Poll: How do your legs & feet feel riding chairlifts without footrests?

[skigirl]

I would love to hear from all of you about how your legs and feet feel when you ride chairlifts without footrests. I find it to be very painful for my feet and legs to hang. The hanging sucks the life out of my legs and kills my ski day very quickly. Does anyone else have this problem?
Thanks,
skigirl

 

[smpayne]

It's not so bad with my new boots, however I still have to pop the buckles on the lift for the first 2 hrs, until my feet adjust. If my boots are the slightess bit too tight, it's torchure.

My mom always had the short leg problem, where the front of the chair would hit her legs in the wrong spot and start to cut off circulation.

 

[ISki]

Footrests are sweet! I miss them.

 

[Marigee]

Hanging makes my knees ache. I like to rest my feet and legs.

 

[Kimmyt]

I was reading a post over on epicski, and as usual it degenerated into a pissing fest about who was a real skiier. Anyway, someone asserted that anyone that puts down the footrest on a lift is a gaper. I laughed.

I guess I'm a gaper, b/c when I let my feet hang my knees very quickly feel incredibly sore.

I love listening to people argue about what traits make someone a gaper and what traits make someone a 'real skiier'.

 

[Jilly]

Here in the east you don't get too many chair without the rests. I find at least once a day I don't use the foot rests as my feet are bothering me and I need to let them hang. I seem to have a sensitive foot bottom. I don't remember any problems out west wrt foot rests. It was NO safety bar at all that got me. Talk about getting your butt into the backseat!!

 

[ski diva]

I was reading a post over on epicski, and as usual it degenerated into a pissing fest about who was a real skiier. Anyway, someone asserted that anyone that puts down the footrest on a lift is a gaper. I laughed.

I guess I'm a gaper, b/c when I let my feet hang my knees very quickly feel incredibly sore.

I love listening to people argue about what traits make someone a gaper and what traits make someone a 'real skiier'.

That's incredible. People can find more things to feel superior about!

I must be a gaper, too, because I put down the safety bar almost every time (and yes, it has foot rests). I often don't use it when I'm on the chair alone, simply because it's kind of heavy to raise back up when I have to do it myself.

 

[Pequenita]

I don't know what a gaper is, but I am one since I put the footrest/safety bar down so that my knees aren't in pain hanging around.

As for the epicski pissing match folks, ask how many of them have sat in a single chairlift. Now that's old school!

 

[smpayne]

These foot rests must be on some of the newer lifts, I don't ever remember seeing one, but it's been a while since I have been to a major resort. Saftey bars? Oh yeah that bar on the quad that you have to lean on to keep it from flying back up.

 

[Elangirl]

I don't know--I guess I am just lazy, but I never use a footrest. We have them on the high speed quads, but I have never put one down--my husband uses one sometimes---but, my legs are short and then don't reach really well on the footrest--besides it is a 7 minute ride and I am anxious to get off!!

 

[Lori_K]

I always put the safety bar down (if the chair has one), and if there's a footrest, that's nice too. It doesn't seem to bother my feet if they hang, although having lighter skis does help.

One of the biggest things to get used to out west here is the lack of a safety bar on a lot of lifts. And if the seat is icy and snow covered as well, I'm a lot more worried about hanging on than whether I have a footrest or not! :o

 

[Elangirl]

I used to worry about no safey bar too---and then Big Mtn decided to train the ski instructors for an emergency evacuation of the chairs. We all sat in the chairs and then they threw up the rope for the belay down----I put the harness on and then tried to move forward so that I could be lowered. It was so hard to move my ass forward---I began to realize that my rear is a sea anchor, I am not going anywhere in those seats unless there is Category 5 storm. It took me a few minutes to get out of the seat so that I could be lowered. I have never been afraid since then!!!

The issue of safety bars is interesting--for instance, they are so hard for children to lower and raise---I think it is better to teach them to sit back in the chair. They could never lower the big quad's footrest.
I myself have no interest in the work of it---I will lower the footrest bar if I am skiing with a child---just to be safe. But, with an adult I would never lower it unless there is a request.

We have had so much snow lately that it looks soft and fluffy down there anyway!!

 

[snobound]

Unless I'm at Big Sky or Big Mountain there aren't any footrests to be had on the chairlift. Sometimes it would be nice, but overall it doesn't bother me either way.

 

[liquidfeet]

I missed that post. I like it better when there is no footrest. However, I ski on short hills. Don't know how it would be with longer rides. Plus, my skis are not that heavy. May be different with heavier skis.

 

[altagirl]

I'm also one of the oddballs who really dislikes footrests. I think you get used to not using them pretty fast. A day or two into the season and I don't even notice - and I have heavy skis. You'd think it'd bother me with my bad knees, but I actually find it a major annoyance when we go to another resort that has footrests and you have to move around and get your skis untangled from everyone elses to get the footrests down. Plus, I generally find it more relaxing to just let my legs hang.

 

[cyn]

I like having footrests so I have the option of using them or letting my legs hang. Sometimes, my knees hurt when I do that, and other times, they hurt more by staying in one position on the footrest. I guess for me it depends on the kind of mood the "arthritis gods" are in that day.

 

[Gina23]

This is the first I've ever heard of this "alleged" footrest... !!! Serioulsy?? And yes, very much a lack of safety bars out here.

 

[NannyMin]

I'm also one of the oddballs who really dislikes footrests. I think you get used to not using them pretty fast. A day or two into the season and I don't even notice - and I have heavy skis. You'd think it'd bother me with my bad knees, but I actually find it a major annoyance when we go to another resort that has footrests and you have to move around and get your skis untangled from everyone elses to get the footrests down. Plus, I generally find it more relaxing to just let my legs hang.

Ditto!

 

[IdahoSkiGirl]

I don't use the footrests unless it is in the afternoon of a powder day and my legs need the rest

 

[dloveski]

I'm with altagirl in that I hate foot rests, which are usually on the quads. It's a pain to move the skis to make way for the foot bar, especially with a snowboarder or two on board. Then undo it all before unloading.