Should ski areas be required to have safety bars on lifts?

[deadheadskier]

I was reading the latest ski magazine and there were some photos in an article on Alta showing a detachable quad that does not have a safety bar. Do you think resorts should be required by law to have them? I know some states do require them, I believe Vermont is one of them. Should all states?

I'm someone who ALWAYS puts the bar down, kind of like wearng a seat belt. I would be a bit uneasy spending a day at a ski area that did not have them.

 

[Terry]

I don't know if they should be required by law, but it is a good idea to have them. I almost always put it down when I am riding. I have had a few occasions on a high speed quad that stopped quick when it felt like I was going to slide right out of the chair.

 

[Hawkshot99]

Not required by law, cause then I would always have to use it. I have been yelled at by patroll at places in VT. But I think the mountain should have them on the chair. When it is a crowded chair its nice to be able to lean on it.

 

[thetrailboss]

Most states require them. I close mine all the time....you never know when a gust of wind will come up, or when the lift will abruptly stop.

 

[MadPadraic]

No!
All-in-all I can't stand most safety bars. I think that this stems form learning to ride out west, but I really really dislike safety bars.
Why you ask? I'll give you two reasons:
1) They are very uncomfortable.
2) I've been hit in the back of the head and made blurry by some over aggressive skier putting it down before everyone was settled in.

I'll admit that the ones with no foot rests are better, but they really have no place on a double or triple.

 

[ta&idaho]

No!
All-in-all I can't stand most safety bars. I think that this stems form learning to ride out west, but I really really dislike safety bars.
Why you ask? I'll give you two reasons:
1) They are very uncomfortable.
2) I've been hit in the back of the head and made blurry by some over aggressive skier putting it down before everyone was settled in.

I'll admit that the ones with no foot rests are better, but they really have no place on a double or triple.

Agreed. I read the same article and laughed when the author mentioned getting whacked in the head when riding chairs with Europeans. Another reason to wear a helmet, I've learned...

 

[MadPadraic]

Agreed. I read the same article and laughed when the author mentioned getting whacked in the head when riding chairs with Europeans. Another reason to wear a helmet, I've learned...

Since you've got Idaho in your name: if slow ghost at Schweitzer doesn't need one, then no double anywhere needs one.

 

[Marc]

I won't put it down unless someone I'm riding with wants it down... or it has a foot rest.

Unlike seatbelts, safety bars have not undergone rigorous testing in a laboratory environment to be shown they will provide a high life safety factor in nearly every hazardous situation. In any case, despite the fact I'm not long into my skiing career and I've only skied on the east coast... I've never felt like I was going to fall out of any chair from a sudden stop or high gust of wind (both of which I've experienced). Then again, some people are more comfortable with heights than others. Being in the FD has given me lots of time to not only get comfortable with heights, but comfortable with operating power tools in low visibility and low traction conditions wearing lots of poorly balanced gear at heights.

Hell, riding a chair lift is like a walk in the park.

 

[Marc]

All that being said, my answer is no, ski areas should not be required to have them. If you want a chair lift with a bar, find a lift that has one. There's enough of a market for chairlifts with bars on them that you won't go wanting.

 

[millerm277]

Personally, I say no, mostly because I don't like them or think they're necessary on anything but beginner lifts.

 

[skimore]

No and unless your a midget most of the ones with the foot rest are useless as your knees are wedged against the safety bar

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I think for high speed quads and six packs..especially the ones loaded with padding which can be slippery..If you are in a middle seat and leaning forward a little bit..you can possibly be thrown off..it almost happened to me..I insist on having the bar down now..plus why not rest your feet,,boarders don't like the bars as much. Bridger bowl had 4 old school riblet style doubles with no safety bars but the seats were tilted back a bit and you could grab onto the side or middle..

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

No and unless your a midget most of the ones with the foot rest are useless as your knees are wedged against the safety bar

I always have plenty of room and I'm 5'11 and overweight..

 

[twinplanx]

I like to rest my legs as much as the next guy but recently some folks have become over aggressive w/ pulling the bar down. A simple "commin down " is all that I ask for. (yes another reason 4 helmet) . ...I think it pretty cool when the kids pull the bar down w/ a pole

 

[severine]

I hate government getting involved in the little stuff... But I would like it if all mountains had them, seeing as I'm actually terrified of heights and always use the safety bar.

 

[Trekchick]

I'm not for laws for safety bars.
Look at the possible statistics. How many people ride chair lifts every day? How many people have fallen off, been blown off by wind, or have been shoved off?

I'm not opposed to safety bars, but I don't necessarily use a bar every time I'm on a lift that has one either.
Only one situation where the safety bar made me uneasy was when I was riding with a 4 year old who was so small she needed assistance to get "up" on the seat when she loaded. She was small enough that she could slip between the safety bar and seat, which IMO was scarier than the idea of no bar at all, because little kids like to lean forward and look over the bar THAT is scary!!

 

[Ski Diva]

It's amazing to me that they're not required, given liability issues and all.

Like Trekchick, though, I worry about the little kids. Every now and then you hear about one sliding off, right underneath the bar. I thiink they need some kind of a seat belt or a tether for the littlest ones.

As for adults falling off, I mean, how often do you fall off the sofa? You're just sitting there! I know, I know -- the lift's moving. But not very fast.

Either way, I'm fine with it. And yes, I usually pull it down.

 

[KevinF]

It took me a while to get used to the chair lifts without safety bars, as I really don't like heights. I always take the outside seat (so I have the side rails to grab onto), and I'll wedge the tip of my ski pole under the side rail and across my lap, so there is a "safety bar" there. Works for me... keeps me relaxed.

That said, I don't think that ski areas should be required to have them.

 

[thetrailboss]

It may also be an insurance issue....the companies may require them.

 

[hammer]

The problem with high speed lifts and safety bars that I've seen is that the riskiest time can be when the lift suddenly slows down at the top...just when/after you've raised the bar so that you can unload.:-o