Ski Lift Conversations?

[surfsnowgirl]

I lived in southern California for 15 years and snowboarded/skied in big bear and mammoth frequently and now have lived in New England for the last 5 years. I have found chit chat on the chair lift on both coasts to be fairly common. I also look at peoples skis on the lift and find it a great ice breaker as well. That or bringing up the conditions of the day is always good or if its my first run I'll ask how the conditions are. I think living in socal made me a small talk expert cause I can talk to anything ha ha.

 

[Serafina]

Only time I don't talk on the lift is when I'm on it with someone whose body language is saying "leave me alone". That's usually a teen. Otherwise, yes. I haven't noticed a difference between destination resorts and day-tripping local resorts, people are usually up for light chat about the conditions, good runs, where are you from, and it moves on from there. Our main summit service was replaced with a bubble lift a few years ago, and one thing people really like about the bubble is that it's quiet in there, so you can talk more easily.

 

[Serafina]

Best lift conversation I was ever party to was a few weeks ago, riding up in the early passholders-only access period, and I'm there with a handful of octogenarians who sounded like they were from Queens. They spent half the trip up casting aspersions on a missing member of their group, Person X, who had blown them off because of a self-reported injury of some type, but who was later spotted skiing with Person Y. At one point on the trip, the lift passed directly over Person X who was whipping it down the hill, and the next several minutes of my buddies heaping calumnies upon his head (in absentia) were pretty funny...but nothing compared to what the topic then changed to, which was Person C (not present) who had basically press-ganged everyone into reading Fifty Shades of Grey, and who was now endeavoring to get up a group to go see the movie. Hearing the various opinions of a group of very senior citizens on Fifty Shades of Grey was not an experience to be missed, I tell you. I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to fall out of the chair, and stifling the laughter so hard I thought I might pop an eyeball out of my head.

 

[santacruz skier]

The topic of conversation this season in Tahoe had been the lack of snow. I can almost always find something to say about that!

Yes, yesterday it was all about the snow dance. Today, 17 inches @ squaw, 9 @ north star, and still snowing…

 

[litterbug]

It's the end of a satisfying weekday in late December or early January, and I'm getting in some drills on the green runs before Sunnyside closes. It's cold and crisp and the sky is impossibly blue. I get on the lift with a woman and decide that I'll try to sit there quietly for a change and leave her alone. We're about halfway up when she blurts out "I love skiing!!" and we end up burbling away at each other for the rest of the ride.

I talk to a lot of people who're enjoying their day, but it's pretty rare to run across someone who's just plain happy--not because the snow is great or they've skied a challenging run or whatever, but just plain grateful to be alive.

 

[CarolB]

I think mid-week and weekend conversations are different as you get visitors versus locals. Singles tend to talk more too, I think.

I did ride up with a solo kid that looked to be around 12-13 today and was very impressed by how he was so comfortable talking to an adult stranger. I almost wanted to stalk him home and tell his parents what an awesome kid he was.

 

[Pequenita]

I had a pretty sketchy conversation the other day on the lift with someone who, basically, if he knew what I spend my days doing when not on vacation, would probably have pushed me off the lift. It was the scariest part of my day.

 

[Magnatude]

Ha, after skiing in Utah for half of Jan/Feb (2 weeks of each joined together) there really weren't that many people around to talk to on the lifts, at least outside the weekends. But roughly 90% of those I did ride up with were pretty chatty, and it's a nice way to pass a slow ride. I always respect those who feel like not talking (and quite often I'm not the initiator of a conversation in the first place), but it does often feel like an awkward silence, to me anyway. At home, not everyone talks on the chairlift, but more locally where there have been (up until this coming season) only T-bars, non-communication feels REALLY awkward given your close physical proximity.

It also depends hugely on the size of the lift, and how many of you there are, and how many of the strangers. Often if you are in your own little group (2-4, say) and on a 4-6-seater, you are chatting amongst yourselves. If it's an old slow double, it's pretty unlikely you'll be riding in silence with the stranger sitting beside you.

 

[NZfarmgirl]

I have trouble shutting up most of the time but I can tell when people don't want to talk. Most of the time they do. In Utah a couple years ago people were very interested in hearing about New Zealand, and I love to talk about it. I was asked if I was a travel agent

M what kind of lift are you getting a porters?

