but not falling out of the chair isn't really any harder than not falling off the couch in the living room (easier, actually, given that chairlifts are generally tilted to retain occupants). Putting the bar down may make some things—like digging around in a backpack—easier, but it also makes other tasks—like carrying gates or skis—substantially harder, so there's a benefit to realizing that putting the bar down isn't in any way necessary.

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

Be riding a lift during an "incident"... you may change your mind.

 

[rebel1916]

Thread title would be a pretty sweet band name.

That is a pretty miserable comment on a thread about the death of a little girl.

 

[raisingarizona]

That is a pretty miserable comment on a thread about the death of a little girl.

I didn’t read any of it and I was a bit drunk. You will be ok.

 

[rebel1916]

I didn’t read any of it and I was a bit drunk. You will be ok.

I'll be better than the kind of "man" who makes snotty comments about the death of a kid, that's for sure

 

[sull1102]

I'll be better than the kind of "man" who makes snotty comments about the death of a kid, that's for sure

Could be a kid it a woman just saying lol

Sent from my Pixel using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[raisingarizona]

I'll be better than the kind of "man" who makes snotty comments about the death of a kid, that's for sure

Or maybe you’re just a douche on the internet that likes to act morally superior?

I didn’t say a single thing about the incident. Now go pound sand beater.

 

[antman12]

I was on this lift again last night with a hard stop at the EXACT location this is rumored to have happened. It was very eerie to be honest. That said, I can totally see how somebody could fall if not paying attention and no bar down.

 

[BenedictGomez]

That is a pretty miserable comment on a thread about the death of a little girl.

Or maybe you’re just a douche on the internet that likes to act morally superior?

You're both correct.

It was a dumb thing to say, and he's probably a douche on the internet that likes to act morally superior.

<------- Happy to help with e-arbitration.

 

[2Planker]

"I don't want those damn libtards telling me what to do."-Republicans everytime the government want to tell people what to do.

NH baby ! Seatbelts are still optional...

State Slogan - "Live Free Or Die"

 

[Not Sure]

NH baby ! Seatbelts are still optional...

State Slogan - "Live Free Or Die"

Yeah but unless your driving a classic car you've got airbags .

Years ago I watched 2 people in a compact car put their heads through the windshield in front of me one night . Head on car accident , the snow melted and ran across a sloped road . The dumb ass coming the opposite direction panicked and slammed on the brakes on black ice.
Totally unavoidable accident had they any knowledge about winter driving. These days there injuries wouldn't have happened with all the safety stuff but seat belts do help.

My neighbors kid got killed in a convertible rollover , didn't wear his seat belt and flipped the car on a foggy night . He was trapped under the driver side door upside down . Sad was only 17

 

[asnowmobiler]

Looks like they just had another one.

 

[BenedictGomez]

A "ski jump on a beginner trail"?