Singles Line

[tumbler]

No singles line at Sugarbush. Made lines longer but it worked. I kind of like the managed corral with the "front row" instead of the alternating merging.

 

[dblskifanatic]

Actually, I haven't heard of too many issues from any venue at all. Not even those political rallies where everyone were maskless and probably shouting.

All I hear is there're lots of cases testing positive, hospital getting busy. But nobody knows where they caught it on!

right? a chair lift cannot be as dangerous as the stores prior to Christmas - no one was social distancing! Heck I went to a Italian restaurant in the North End Boston and while the place was supposed to be practicing 25% capacity the place was packed!

It is like MA telling everyone to wear masks at all time even when outdoors - if there is no one around what is the need for a mask?

 

[machski]

No singles lines at Sunday River, even for Chondi 6 chairs. They are encouraging arrive together, ride together. But if two singles are at the front of the lanes, they will offer for two to ride together if comfortable on quads and up. No pressure if one does not want to though.

 

[kingslug]

The front line corral Works great at Alta. Here at Hunter everything is working out well..lines moving well..they have it under control..

 

[deadheadskier]

Crotched has a singles line for the quad. They pair you up with another single on opposite sides of the chair. They ask if you are comfortable doing so before pairing you up or the rider gets their own chair.

Sunapee has not had singles lines at any of their three quads. Wish they would. Any little increase in capacity would help with the long lines on weekends.

 

[abc]

a chair lift cannot be as dangerous as the stores prior to Christmas

It may not be as dangerous (= safer). But you can't say it's "safe"!

Safer than something else, but not as safe as riding alone.

Driving at 70 at a 55 zone is not as dangerous as driving 90 at 55 zone. But it's still more dangerous than driving 55.

As I said before, by some people's standard, you're a chicken for not eating inside a packed restaurant! After all, do you know anyone who caught Covid from eating inside a restaurant?

 

[tnt1234]

Actually, I haven't heard of too many issues from any venue at all. Not even those political rallies where everyone were maskless and probably shouting.

All I hear is there're lots of cases testing positive, hospital getting busy. But nobody knows where they caught it on!

New york state had a study that said something like 70% of new cases were from indoor private gatherings. Everything else was single digits IIRC.

Personally, I will ride alone. I do think it's very low risk, but I've seen too many people doing dumb things. SWOuld hate to be on a lift when some kid pulls their mask down, takes out a one hitter and proceeds to have a coughing fit. Would ruin my day. Even if I logically knew it probably wouldn't lead to infection.

I think I would ride 2 on a 6 pack but not a quad.

 

[ss20]

I've skied all over the country this season (East, Utah, Jackson, PNE). Some places are strict on their rules about singles riding alone or 2 on a quad chair. Other places don't give an f. I've been offered to ride up with groups when lines are long, I accept. Some places this was standard. Other places you have minimal corral control and groups mix together.

I think we're the only country in the world doing this on open chairlifts.

1. It's unenforceable by outside regulation/health departments checking in on resorts.
2. It's very very doubtful to be a transmission route.

 

[Andrew B.]

No singles lines at Sunday River, even for Chondi 6 chairs. They are encouraging arrive together, ride together. But if two singles are at the front of the lanes, they will offer for two to ride together if comfortable on quads and up. No pressure if one does not want to though.

Check lift 2
There is a single line there and they are asking singles if they are comfortable taking up a little one.

 

[slatham]

SWOuld hate to be on a lift when some kid pulls their mask down, takes out a one hitter and proceeds to have a coughing fit. Would ruin my day. Even if I logically knew it probably wouldn't lead to infection.

Besides the odds of this being extremely low I am confident my ski pole would scuttle any such attempt. And of course you can just take a pass at riding with a potential stoner......

 

[djd66]

I was at Sugarbush for the past 10 days,... many times I saw the lift line attendant try to match up 2 singles to ride the high speed quad. Multiple times I saw people refuse to ride the quad with another person. Sorry - completely ridiculous to refuse! If you feel it is a risk to be moving 10 mph with with someone sitting 5 feet away. - you should not be leaving you house! You will be more likely to catch Covid while standing in line, it next to impossible to catch it on a chair.

 

[gmcunni]

Crotched has a singles line for the quad. They pair you up with another single on opposite sides of the chair. They ask if you are comfortable doing so before pairing you up or the rider gets their own chair.

same at Breckenridge. on a quad - they'd pair up a double and a single. on 6 pack, a 4+1 or 3+2, all with the intent of leaving a space between parties. most of the lifties asked if we were OK with having a "stranger" on the chair with us.

 

[mikec142]

No singles line at Sugarbush. Made lines longer but it worked. I kind of like the managed corral with the "front row" instead of the alternating merging.

Agreed. I was there three days last week and found the lines were well managed and comfortable.

