Embarrassing liftline/loading/unloading stories...

[Marc]

So most of us are fairly experienced skiers/riders here. But that also means we've all been in the sport long enough to have some blunders in the liftline or getting on/off the lift.

Or maybe something you saw someone else do... share, for some entertainment.



Embarrassing experience #1: Last year at Killington, I was fooling around with my skis and boots before we left. Not sure why, but I had turned the DIN down to 2 on one of my skis... I was experimenting with the DIN and the boot I guess.

So we're standing in line at the lift. It's our turn to load. I push off like I normally do (with one ski, like at the start of a race) with my right ski.

Glide with my left ski, aaaaaaand..........



my right ski is gone.

Yup, stepped right out of it. They have to stop the lift, which is the absolute worst. I have to make my way backwards with one ski on about 8 feet and step back in to my right ski which took much longer than it shoud have because the lift line surface was just icy ruts.

Oh it was a proud, proud moment. Got some claps for that one.

 

[ctenidae]

Everyone's done this one, I think, but it's still embarrasing and funny when it happens:

I was standing in line, leaning on my poles, just waiting for the line to move up another .04 inches, and just fell over. No good reason for it, just lost it. Pretty much everyone I've ever skied with has done that. Maybe I'm the cause...

My wife and I and a couple of friends were loading on a quad one time, half way screwing around, and one of my wife's poles got stuck under someone's ski (never figured out how). When the chair got us and moved us forward, her pole stayed stuck in the ground. She's got these wacky carbon fiber/graphite poles that flex really nicely, so when she finally realized the pole wasn't coming with her and let go, it slapped the ground so hard it sounded like a pistol shot. Fortunately someone in the chair behind grabbed it and brought it up, so they didn't have to stop the lift, but we laughed about it all the way up. Later that day the same thing happened to one of my poles, which were cheap Ski Market-branded aluminum things. Bent right in half. Upside was, I got new poles.

 

[dmc]

Fell off the poma in Crested Butte... Took a TON of abuse from the people in line...
You only get 2 trys on the poma there - then you have to go to the back of the line..

 

[smootharc]

About 15 feet into a chair ride at our local hill...

...growing up my big sister pushed me off into a large pile of snow...probably dropped 8 or 10 feet. Total yard sale in front of one of those classic 70's liftlines with about 400 people....

Still don't talk to her.... :angry:

 

[kickstand]

a couple of winter's ago at Shawnee Peak, my wife just decided not to get off the lift at the summit. Her skis never hit the trip bar and the liftie was half asleep. By the time he stopped the lift, she was too high up to jump. He started it back up and sent her back down, and I don't think he told the liftie at the bottom. The look on his face down there was priceless.

I had the White Cap quad at Sunday River whip around and catch me on the hip. It spun me around and I fell smack on my tailbone. Imagine getting ready to off-load and seeing me on my back with my legs in the air, skis still attached. I know there's a joke in there somewhere. Anyway, that hurt for weeks, but it only popped up in sharp pain at very random times. Very odd.

my all-time favorite, although rather generic, is watching a group of 5 trying to load onto a quad. It's even better when a ski patrol member is one of the 5.

 

[DEVO]

Last season my wife let her tips droop as the chair came to the unloading ramp. Well they caught, pulled her off the chair, the tail of her left ski goes up behind the chair and gets caught between the seat back boards, the chair the drags her a few feet before she finally gets loose. The liftie couldn't see what was going because of the slope of the ramp. All this with our daughter sitting next to her, and me and our son in the chair right behind them. I can't believe she wasn't hurt. She did very minor edge/top damage to her left ski way back at the tail which I just epoxied.

 

[Greg]

Please don't take this the wrong way everybody, but nothing grinds my gears more than folks that don't pay attention in the lift line and screw up loading the lift. Worse is those kids (or worse yet, adults) that fool around while in line; shoving, swinging poles, kicking up snow, yelling as loud as possible to their friend at the back of the line (like they're going to (1) hear you (2) see you...:roll, etc. Granted, accidents do happen, but it's usually obvious when someone screws up loading because they're a newb versus those that simply aren't paying attention. Enough for the rant.

A buddy of mine back in college when we were learning to ski got two far forward while loading the triple at the North Face at Mount Snow. That chair swings around fast and it basically knocked a 220 lb guy off the ramp as it swung around right into him.

