Edd
Well-known member
Minor PSA and amusing story. At Gunstock a couple of years ago I got on a lift chair alone and rode to the top. When I get off I realize a lifty from the base terminal got on the chair behind me. He approaches and informs me that I may not ski the mountain because one of my ski poles was missing a basket. State law, he says. If I go to the tune shop they’ll install one for free. I was bewildered because I’d never heard of this. Buuut, my wife works there, I get a pass for free, so I’m not in a position to push back. I googled about it that day and found zero info about it. The shop puts on a giant basket that dwarfs the other but I give zero fucks about baskets. For the last couple of years, I’ll make the occasional crack to my wife about it but NBD obviously.
So this year that basket falls off. I’m at Smuggler’s Notch about to board a lift and the lifty notices and says I can’t take the pole up the chair. This all happens as I’m boarding so I have about two seconds to think about it and I’m suddenly riding a chair with one pole. My friends are highly amused. This was in the village right after lunch. I get off at the mid-station and ski back to the base. Again, I’m told I can get a basket for free from the shop. I ask him what the rationale behind this is and he says “I could impale someone”. My friends wait for me, but I wish they’d taken a run because it was a 30 minute ordeal.
They didn’t have a basket that could fit on the pole. I rented poles for $15. FYI, I dropped $90 for a lift ticket and wasted 30 minutes of a very good ski day. At the end of the day I return the rented poles and pick mine up. A different guy located a basket and installed it; it’s yellow so a color mismatch
but again, I don’t care. My friends furiously Google this rule and everyone comes up empty.
Apparently, I drag my poles too much.
So this year that basket falls off. I’m at Smuggler’s Notch about to board a lift and the lifty notices and says I can’t take the pole up the chair. This all happens as I’m boarding so I have about two seconds to think about it and I’m suddenly riding a chair with one pole. My friends are highly amused. This was in the village right after lunch. I get off at the mid-station and ski back to the base. Again, I’m told I can get a basket for free from the shop. I ask him what the rationale behind this is and he says “I could impale someone”. My friends wait for me, but I wish they’d taken a run because it was a 30 minute ordeal.
They didn’t have a basket that could fit on the pole. I rented poles for $15. FYI, I dropped $90 for a lift ticket and wasted 30 minutes of a very good ski day. At the end of the day I return the rented poles and pick mine up. A different guy located a basket and installed it; it’s yellow so a color mismatch

Apparently, I drag my poles too much.