 

[mikec142]

I was at Sugarbush for the past 10 days,... many times I saw the lift line attendant try to match up 2 singles to ride the high speed quad. Multiple times I saw people refuse to ride the quad with another person. Sorry - completely ridiculous to refuse! If you feel it is a risk to be moving 10 mph with with someone sitting 5 feet away. - you should not be leaving you house! You will be more likely to catch Covid while standing in line, it next to impossible to catch it on a chair.

I was there from the 28-30th and never saw a liftie try to match up singles. FWIW, those three days, the lift lines were minimal. The longest wait was maybe a few minutes at Heaven's Gate.

We are gonna have to disagree on the refusing to ride with strangers. You may be right about the chances of catching Covid on the chairlift. However, there are big signs that say you can only ride the lift with the people you drove to the mountain with. I'm pretty confident that if mgmt saw a liftie contradicting that policy, it wouldn't be be appreciated. Not sure if it violates VT regulations as well.

Until I get vaccinated, there is a (insert animal house joke) zero point zero chance that I ride the lift with some rando.

Let me posit a scenario (albeit unlikely). Liftie matches up two singles on any of the lifts at SB (biggest they have is a quad). One or both of the singles notes that the existing rules aren't being followed since the liftie matched them up in the first place so they figure it's okay to pull their masks down. I mean, why not...rules are already being ignored. Just as the chair comes to a stop because somebody fell while getting off the lift, one of the singles has a sudden, explosive sneeze right in the face of their fellow lift rider...

 

[Teleskier]

I was at Sugarbush for the past 10 days,... many times I saw the lift line attendant try to match up 2 singles to ride the high speed quad. Multiple times I saw people refuse to ride the quad with another person. Sorry - completely ridiculous to refuse! If you feel it is a risk to be moving 10 mph with with someone sitting 5 feet away. - you should not be leaving you house! You will be more likely to catch Covid while standing in line, it next to impossible to catch it on a chair.

Less likely, yes, but I don't know about 'next to impossible'.

Ironically I was thinking back to my last ski day just earlier to reading this. I had multiple chair trips where the person on the other end of the quad was only wearing a ski mask with their bare nose hanging out. I likewise felt 'not great, but somewhat ok safe' given the positive air flow and 4ft of dispersal spread from them.

However today I thought back to remember, that they had a single snow gun blowing more than 200-300ft away from the chair midway, yet the amount of spray frozen to my googles and jacket in a thick sheet each trip, from just that one gun's 15-seconds of passing 'invisible' droplet particles, gives me pause for how many particles I was exposed to from 4ft away passengers with the wind blowing in same "across chair" direction past them that simultaneously covered me in sticking ice particles... next to them for the whole trip. It was a visual reminder just how much 'only particles' can quickly cover you when the wind changes - to the point where you can't see out your goggles - from only 10-15 seconds of exposure from 200 ft away - that I myself might have thought to be 'too dispersed to reach anything'.

I personally was glad I wore a KN95 mask the entire ski day - even if it did ice up terribly and get wet between - thus reducing its effectiveness.

There is still risk. I do not judge others who take extra precautions - you don't know their health or personal situations. If it gives them comfort - I have no problem with them accepting the safely the lift staff offered. Everyone has different levels of personal safety.

 

[Former Sunday Rivah Rat]

No singles lines at Sunday River, even for Chondi 6 chairs. They are encouraging arrive together, ride together. But if two singles are at the front of the lanes, they will offer for two to ride together if comfortable on quads and up. No pressure if one does not want to though.

And the lines have been horrendous. How is it safer to stand in line longer?

 

[abc]

And the lines have been horrendous. How is it safer to stand in line longer?

More space to spread out between people? (I don't know, I haven't been there this year)

 

[djd66]

Less likely, yes, but I don't know about 'next to impossible'.

Sorry, but if you are that worried about getting covid, you should not be leaving your house. There are a lot more situations where you will not be able to distance more than 5' from someone. If you are going to be outside with people,.... being on a moving chairlift is the safest place to be IMO.

 

[cdskier]

Sorry, but if you are that worried about getting covid, you should not be leaving your house. There are a lot more situations where you will not be able to distance more than 5' from someone. If you are going to be outside with people,.... being on a moving chairlift is the safest place to be IMO.

Sorry, I agree with mike and teleskier. Here's another scenario...what if the chairlift stops for an extended period of time? Now you're stuck on a lift with someone you don't know for an indeterminate period of time.

I have no issues with people that want to ride a lift together with only people they came with/trust.

 

[Former Sunday Rivah Rat]

More space to spread out between people? (I don't know, I haven't been there this year)

I realize that they are trying not to get shut down by the state.
The long lines at the bottom of the mountain have been more of a risk than riding on a moving lift with a stranger. It all boils down to do you let people stand around in line longer?
It's much safer to be on a lift with a stranger or 2, while moving, and 40 feet high. This creates a wind that disperses exhalations.
There is very little wind when standing in crowded long lift lines at the bottom of the mountain.
The sooner they can get you on a lift and on the mountain, the safer you will be.