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One Death Reported in Ski Lift Accident
- Thread starter just jane
- Start date
newboots
Angel Diva
I read about this last night. It seems all three fell out of the chair: there was no apparent malfunction of the lift, and the chair was intact.
Is this one of those sorts of chairlifts that has no safety bar? That always strikes me as awfully high-risk.
Those children and their father are in my prayers.
Is this one of those sorts of chairlifts that has no safety bar? That always strikes me as awfully high-risk.
Those children and their father are in my prayers.
just jane
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've never been there - I don't know if there's a bar but there typically is on a high-speed quad chair. There are huge regional variations in use of safety bars though, and it doesn't seem to be the norm in CO. This came up in a thread here at some point, and I was surprised to learn that using the bar is required at many resorts back east. I always feel better with it, and when I ride a chair with people I don't know, I almost always have to ask to put the bar down because most people don't.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I tend not to remember to put down the bar (unless it has a foot rest and my knee is bugging me) - but DH has an issue with heights, so the bar. comes. down. when he's on the chair. In that case, I sometimes ask for the bar down. No one has ever given me guff about it, but someone in Crested Butte called DH a term for the female anatomy because DH wanted it down. *boggle*
But. We don't have any idea what happened, so let's not speculate on what happened with this woman and her children.
But. We don't have any idea what happened, so let's not speculate on what happened with this woman and her children.
marzNC
Angel Diva
As I remember, it's a law in VT to put the bar down. I remember lifties yelling at people at Smuggs to put the bar down.
just jane
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
*boggle* is right!!! No one has ever given me attitude about wanting --- wait - once, a woman did. She complained that she didn't like the bar down but agreed for my sake. Oh, the martyrdom!
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yes ... but you're not a Big Strong Man. That's why I try to take the hit of requesting now. People expect a little lady not to be able to handle it ;-) (Of course, that's exactly backwards, and I'm actually more freaked out by the bar being down too long ... but might as well use the patriarchy to my and his advantage, right?)
Little Lightning
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If I'm by myself I don't put the bar down especially on quads or 6 packs. I'm afraid that I won't be able to get it back up by myself. This happened to me once on an old double. The lift op had to slow the chair down so I could lift the bar. Not sure if it was the chair or the fact that I had torn my rotator cuff and was already loosing strength in my right arm.
I will insist on having the bar down on windy days. I once saw the 6 pack at Copper shift sideways in the wind with the person on the left sitting higher than the person on the right. There were 6 people on the chair. I often worry that the wind will grab my skis causing me to flip off the chair.
So the bar goes down in wind.
I will insist on having the bar down on windy days. I once saw the 6 pack at Copper shift sideways in the wind with the person on the left sitting higher than the person on the right. There were 6 people on the chair. I often worry that the wind will grab my skis causing me to flip off the chair.
So the bar goes down in wind.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This. Especially with those heavy trailmaps.
heather matthews
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Omg,I didn't even know that not putting the safety bar down was a thing. Everywhere I've skied had had them and everyone has used them. I couldn't imagine not using them.
SkiBam
Angel Diva
I always put the bar down (can't see any sensible reason not to, plus I believe it's required here), except for one day last season when I was riding a chair on my own (Soleil chair at Tremblant). It so happened that little me was actually not able to get the bar down by myself, so I sat on that long chair ride with one arm folded over the back rest and me staring at the sky so as not to freak myself out (chair is quite high above the ground).
I have ridden barless chairs out west and always hook my arm around the upright bar at the side of the chair. I simply do not understand the reluctance among some people to put the bar down - but then, I'm female, old, and definitely not cool!
I have ridden barless chairs out west and always hook my arm around the upright bar at the side of the chair. I simply do not understand the reluctance among some people to put the bar down - but then, I'm female, old, and definitely not cool!
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am also female and definitely not cool. I'm slightly claustrophobic, and so approaching the top of the lift with the bar down makes me very very antsy. But I'm not afraid of heights at all, and given how common it is for bars not to come down around here - it just doesn't occur to me. Rationally, I'm sure it makes a lot more sense to have it down.
I hate the bars without foot rests. Usually they are so low that I just feel like I'm going to lever forward and right out (obviously this is just in my head). And they are often too tight for broad-shouldered people like my husband, so that if you put it down, you end up squeezed together like sardines.
pinto
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It's a funny thing. Many of the places I ski don't have them, although they are adding them, but it's just how many of us grew up skiing, ie, a bar is not something I miss if it's not there. It really has nothing to do with being cool, I never understood that; it's just habit.
melchap
Certified Ski Diva
I have never been to a western resort that requires the use of the safety if the bars even exist. Only new chairs have them, old or refurbished chairs remain barless. I never use the bar if there is one and it is very rare for other riders on the chair to use it either. I've only seen safety bars on high speed quads or six packs.
Sad to hear about this accident.
Sad to hear about this accident.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I wonder how it started to sway. I keep picturing the chairs full of kids who think it's fun to swing the chair, and then the chairs ahead and behind swing, too. Again, wild speculation. It has been crazy windy around here, so maybe it was just bad wind and bad timing.
