Harmless chairlift accidents

[Watatic Skier]

Got a nice big black and blue on the top of my calf from Madonna I and Sterling nailing me every time I got on this past weekend at Smuggs. Somebody gotta tell the lifties to brace the chair when people are loading, or maybe next time I will have to do a better job at jumping on! Otherwise, the skiing was great! What a great mountain.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves while skiing, lifties who don't know how to load fixed grips. It can really ruin a good day of skiing if you aren't prepared for the hit.

One time at Wachusett my binding got caught up in a snowboard from the guy next to me. The unload did not go well :lol:

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

I had to be lowered from a lift that failed at Mt Snow. It was a long time ago so I don't remember it that well I was probably in my very early teens. I think it was just a power issue. Was on the lift for about an hour while they went top to bottom and roped people down.

I too was lowered from a lift at Mt. Snow. January 31, 1987. A couple of the hangers between the grips and cabin mounts, failed, on the last summit skis-on double seat gondola dropping two cars to the ground and jamming a handful of others at a tower. There were only two cars between us and the affected cars, we figured that it would have been one alternation in line and it would have been us. Eventually they roped us down, and that lift was shut down, and cars removed from the cable, for the rest of the season. I believe the next year it became the first High-Speed Quad there.

I've got some pictures somewhere, I should find them and scan them in, although not sure how the quality of the old Kodak Disk pictures were back then.

 

[Nick]

I too was lowered from a lift at Mt. Snow. January 31, 1987. A couple of the hangers between the grips and cabin mounts, failed, on the last summit skis-on double seat gondola dropping two cars to the ground and jamming a handful of others at a tower. There were only two cars between us and the affected cars, we figured that it would have been one alternation in line and it would have been us. Eventually they roped us down, and that lift was shut down, and cars removed from the cable, for the rest of the season. I believe the next year it became the first High-Speed Quad there.

I've got some pictures somewhere, I should find them and scan them in, although not sure how the quality of the old Kodak Disk pictures were back then.[/QUOTE

I wonder if that was the same time I was there then .... I would have been seven years old.

 

[Smellytele]

This is one of my biggest pet peeves while skiing, lifties who don't know how to load fixed grips. It can really ruin a good day of skiing if you aren't prepared for the hit.

One time at Wachusett my binding got caught up in a snowboard from the guy next to me. The unload did not go well :lol:

Put your hand down and catch the seat yourself to avoid this.

 

[bvibert]

Put your hand down and catch the seat yourself to avoid this.

Yup, sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands.

 

[Glenn]

When loading a fixed grip, I always look back and grab the side bar...or seat.

 

[Gnarcissaro]

Wahh Wahh Wahhhh!!

How about being a big boy/girl and bumping your own chair with your hand. I know I'm not the only one who does this.

You think most lifties, who make peanuts, give a flying "F" about your legs getting hit? If anything, it helps their boring day go by watching clowns get jacked up loading/unloading the chair.

Edit: After reading the last few replies, it appears I am not.

 

[steamboat1]

Put your hand down and catch the seat yourself to avoid this.

Do this all the time myself. It becomes a habit after awhile.

I still thank the liftie after loading.

 

[C-Rex]

Wahh Wahh Wahhhh!!

How about being a big boy/girl and bumping your own chair with your hand. I know I'm not the only one who does this.

You think most lifties, who make peanuts, give a flying "F" about your legs getting hit? If anything, it helps their boring day go by watching clowns get jacked up loading/unloading the chair.

Edit: After reading the last few replies, it appears I am not.

A lot of us were thinking it. We just didn't feel the need to be a dick about it. :razz:

I was on a school ski trip in high school and a guy from my class decided it would be funny to jump in the net in front of the unload platform at sundown. He ended up getting tangled in it and it took like a half hour for the lifties and ski patrol to get him out. They pulled his pass (with good reason). And then he had to sit in the lodge until the bus left while everyone gave him a hard time about it.

 

[Watatic Skier]

Wahh Wahh Wahhhh!!

How about being a big boy/girl and bumping your own chair with your hand. I know I'm not the only one who does this.

You think most lifties, who make peanuts, give a flying "F" about your legs getting hit? If anything, it helps their boring day go by watching clowns get jacked up loading/unloading the chair.

Edit: After reading the last few replies, it appears I am not.

No need to be like that, I do block it all the time, but it is rather silly to see lifties who spend the entire time just standing there. It would be nice if they at least tried.

 

[Bene288]

i bent my poles passing over a mid station once.

That happened to my girlfriend at Belleayre once. Unfortunately they snapped instead of bent.

I've never had any mishap while on the lift or getting off. Once getting on. It happened the first time I ever went to Mount Snow. The Nitro Express lift has that stupid conveyor belt. My friends and I were getting on the belt when some kid flew into the 4th spot and rode his board over my friends board, they both lost their balance, then tangled their boards with my skis. We all fell down and the seat whacked us all in the head. I said as soon as I saw that lift that the conveyor belt was a bad idea.

 

[dougiestares]

Last year I was at Loon coming back from South Peak on the Tote Rd. Quad (about 5 chairs from getting off). There were 2 guys and a girl getting on to head over to the South Peak. The girl was in the middle and somehow she didn't make the chair and fell off of the platform face first into the pile of snow at the bottom of the platform. The girl was buried in the snow like a cartoon and couldn't move because her skis were stuck. The lift stops and the operator goes to help her get up. So she's standing there cleaning the snow off and one of the guys (assuming husband by the comment) looks back and just asks "You want us to wait for you on the other side?". Funny stuff....

 

[NotEasyBeingGreen]

Same - always feel a bit goofy b/c no one seems to do that, but it's habit.

On the bunny hill at Stowe, we saw a tiny girl plunk headfirst out of the chair in front as we were loading. They stop the lift and the instructor looks back and asks if they can put her on our chair. No problem, I'm just looking at her the whole way up for signs of head injury, etc. The kid is so young she can barely talk. But after we unload and the instructor inquires if she's ok, the girl yells at the top of her lungs, "It was AWESOME!"

 

[RENO]

As far as the chair to the back of the legs, I feel it is my responsibility to seat myself, even if it's a good liftie. Thanx always.

I think the lifties should just let the chairs go and not touch them at all. At least midweek.

 

[RENO]

Same - always feel a bit goofy b/c no one seems to do that, but it's habit.

On the bunny hill at Stowe, we saw a tiny girl plunk headfirst out of the chair in front as we were loading. They stop the lift and the instructor looks back and asks if they can put her on our chair. No problem, I'm just looking at her the whole way up for signs of head injury, etc. The kid is so young she can barely talk. But after we unload and the instructor inquires if she's ok, the girl yells at the top of her lungs, "It was AWESOME!"

I always say "hi" to the liftie approaching and "thanks" when loaded when the line is small. Sometimes I can't when it's too freakin busy on weekends and they're loading full lifts and you don't really have time to think about it...

 

[mriceyman]

Coming off the quad at camelback the chair stopped for a quick second at the top of the offload ramp. My bro and i stood up and waited for a little bump on the legs to get us moving downhill..well next thing you know i get smashed in thw head with the foot pegs on the bar and get piledrived to ground. My bro got smashed in the shoulder and went down to. Weve been on a million detachable quads and this has never happened i was confused and pissd to say the least. Especially because my headphones got ripped in half. Thr rest of the day my butt was on the edge of the seat and i was throwing myself down the ramp when we got close to the top

 

[ceo]

I saw a couple kids miss the unload on Skyline the other day and go around the bullwheel (which on that lift must be quite a ride). Liftie helped them off and they were fine.