Liftlines

[Joshua B]

Sorry to chime in so much during this post. I hope you don't think I'm hogging the topic. I just find many of these tangents interesting.

Shortski, that's a pretty crazy policy. I admit I want to do it too, but I haven't yet. Have any of these loafers caught up with you at the bottom and given you the business?

Friday night, there was a line of three snowboarders laying down, taking up quite a bit of the width of the trail. I skied up and layed down to extend the line...just for fun. My friend got a kick out of it.

 

[shortski]

Shortski, that's a pretty crazy policy. I admit I want to do it too, but I haven't yet. Have any of these loafers caught up with you at the bottom and given you the business?

No need to catch up, I stop. When the inevitable discussion starts I try to politely point out how dangerous it is.

 

[jimme]

New Yorkers, Bostonians. . .them Big city folk. . .they are all impolite. Me, I like myself. I'm a good guy and never step on other skiers skis. I do like to stick my pole in the stomach of anyone who trys to stomp mine! And if I see them there snowboarders on the hill. . .I ski right over them! A sharp ski edge accross the neck does wonders. :angry:

I haven't skied in a month. . .does it show?

Of course I'm kidding. It's just another risk we take when skiing- the lift line. I'm at the point where I want to scuff my new skis just so I can be the first to do it. I did have a kid literally step on my ski as he crossed the line. That was low.

I sometimes tried the left/right calling, but have called the wrong side enough so I've stopped. Have had good skiers break my line too. It stinks.

Snowboarder Packs- this is kinda new to me. They must feel strength in numbers, and yes I do ski right through them if they're in the middle of the trail. Other times its just a rooster tail if I can make one.

Jimme

 

[riverc0il]

Mmmmmmmm....... liftlines....... i like to ski lift lines. no pansy @$$ skier/riders laying out accross the trail. when you stop on the side of a lift line, skier/riders that know what they are doing hardly alter their line at all and ski right by ya. no worries there!

people can ski over the tops of my skis all they want. i don't care how pretty the tops of my skis look. and after my first mittersill day of the season after xmas... i clearly don't worry what the bottoms look like either! :dunce: :blink: :lol:

 

[IndyJones]

I was just at my ski resort the other day and I was on a fairly narrow trail (for there). There are tons of people on it. A lot of them stopped everywhere to wait for others and a few snow plowing the whole way down. It was like an unexpected slamon course. But it is really annonying.

 

[Joshua B]

Being at a ski resort during school vacation is about the last place I'd like to be.

 

[threecy]

Skiing K-Mart even midweek scares me, I like my uncrowded trails from skiers mountains, not big thruways. I found myself skiing on the treelines a lot just trying to avoid idiots.

 

[oldhippie]

Ski etiquette

I do not like someone crawling up the back of my skis.. unless it is a good looking woman and she wants to snuggle.. and that hasn't happened lately. When someone does do this, usually a child, or a young adult that lacks any respect for anyone elses equipment, I pretend I don't know they're doing it and then lift my ski if I can.. then I look around at them and make a big deal out of it, "oh sorry, I didn't know you were standing on my skis"! They get the hint.

Skiing ettiquette is a great subject.. I am always amazed at the lack of basic human manners some skiers have. Concepts like waiting in line just seem to elude certain people. ...especially at neighborhood/local areas like Wachusett where no-show parents just pull the "drop and run" routine.

 

[skiguide]

Skiing ettiquette is a great subject..

I feel an article coming on.... any more pet peeves, people?? Keep'em coming... so I can hammer them out by thursday's newsletter..

Do you think this will fit in a TOP 10 style list, (maybe for the DON"Ts) oand then should I spend more time explaining the DO's in an article format?

 

[ChileMass]

Lis -

I'm sure there has been plenty written about the various beefs skiers and riders have betrween them, but that's an easy target. Lounging in the middle of a trail is a never-ending problem for some reason, though. Always a good idea to remind newbies to stop on the side and look uphill when heading back onto the trail.

