Singles Line

[Lostone]

I use the singles' line all the time.

I agree with those above that say that the purpose of the line is to get maximum efficiency of the lift by filling every chair.

Who gets to go in the singles' line? Anyone who is willing to ride up with whatever group of skiers that come to the front of the line without the number to fill a chair.

I HATE people that play tricks such as reforming at the front of the line or stopping the singles' line waiting for a double to come along. They should have their tickets pulled. :angry:

 

[Greg]

The key with the Singles Line is there needs to be a good liftie to manage things. It's most often either the singles line poachers or the gapers that don't want to share that screw up the process...

 

[dmc]

This has happened to me so many times I have lost count .. I figured it was because of the snowboard, my goatee is too white or something :blink:

It's usually because they want to get high on the chair...

 

[RISkier]

My wife and I do it quite a bit. I don't mind riding the lift with her but all's fair in love and skiing, and you gotta do what you gotta do. She feels the same way. We almost always stay together if we're riding lifts we haven't ridden before.

 

[JimG.]

jimg, sorry to bust on you, but it sounds like the lines you are used to waiting in actually warrent spliting up a group? how many minutes are you saving if lines aren't that bad at hunter

joking aside and in all seriousness, i concede the point in terms of areas that have bad queue system management. i can't say i have ever had an issue with this except at places where lines are long, and i stay away from those places. so i'm coming at the topic from a rather idealist perspective and in unideal situations, every man for himself is the way humans operate, no arguement there.

Steve, as you say here you're living in an idealist's world. You consider anything more than a 4 minute wait in a liftline unacceptable. I'm not that idealistic. To me, a 10 minute wait is the max. That is not common but it does happen during busy periods.

When I get to a liftline and can see that the wait is going to be over 10 minutes, and that there are empty seats on chairs, I'm going to the singles line. My "group" can do what it wants to, but most of the times they follow me because they know I know the best ways to max out actual skiing time.

So, if folks want to wait on lines for more than 10 minutes and watch inefficient lifties and uncaring skiers who can't load chairs properly instead of looking for the better option, fine. But I don't want to hear from them that the mountain is "oh so crowded" because they CHOOSE to hang out with the crowd.

Choosing to stay with a crowd when there is a better option right there does not make any mountain crowded.

 

[Greg]

So, if folks want to wait on lines for more than 10 minutes and watch inefficient lifties and uncaring skiers who can't load chairs properly instead of looking for the better option, fine. But I don't want to hear from them that the mountain is "oh so crowded" because they CHOOSE to hang out with the crowd.

Choosing to stay with a crowd when there is a better option right there does not make any mountain crowded.

This sort of works back to the Hunter thread and how the intermediates feel the slopes are so crowded. The advanced skiers know how to work the lifts as well as the trails at the places the frequent.

 

[JimG.]

Another time, he gave this father/son paring a hard time. He tells the father, "well, you were in the singles line so your son will be a few chairs behind you. Don't try to pull that with me". I laughed. I thought it was great. Bravo to that liftie for snagging the singles line poachers!

Bravo! The singles line is for singles including groups who want to ride up quicker AS SINGLES. My experience is that rarely do I wait more than 2 or 3 chairs for the rest of my party once we have split up.

 

[JimG.]

Last MLK weekend at Jay the Freezer line was over a 20 minute wait. It stretched almost completely across the trail. The singles line was stretching a ways back up the trail. While waiting in the line I noticed the singles line was moving pretty fast. When I got to the front I noticed that the liftie was loading four singles on a chair every 1 or 2 times through the rotation. I asked why she was doing this and the response was that the singles line was too long. The problem was by doing this more groups were splitting up and joining the singles line and the line never got any shorter. When I returned 2 weeks later the same liftie was there and even though the wait was only a couple of minutes she was still loading 4 singles on there own chair. After that weekend I never saw her again and no one else was loading like that.

Has anyone seen this done elsewhere?

Now that's just plain retarded, a great example of the poor liftline management I was discussing with Steve.

A better method would be to periodically rotate 2 singles into the loading area to join a double from the group line. But to make a foursome from the singles line is just plain stupid.

 

[Greg]

But to make a foursome from the singles line is just plain stupid.

I disagree, sort of. What if it so happens that say, on a quad, there have been several groups of four that fully load the chairs. Do you feel there is any point in which it's legit for the liftie to load up four singles on a chair? I'm not saying this happens often, but I suppose it could. I'm also saying this should only be considered if a large number of full chairs have headed up without the need for any singles.

 

[JimG.]

AND if I'm in a singles line with a friend and a couple "gapers" hesitate - I'll fill the chair with me and my friend wating... I got no problems with that...
Empty chairs on a crowded day are not cool...

