10 replies to this topic

[Skiing#1]

I have been seen some people lost balance or made mistakes when they got load on the chairlifts, which it is normal way. But today, I saw what happened to these people and it is rarely strange.

#1: At the bottom of the lift, I was in the line and I saw three skiers went forward to load area, and three other skiers went forward behind first three skiers in the front. Total was six skiers on the load area at the same time. The chair is only quad. Three lift operators were busy and they didn't watch them or maybe they don't notice six skiers together. The chair was moving, and hit three skiers as the same time as a few skiers in the line yelled at the lift operators to stop. Two skiers fall and were under the chair before the lift operator quickly stopped. Two lift operators pulled the chair back. