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I just wonder any lift operators who don't pay attention...few or often or just happen by make mistake? Is no one perfect?

Anyway, I have see some signs "Lose your clothes or equipment from the chair" until today, I forgot to check my poles to lose before I get off, well it was my first time in my most time of skiing...that the end of my pole was stuck between the restback and the seat when I got off, I realized my pole was stuck, and I let it go, because the chair was moving. I waved and yelled "stop" at the lift operators (two young men and one lady) were inside, I couldn't see them, because the window looked like "mirror" and I have no idea what they were doing. About 15 seconds later, the young man opened the door and asked "What is wrong?" I said that look my pole on the chair, and the chair already raised fast moving and left the terminal. The young man told me to go skiing down and meet there at the bottom to get my pole back, and I asked him to call and bring it back to top for me. He refused, and the lady told him to do it. Someone brought it back.

Well, I can't believe these lift operators didn't watch. It is sad. I remember at Park City, the boy was stuck with the chair and he fall off 30 feet. Lift operator doesn't watch.
This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 10 January 2007 - 10:12 AM

what resort? do they hire south americans?

Brighton. They are white. A lady is from Michigan and she is a ski pratol. I don't know two young men.
This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 09 January 2007 - 10:00 PM

Skiing#1, on Jan 9 2007, 10:56 PM, said:

which lift? it doesent suprise me. lifties have a boring job. It happens at sun valley too, usually on the quiet lifts that maybe get 100 people or less people an hour.

Snake Creek

It happens everywhere. I can totally understand how boring the job is. You can always hit the stop gate in an emergency, like when someone is being dragged.

Skier, thank you for advising. I will do that next time if there is any happen.

Yup this happens at all resorts. Watching chairs go around and around does, is and can be boring. Especially if your stuck at the same poistion for hours with no break in sight. Even i, when i was just a lifite, got distracted acouple of times, ended up not seeing a person unload, and didnt realize it, till the bottom op called me and said they just had a down hill rider.
Your very lucky it was only your pole, i 'd hate to think what would of happened, if you got hurt while unloading.
Sounds like Brighton hired the operator from PCMR/ McConkeys.
I don't know if it's hold true to today, but at DV we wanted our ops standing outside as much as possbile near the control panel. Unless the weather was really bad. Sunny warm days, nothing wrong standing outside.
Smoked Windows? should be banned. I like to be able to see what the lifite inside is doing?
Afew years ago i was skiing the Canyons, coming into the unload ramp, i looked over, there was Miss Lifite, her coat tucked up under her chin, head tilted back, eyes closed. Who knows what she would of been doing with mirrored or smoked windows on the shack.
Resort management,(witht the exception of a few, they already rotate) needs to rotate lifties often. Don't put them at the top for the day and forget about them. Foreman, and Supervisors need to visit thier respective lifts often, take care of a situation with the lifite ,before something happens.
This post has been edited by tahoeistruckin: 10 January 2007 - 10:55 AM

tahoeistruckin, on Jan 10 2007, 11:51 AM, said:

Sometimes the shack can be in a spot that requires tint due to the blinding sun. They must have changed that because when I operated that lift everyone could see in.

Wow, a boring job!

No, the sun beside and behind the lift. I post three pictures so you can see. Third picture that you can see the operator who doesn't watch and talk on the phone.
This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 10 January 2007 - 11:53 AM

We had an operator a the top of the T-Bar last week not paying attention and a little kid got hooked on a T and dragged up and over the 6 foot plus tall deflection mound and through the safety gate. She was sitting with her feet up looking downhill (away from the unload) with earphones on so she couldn't hear the people screaming at her to stop the lift.

Ohh...I didn't think those windows were tinted. You must have been in a spot where the light was hitting the window pane just right so you couldn't see in. I remember that was a nice lift to operate because the sun wasn't an issue inside the shack.
Allan...sounds like a scary ride! I guess the kid was ok?

lastchair_44, on Jan 10 2007, 02:18 PM, said:

I agree, sun valley you cant even see the figures of the operators because its so tinted and reflective. I like it because people will fix their hair using the window . Lift Operators just have a really boring job and its going to happen, sorry.