 

[Magnatude]

I have trouble shutting up most of the time but I can tell when people don't want to talk. Most of the time they do. In Utah a couple years ago people were very interested in hearing about New Zealand, and I love to talk about it. I was asked if I was a travel agent

Yeah, loads of people told me about their trip to NZ, or that it was on their wishlist or whatever.

M what kind of lift are you getting a porters?

Fixed grip (ie slow) quad, though at least it's a new one so hopefully no breakdowns. Plus an extra short T-bar to travel the distance to the next T-bar, since the chairlift isn't being installed all the way up the previous T-bar line, and thus can't connect with the existing T2. The marketing speak claims twice the capacity of the old T-bar, which worries me since the old T-bar was excruciatingly slow (seemed like half the speed of Rocky Gully T at CP, I kid you not). If the new 4-seater chair is only twice the capacity of the the old T-bar, that means it'll travel at the same speed. Then there will be a big bottleneck at the new T-bar as four people get off each chair, and only 2 can load each T. Unless, that is, there are increased numbers of novice skiers riding the new chairlift, who will just return to the base without going further up. I think that's Porters' target really, to encourage more newbies to get off the little poma slope at the bottom and go a bit further up the mountain. It was previously too daunting for many skiers, particularly the section accessed from the top of the old T-bar, which now won't be an issue for them. The eventual aim is to replace the upper 3 T-bars (including the new short T) with one more chairlift, presumably as part of their master plan to also develop Crystal Valley next door.

 

[volklgirl]

I look at people's skis on the lift. Sometimes they inspire an easy icebreaker comment that starts a nice chat.
Me: Those are Kenja's, right? They get rave reviews on the ski diva website.
Them: What's that?

I was chatting with a couple at Caberfae, and asked her how she was liking her Wild Belles. Turns out I was chatting with @Jenny and Mr. Jenny. We both laughed and ended up meeting a couple weeks later at Crystal.

 

[vtooch]

I am fortunate enough to be able to ski a few mornings a week at our local little hill. I find that most people that ski weekday mornings are quite sociable. They are either homemakers, retired, or skiing for a couple hours before work like me. I am a slightly extroverted person, so I am pretty much always willing to strike up a conversation. Most times people are willing to engage.

 

[just jane]

*bump*

I’m bumping this thread to share the conversation I had today. I was riding the lift with one other guy. I can’t remember if there was any preliminary hello where are you from chat, but with little warning, he’s all, hey, today’s International Women’s Day!

So I’m instantly wary but I say, yeah, where’s my discount?!

And he’s all no, seriously, women women rah rah rah, and says how he works in an office with almost all other women and he’s learned a lot about what not to do by listening to them complain about their husbands and boyfriends -

at which point I say (desperately not wanting to have this conversation), yes just PLEASE PUT THE TOILET SEAT DOWN (hahaha), and once again he’s all, no, seriously, women women rah rah rah and so I try to engage a little bit but it’s clear that he doesn’t actually want to have a conversation, he wants me to agree with all of his opinions.

And I’m just ugh. Dude, seriously? I just want to ski. I am not here to give you a gold star and a cookie and validate your “good guy” status. You do not, in fact, get it. Google “emotional labor” because it’s what you're making me do for you right now. I’m up here to ski. You know what you can ALWAYS talk about on the lift? The weather! You can’t go wrong with that one! You really want to make me happy? Ask me about my skis! I LOVE my skis! I will talk about them all day! I will tell you what I demo’ed and I will give you advice on what your wife or daughters should try! Of course, I didn’t actually say any of that because I’m “nice” and “polite” but I thought it really hard!

It was the longest chair lift ride ever. I told a friend who was all, wow, he mansplained womanhood to you on International Women’s Day.

On the other hand, I rode up earlier with a couple of other front range folks and we simul-ranted about I-70 traffic and C-DOT and toll/express lanes and growth and where we’re going to move to get away from the crowds and it was a nice little bonding moment.

 

[newboots]

Hmm. I guess we're lucky that International Women's Day comes only once a year?

That sounds insufferable. I hate those conversations. Later, I always wish I could have come up with something sophisticated but not overtly hostile (passive-aggressive, in other words). Like maybe, "Hmm. Really. . . " in a vague tone of voice. A non-answer that doesn't validate him but isn't just "Oh, shut up." Or maybe, "Wow, you've really become an enlightened man!" in an indecipherable tone.