AND I'll agree with this too because it goes back to the sharing the chair issue. Yes, I have had instances where I was in the singles line on a triple lift with a buddy or two and I go to join a twosome and they hesitate because they don't want to share the chair, well F them, I turn around and ask my buddies to join me. And if anyone bitches, I tell them to talk to the assholes who didn't want to share.

BECAUSE EMPTY SEATS ON CHAIRS DURING BUSY PERIODS ARE NOT COOL!!!

 

[JimG.]

I disagree, sort of. What if it so happens that say, on a quad, there have been several groups of four that fully load the chairs. Do you feel there is any point in which it's legit for the liftie to load up four singles on a chair? I'm not saying this happens often, but I suppose it could. I'm also saying this should only be considered if a large number of full chairs have headed up without the need for any singles.

I rarely see liftlines managed that well, so well that there are long periods where singles are not needed. In that case the reverse practice would make more sense...ask 3 other singles to join up and get in the group line and ride up as a group. You shouldn't need a liftie to tell you that.

I do see your point in this rare case and I guess it would be legit to have the liftie send 4 singles up. But if the group lines are moving and the singles line is not, why would anyone wait in the singles line?

This dogged insistence on staying in a liftline of any denomination that does not move and then complaining about crowds simply baffles me.

 

[deadheadskier]

I completely disagree. The purpose of that line is to fill single seats on a chair lift regardless of what it's called. It's purpose is to maxamize lift capacity, not to make the wait shorter for people skiing alone. What would be the purpose of making the wait shorter for a person just because he is skiing by himself?

That is exactly how I feel.

Why should someone skiing alone have the priviledge of a quicker trip to the top of the mountain and get more runs in for their money than people who are part of a group?

I grew up skiing with my mother and father. After about age 9 when my folks were comfortable with me riding with strangers and I was comfortable with it myself, we always used the singles line if it looked like the group line was going to be a ten minute or longer wait.

Til' this day, even when skiing with friends, I do the same thing. If they would rather wait in a 25 minute line to ride together, I'll generally end up parting ways with them and skiing by myself. I'm there to ski, not to wait longer than necessary in a lift line just to be with friends.

 

[SkiDork]

I disagree, sort of. What if it so happens that say, on a quad, there have been several groups of four that fully load the chairs. Do you feel there is any point in which it's legit for the liftie to load up four singles on a chair? I'm not saying this happens often, but I suppose it could. I'm also saying this should only be considered if a large number of full chairs have headed up without the need for any singles.

Nope. Only reason for singles line is to FILL-IN the group lines. Period.

Nobody works a lift line like Grizzly at K. He does an enormous job at the Rams Head quad sometimes when that thing is packed. Problem is, he's only there on occasion.

I could work a line just as efficiently as him - I've watched him. Problem is I don't want to be working lift lines...

But Kudos to Griz - he rocks!!!

 

[hammer]

AND I'll agree with this too because it goes back to the sharing the chair issue. Yes, I have had instances where I was in the singles line on a triple lift with a buddy or two and I go to join a twosome and they hesitate because they don't want to share the chair, well F them, I turn around and ask my buddies to join me. And if anyone bitches, I tell them to talk to the assholes who didn't want to share.

BECAUSE EMPTY SEATS ON CHAIRS DURING BUSY PERIODS ARE NOT COOL!!!

Well said...

If I'm in the singles line and there's an open space, I don't care about whether people don't like me joining them...I join them anyway.

 

[Lostone]

Do you feel there is any point in which it's legit for the liftie to load up four singles on a chair?

I think in exactly the situation you presented, it is fine. The reason is that in heavy traffic times, you want people in the singles line. If enough people feel it isn't worth it, they'll all go to the regular line, thereby letting chairs go up partially full. You want to fill every seat, avoiding the need for people in the regular line to have to wait for enough partially filled chairs to go up until it is their turn.

As for the situation mentioned before tha, I agree that it is stupid to give singles a large priority. :blink:

The important thing to remember is that I should get to the top, quickly. :lol:

​

 

[thetrailboss]

I hate nothing more than standing in line during a busy Saturday or holiday and watching quad chairs going up loaded twos and threes or even singles! Come on folks there are four spots for a reason!!!!!

 

[Greg]

Scanning has become a problem at some hills. I've seen empty chairs head up the hill because the liftie is having trouble scanning everyone in time. That is way lame.

 

[Marc]

Scanning has become a problem at some hills. I've seen empty chairs head up the hill because the liftie is having trouble scanning everyone in time. That is way lame.

We should all hope RFID becomes cheaper and more abundant.

 

[thetrailboss]

Scanning has become a problem at some hills. I've seen empty chairs head up the hill because the liftie is having trouble scanning everyone in time. That is way lame.

Oh yeah.....that was happening.

Exhibit A: Sunapee HSQ this past season. Lifties gave up after a while....

 

[SkiDork]

One person scans... Another person manages the line. If the scanner is having a problem, let 'em through...

C'mon folks - this aint rocket science!!!!!!