West Coast vs. East Coast Skiing

[bounceswoosh]

Maybe i will do my first bowl

Hah, I read that and then went back to see if you were talking about Colorado ... and not about skiing ;-)

I am not sure i want to see what a poma lift is lol.

In the US (and maybe Canada?) it's basically a frisbee on a rope. You put the frisbee between your legs so that it pulls you up by pulling against your butt.

In Europe, I gather Poma is just another lift brand, not a special meaning.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Hah, I read that and then went back to see if you were talking about Colorado ... and not about skiing ;-)
.

 

[santacruz skier]

A poma lift is not a chair. This one at Louise is basically a super steep rope tow (you put it between your legs) that drags you up over 1200 vertical feet and drops you off at the summit of mount whitehorn - it's awesome, also guaranteed to give you thunder thighs and calves. When I get to the top, I often need to take a few minutes and massage my legs and calves before I ski down.

You ain't kidding... Think I was shaking by the time I got off (long ass poma).... Runs were simple compared to death ride on poma.

 

[santacruz skier]

Hah, I read that and then went back to see if you were talking about Colorado ... and not about skiing ;-)



In the US (and maybe Canada?) it's basically a frisbee on a rope. You put the frisbee between your legs so that it pulls you up by pulling against your butt.

In Europe, I gather Poma is just another lift brand, not a special meaning.

They call them "button lifts."

 

[santacruz skier]

Speaking of...I've been meaning to get some Astis mittens if I can find a good price. I can't decide now though if I want the mittens or a down skirt - I'm only allowing myself one unnecessary accessory purchase before December...

only one?

 

[santacruz skier]

I am cool if they are steep, especially if they are wide I will save the bowl until after i am broken in a little. I am not sure whats its like to even ski a bowl haha. We have 5 days to ski at lake louise, sunshine and norquay. I can't wait to see those beautiful mountains.

I am not sure i want to see what a poma lift is lol. There was this one chair at jay peak that traversed this section of the mountain and all i know it went along this cliff and it was rather unnerving.

Bowls are generally very wide.... but can be steep.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

You ain't kidding... Think I was shaking by the time I got off (long ass poma).... Runs were simple compared to death ride on poma.

With all due respect to the Poma I think I'll be skipping it. DH said that your tips can also get caught and you'll go down. That sounds too terrifying to me. I think I'll take the chair

 

[Jilly]

Or Platter, Disk lift. The ones I've been on have a pole attached to the wire and disk.

Guys refer to them as "nut grabbers"!

 

[tinymoose]

I actually enjoyed my ride on the Poma at Snowmass. But it goes up that big wide open area above the tree line. Beautiful. Some guy a bit ahead of me fell, though. lol

(not my photo)

 

[Albertan ski girl]

With all due respect to the Poma I think I'll be skipping it. DH said that your tips can also get caught and you'll go down. That sounds too terrifying to me. I think I'll take the chair

It's not that bad - of course, it's your choice, but it is quite the experience! And the views are great...

 

[surfsnowgirl]

It's not that bad - of course, it's your choice, but it is quite the experience! And the views are great...

View attachment 6008

That doesn't look that bad...... I've never even been on a rope tow or anything like it. Since it goes to the top are there any gnarly parts where if I buried my tips or parts where if I went down at all bad things could happen

 

[Albertan ski girl]

It's not that bad...what's bad is that it's 4000 ft long 1345 ft vertical. At one point or another, my leg muscles start to twitch...

 

[tinymoose]

@surfsnowgirl The big thing with a Poma is to just support your own weight. Do that and keep your skis headed straight and you'll be fine. DO NOT try to sit on the disc thing/put too much of your weight on it/lean back. I think this is what the guy a few folks ahead of me did. I watched his butt get lower and lower and then blam. lol

 

[surfsnowgirl]

@surfsnowgirl The big thing with a Poma is to just support your own weight. Do that and keep your skis headed straight and you'll be fine. DO NOT try to sit on the disc thing/put too much of your weight on it/lean back. I think this is what the guy a few folks ahead of me did. I watched his butt get lower and lower and then blam. lol

Thank you for the tip, will remember that. It's but getting lower and lower and then the 'blam' part is what worries me. Is there a chance to grab back on, do they stop it or do you just have to ski down from the point where you fall.

 

[santacruz skier]

Agree with @tinymoose and @Albertan ski girl . It's not that bad and views are amazing .. Poma / drag lifts are all over Europe .. Even Northstar has one to access lookout mountain. Now I'm used to them.. Don't sit back and don't panic.. FYI I was on a 20 minute one in France and fell off and skied to bottom. Then had to get on it again.

 

[tinymoose]

Thank you for the tip, will remember that. It's but getting lower and lower and then the 'blam' part is what worries me. Is there a chance to grab back on, do they stop it or do you just have to ski down from the point where you fall.

I don't know what the norm is, but they did not stop the one at Snowmass. I'm assuming that's the norm? So guy had to ski down from where he fell.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Thank you for the tip, will remember that. It's but getting lower and lower and then the 'blam' part is what worries me. Is there a chance to grab back on, do they stop it or do you just have to ski down from the point where you fall.

No grabbing back on; no stopping. It's honestly NOT hard on skis. Snowboard, that's a different story.

Then again, the Breck T-Bar is notorious for developing wales and full-on bumps over the course of the day. Especially fun when vis is nil so that you can't see what's coming up ...

 

[santacruz skier]

No grabbing back on; no stopping. It's honestly NOT hard on skis. Snowboard, that's a different story.

Then again, the Breck T-Bar is notorious for developing wales and full-on bumps over the course of the day. Especially fun when vis is nil so that you can't see what's coming up ...

Forgot about the Breck t bar.. That's another interesting one. Riding w another skier.

 

[tinymoose]

Forgot about the Breck t bar.. That's another interesting one. Riding w another skier.

That sounds.... odd.

 

[bounceswoosh]

That sounds.... odd.

Not a poma - a t-bar. Picture an upside down "T." One "sits" (don't sit!) on either side of the bar, with the crossbar against the juncture between thighs and butt. Ideally. Usually it's somewhere else due to height discrepancies.