I never actually accomplish these comebacks. Just try to invent them later.

 

[SallyCat]

wow, he mansplained womanhood to you on International Women’s Day.

A bit longer than a chairlift ride, but I got stuck on a bus from Twin Falls to Sun Valley recently with a tipsy woman named Tami, who was on a big ski vacation with her old college friends. Tami rapidly progressed from tipsy to very drunk, which I didn't mind, because she was actually charming and good company. She owned a farm back in the midwest and we speculated about southern Idaho's crops, and then looked up the agriculture regions on our phones and I learned a lot and it was interesting.

Then Very Drunk Tami found out that I was there for a job interview and she was kind of hilarious, putting her number into my phone and insisting I text her to let her know how it turned out. At one point she said "you want me to come with you? I'll totally come with you!" But she was so drunkenly earnest it was just funny.

And then.

Then the convo shifted to guns in schools. And Very Drunk Tami and I did not share common ground on the issue. I like what you said, @just jane , about emotional labor. I found myself agreeing with and placating Tami because of her blood-alcohol level and the fact that we were trapped together on a bus for at least another 30 minutes. At least, though, she wasn't aggressive about it, the way I imagine a man might have been. She was just drunk and oblivious; the social discomfort was fairly minor.

Last I saw Tami was at the baggage carousel, where her friends were trying to explain to her that she was in an airport....

 

[just jane]

Oh dear, @SallyCat. I can imagine that scenario all too well.

@newboots , it’s so hard to respond in that situation! Say what I really want and risk getting shoved off the chair, or at minimum snarly glaring man-tantrum for the rest of the ride? No thank you...

 

[Live4Powder]

If you are in Colorado now and having conversations on lifts it's probably with Texans, not natives. Texans are very friendly.

I personally think it's about 50/50. I tend to keep to myself but sometimes will chat. Depends on my mood. I don't mind talking about the weather ("Wish we would get more snow" "It' a beautiful Day", etc) but when the questions get personal I bow out. I don't like nosy people.

 

[slyfox4]

Talking to strangers on the chair lift doesn't seem strange to me. I am originally from the west coast, where I've been told that people are far more friendlier than east coasters. A lot of people have told me that people from NH stick to their own lives, keep their heads down, and don't even say hello to other people. I've lived in NH for 10+ years now, and I have always been friendly with everyone I meet! I also have had jobs that require me to be friendly and talkative, and we're all here for the same reason: to ski!!! I love talking to people in the Gondola and finding out where they are from, if we have anything in common. I've met some fantastic people just by sparking up a conversation and being friendly!

 

[just jane]

It's fascinating to me what people are willing to talk about with strangers on the chairlift. I try to stick to safe topics: I mean, the weather is a cliche for a reason, but it's always relevant on the chairlift! My preferred range of topics are weather, where you are from, where you like to ski or don't like to ski and why, your favorite equipment - all good.

I do NOT want to get political with strangers on a chairlift. I mean, in the rest of my life, I'm very political, and opinionated, and involved and engaged and whatnot, but when I'm skiing I want a break from that, and also I don't want to have to be polite to someone who reveals that they have opinions that I find loathsome. Can we just not go there for 10-15 minutes please? Yet people feel so compelled to share their political perspectives with strangers. I do not get. I can guarantee them they're not likely to change my mind.

 

[just jane]

Oh, also, I don't like the "what do you do" question, for multiple reasons. I've been un/underemployed for the better part of the past two years, and it has sucked, and whether it's real or imagined, I don't like feeling like people hear that and assume I'm a total loser. When I was regularly employed, it was breathtaking how many people had to share their strong opinions about what I did. I used to work in tobacco control, and OMG, the people who had all the answers about how to get people to quit smoking, and/or keep kids from starting. I'm all, seriously? I do this FOR A LIVING, people study this FOR A LIVING, and you think that your personal experience and insight is so speshul that no one has ever thought of it before? So you're going to sit here and tell me how to do my job? Gah. Hated it. I've decided that I'm going to start lying in response to that one. I need to figure out the most esoteric, boring thing ever that will cause people to change the subject and say I do that.