Last time I skied Loveland, CO, one of the top station lift operators was in the shack playing his guitar but still watching the lift. Also, there was an operator at the mid-reload station on lift #2 who motioned me to approach the "load here" board and board the lift and never walked outside the station. I'm sure the controls were handy and he was watching me board the lift very attentively and fortunely the chair did not hit me in the back of the knees real hard. Are the lift operators supposed to stand by the chair when people are boarding the lift? I have also seen the operator on the bottom station of the Molly Hogan lift at A-Basin stay in the shack and just slow the lift every time someone was wanting to board (the lift was not busy at the time) Is this kosher?

These are just questions about what the rules are more for me to know when it is safe to board a lift. 99.9% of the time lift operators at all of the CO ski areas I have been to have been very helpful and pleasant especially when my daughter (age 5) is with me or when I have been loading a student with an adaptive ski (some students have been a little on the heavy side). It does look like a boring job and a position that people are not usually very nice to. I always say "thank you" to the lift operator when I get on each lift even if they don't say anything which is not very often, usually they are very friendly despite the odds but I wonder what percentage of people overall pay any recognition to the lift operators.

I always recognize the ops. They have a long job.

I believe the ops should bump the chairs instead of motion you on. Some lifts, like Leenawee at A-basin and the Quad at Buck Hill, need to be bumped to avoid launching the rider forward. Ouch! Theres no stopping a lift that you load right at a bullwheel. They really should bump the chair all of the time though. Even at a mid-station.

Just this winter, there were a bunch of operators (switching shifts I think) talking right inside the open door of the shack. The lift was a six person and my dad and I hopped in to the gates. The kid next to my dad wouldn't move over so he had to jump of the edge of the load area (inside edge) and the ops didn't even glance at him. The chair behind hit my dad and the lift didn't stop until the my chair was almost to the second tower, when the operators finally realized what happened.
This post has been edited by Lift Kid: 10 January 2007 - 07:19 PM

Many of these problems can be solved by an attentive lift operator . One of the most important traits that I look for in lift operators is being able to talk to the guest and instruct them in the proper way to load thus reducing the minor loading problems and relieving the inherent boredom that is inevitable. Most of the lift ops. I see these days barely say a word to you much less a nod as you go by . Have any of you heard the term "euroloading" ? Since the introduction of high speed lifts it is not required to bump the chair for each and every chair that a guest is loading . All that is required is to just stand there and and push a button if somethig really goes wrong . Any way euroloading ; standing at the bottom of the lift preferbly in the lift shack( i can't get used to saying "lifthouse" don't people live in houses?)next to the heater and as far away from the customer as possible. We (Managers and Supervisors) need to encourage our new lift operators to interact with our guests , to instruct the guests in the proper way to load and ride our lifts that we maintain and take responsibility for .

boardski, on Jan 10 2007, 05:52 PM, said:

This depends on the lift ,on high speed lifts where the carrier comes off the rope onto a conveyor mechanisim and slows the chair to a slower speed than rope speed at the terminals ,no ,bumping the chair is not required. On fixed grip lifts where the chair maintains rope speed through the terminal (350fpm-450fpm average)yes an operator momentarily bumping the carrier to lessen the impact on the lift riders is required in my opinoin. As per code there is nothing specific noted in the "Duties of operating personnel" the only thing I can find related is in ansib77.1-1999 fixed grip lifts 4.3.2.3.3 Attendant b) to advise and assist passengers as required; This statment is subject to a wide inturpretation, but I think most lift supervisors and managers will agree to the above statement.

Upon reading further in the code 4.3.2.4 "The required operational procedures as set forth in4.3.2.4 through 4.3.2.5 shal be supplemented by specific requirements as specified in the designers operational manual. See 4.1.6.1 which reads "The designer of each new or relocated lift shall prepare a manual in ENGLISH for that instalation. the manual shall describe the function and operation of the components and provide instructions for the correct usage of the instalation." hope this clears the matter up for you .

What do you mean "bumping the chair?" Are you talking about how they hold back the chair as I load on?

Callao, on Jan 10 2007, 08:56 PM, said:

Ahh yes you are correct sir.