 

[kickstand]

Please don't take this the wrong way everybody, but nothing grinds my gears more than folks that don't pay attention in the lift line and screw up loading the lift.

ha, that reminds me....

at Vail this past winter, I was flying solo at the time. The wife was skiing some beginner runs and the rest of the group was off in BSB. I was at the Mountaintop Express Lift taking in the scenery. Unfortunately, I was doing this as I was next in line with this British couple. They were puzzled as to why I wasn't moving so they stayed there, too. After a chair went by, the liftie said "what the hell are you doing?" I took some semi-good-natured shots from the liftie and others in line.

hey, it's very easy to get caught up in the scenery out there....

 

[blacknblue]

Fell off the poma in Crested Butte... Took a TON of abuse from the people in line...
You only get 2 trys on the poma there - then you have to go to the back of the line..

:lol: I did the same thing! My gloves were covered in snow and when the thing jerked forward, couldn't grip it tightly enough; it just slipped right out of my hands. It was the first time I'd ever done something like that and couldn't bear to look at everyone else in line (all ready to ski the double-blacks and looking at me like I'm an idiot, which I was ). I just skied away and came back 30 minutes later!

 

[bvibert]

Last season my wife let her tips droop as the chair came to the unloading ramp. Well they caught, pulled her off the chair, the tail of her left ski goes up behind the chair and gets caught between the seat back boards, the chair the drags her a few feet before she finally gets loose. The liftie couldn't see what was going because of the slope of the ramp. All this with our daughter sitting next to her, and me and our son in the chair right behind them. I can't believe she wasn't hurt. She did very minor edge/top damage to her left ski way back at the tail which I just epoxied.

I had that happen a few times last year at the top of our beginner double where I work. They were all kids though. One time a kid got their ski caught and did a face plant on the flat part of the unloading ramp. The chair rode right over them by the time it actually stopped (It'll run a few feet after you hit the stop button). Luckily they kept their head down otherwise the chair would have hit them. All the other times the kids fell down into the saftey net. The funniest, for me not them, was when one kid got his tip stuck which caused the chair to swing backwards. Once it got to a sufficient angle both kids slid off of the seat and slid down the ramp. These were both little boys, one of them was screaming so loud as he was sliding down you'd think he had just been shot (that part wasn't so funny, well maybe a little). The poor kid was looking up at me trying to grab onto anything he could to stop from sliding down (only a few feet). This all happened in a matter of a few seconds, but I remember it in slow motion. That was the first time I had lost someone down to the net like that, and its when I figured out that didn't have any steps for me to use to go get them. Luckily I was able to get down to them and get em back up with no problems. I wasn't laughing when it happened, but I can look back on it now a chuckle...

I sure did see people do some stupid crap on top of that lift last year... I love the ones who forget to get off.

 

[Sky]

Fell off the poma in Crested Butte... Took a TON of abuse from the people in line...
You only get 2 trys on the poma there - then you have to go to the back of the line..

:lol: I did the same thing!

HEH!!! Yep. First learned to ski in Italy...stationed in Vicenza for three years. *drool*

Anyway, it was the forst day. I was doing well. Got cocky on the poma...pretended like I was waterskiing...back and almost forth...got dragged for a while before I finally gave up attempting to get "righted".

There's a photo of me covered in snow somewhere....but that was LONG before digital photos. If I ever get that thing scanned (if I ever find it), I'll share. It was a good day.

 

[hammer]

The most embarassing fall from I lift I've had was at Sunapee last season.

I went on the high speed quad at Sunapee with a dad and his two kids. Since the adults were sitting on one side of the lift, it swung from side to side just as it slowed down to the unloading point, and when I unloaded I fell to my side.

This wouldn't have been much of a big deal, but I fell right at the unloading point and, since they decided to keep the lift running, I had to shuffle on my back with my skis on with the chairs passing within a foot or so of my head until I was clear of the unloading area.

 

[smootharc]

A pet peeve of mine, too, is kids swinging/poking poles....

...nothing grinds my gears more than folks that don't pay attention in the lift line and screw up loading the lift. Worse is those kids (or worse yet, adults) that fool around while in line; shoving, swinging poles, kicking up snow....

....in proximity of my little ones, or even not...and I've alsolutely PUSSED violently (verbally) on such idiots. Jaws drop, but adults nod, probably wishing they'd said something. One sassy bunch who didn't like my suggestions suddenly had a whole line full of people on 'em....shut 'em up tres fast....

:angry:

 

[ctenidae]

Just to clarify, by "halfway screwing around" I meant some light elbowing and jostling for a seat. Nothing much, but just enough to let someone ski over the basket on a pole.

That is all. Carry on.