Pet peeve - trying to find a table to rest/have lunch in the lodge, especially between 11AM and 2PM. If the ski area has capacity for 10,000 skiers daily, can't they calculate how many seats they need in the lodge to accommodate the crowd?? Last week at Sunapee, it wasn't all that crowded, and there were dozens of people standing in the big new lodge at lunchtime due to the lack of seating.

 

[Joshua B]

Well now that you're asking Elisabeth... :wink: yes I have a feeling we can come up with a great list.

Here's another:

Snowboarders plopping down at the top of the hill, right in front of the unloading station! Basically you have to think fast and try to ski around them. This is no fun for beginners who are nervous enough about unloading, then having to deal with obstacles at the bottom of the ramp.

 

[Greg]

How about folks that are too lackadaisical about loading, and then wind up not getting into position quick enough causing the attendant to have to stop the lift?

 

[skiguide]

joshua b... it's not just snowboarders who stop too close to the unloading zone.. i've had to negotiate plenty of dumb skiers there too.. but when I"m on a board, i'm lucky if I can unload and get as far away as possible without falling So yea, I try to get out of the way as much as I can in general.

lift line loading is one of my biggest irriatations, mostly though when lift attendents don't force people to join up to fill chairs, and when people don't take the initiative to do it... and then they're probably the first to complain about long liftlines...

so what, you ride the lift with a stranger... heck, you might even have a pleasant conversation where you learn something new.. get over it.

 

[Joshua B]

joshua b... it's not just snowboarders who stop too close to the unloading zone.. i've had to negotiate plenty of dumb skiers there too.. but when I"m on a board, i'm lucky if I can unload and get as far away as possible without falling So yea, I try to get out of the way as much as I can in general.

OK, I haven't really noticed the problem with skiers...but you did imply that it's harder to move away from the unloading area on a snowboard.

 

[IndyJones]

How about folks that are too lackadaisical about loading, and then wind up not getting into position quick enough causing the attendant to have to stop the lift?

That happens many times at Perfects. On one lift...which has 4 Blacks on it and 2 blues...the lift stopped atleast 3 times up the hill. I think it is because it is the step up lift from the bunny hill lift.

 

[Greg]

How about folks that are too lackadaisical about loading, and then wind up not getting into position quick enough causing the attendant to have to stop the lift?

That happens many times at Perfects. On one lift...which has 4 Blacks on it and 2 blues...the lift stopped atleast 3 times up the hill. I think it is because it is the step up lift from the bunny hill lift.

Don't get me wrong. I know loading can be tricky for newbies. We've all been there. What really grinds my gears is people not paying attention and being responsive to getting in position for the next chair.

Elis - perhaps include in your article that newbies should be doing a bit of research while waiting in line as to how to load the lift (i.e. timing). If they are really intimidated, they can ask the attendent to slow it down. That's better than having a train wreck on the loading ramp where the whole lift stops while everybody gets back on their feet. :roll:

 

[oldhippie]

What really grinds my gears is people not paying attention and being responsive to getting in position for the next chair.

Well. What really grinds my gears, is when those female lift attendants grab my bum on the T-bars!

...oh.. sorry, wrong decade! LOL!! I have such distorted memories!! LOL!!

 

[Joshua B]

Since Oldhippie mentioned lifties, another problem is the ones who don't do their jobs. Touching the chair as it slaps into the backs of your legs isn't the same as being attentive and pulling it back, watching that you get on safely and comfortably.

 

[ChileMass]

Old hippie - acid flashback......?

 

[jlangdale]

I've not been paying much attention to this tread, but it came to mind something I saw the other day.

I flip my poles and sit on them when there's an extra seat on the chair. This racer dude in line ahead of me thought it would be cool to flip his poles and stick them between his legs before the chair came. So he is standing there waiting to thread his these poles stilling out of his butt into the slot between the seat back and the seat.

I'm like, you've got to be kidding me.