 

[ALLSKIING]

I had a guy ski up right behind me as I was waiting for the chair to come around and pushed me to the side. Then the chair hit me a knocked me off the loading ramp :angry: It was a full line of people. :-?

 

[RISkier]

A few come to mind apart from the obligatory fall as a near complete begginer:

Wife and I riding the left two seats of a quad. Somehow we got our bindings tangled and didn't know it. I get off and try to veer left, she's trying to not get pulled into me. We glided and jointly fell into a pile of snow.

In a singles line, liftie told me to join 3-skiers. As I pull out a single from the other side had decided he'd join the same 3 skiers. I ended up the odd man out. Not my fault.

Another time rinding up with two young boys. Wife and I again had the left two seats, she was on the outside. As we were nearing unloading ramp and I looke at the boys and said OK, so we all get off straight. Well no. The kid on my right veered directly left, crossed my skis, I'm trying to not fall on him. Kid skis merrily on his way while I'm lying on the unloading ramp.

Another that was not at all embarrasing but kind of scary. Was riding up with a mother and her young daughter. Got to the unloading ramp. I got off, mom got off, daughter didn't get off. Lift was stopped before anything bad happened.

 

[eatskisleep]

Okay bretton woods a few years ago. We go to get on the Summit Triple and there are four people in line. I was the 4th on the right side-the chair whipped around hit me and threw me into a puddle of mud. (It was November keep in mind). So mext run I had to show off to make up for the fall off the lift.

 

[teachski]

A couple years ago at Wilderness, I was loading the double chair with a total stranger. The people I was with were ahead of me in another chair. We loaded successfully and were on our way when the lift abruptly stopped and the chair swung back. As it did, the tails of our skis dug into the ground. The liftie ran to us to make sure neither of us got hurt. We were fine, but this caused everyone around to think that we were the cause of the problem.

Another: At the top of a double at Haystack, quite a few years ago now. I got off, rode down the ramp and about 3 feet away I decided to do a 180 so I could turn to watch the rest of the people I was with get off the lift. I hit an exposed rock and the god awful rear entry boots I had on decided to come unbuckled...The boot came off my foot and I fell flat on my face, hands reached out and broke both of my thumbs.

Most embarrasing t-bar moments

...back in the late 60's early 70's I was riding a T-bar with my cousin at Mount Tom, MA. He had buckle boots and I had laces. Our inside feet got stuck together. We couldn't get off the lift in time.
...having a t seat break.

 

[Birdman829]

My first ski trip ever was at Sugarloaf in 1992 when I was 4. My Dad used to put his hand on my back and give me a push off the chairlift when we got to the top. One time he forgot to push me and I didn't get off at the ramp. My legs weren't long enough to reach the stick that kills the lift. The chair spun around that turn and I got flung off of it. I guess it wasn't embarrassing because I was 4, but it is funny to think back on.

Another story involves my Mom, who I hope never reads this. Her and my Dad were dating and my Dad took her skiing for the first time in her life at age 24. They were on the lift nearing the top when my Mom panicked and said suddenly, "John, this thing isn't stopping to let people off!" He said that you have to ski off and she said, "I don't know how to ski!". My Dad said, "Just stand up." Needless to say she wiped out at the bottom of the ramp. :lol:

 

[Strat]

Back in my skiing days, I was taking a lesson, maybe age 7 or so, big group of people... we were getting on a double chair with a safety bar too high for the kids in my group (including me) to pull down, so they were hooking us up with adults... quite a narrow chair, narrow entry way, so I waddle in next to the large dude they hook me up with, chair comes... and, he's gone, and I'm still standing there. That wasn't fun. Similar story happened a few weeks later, same setup, except this time it was the guy who missed the chair, so I'm sitting there petrified, not able to reach the bar... luckily the lift ride's only like 5 minutes, but it was a scary 5 minutes... oh, one more, this is a few years later, had a crazy instructor who had some idea that my group (which was just me and a girl who was better than me) could go up heaven's gate, summit lift at sugarbush south... so I somehow muster up enough courage and we go... we get to the top, and I put my skis down and... no touchy. The lift starts going up and I'm still on it. Luckily, my instincts told me to jump off, and I did into a little pile of soft snow, from about 8 feet up... scary time, but I made it out ok... since I've snowboarded, think my lift luck has been ok... a few tangled bindings here and there, getting yelled at once for getting off a quad with a flat runout that stopped literally 10 inches before the off ramp, and maybe 5 inches above the level... me and my sister decided to jump and got seriously yelled at... stupid old man lifties.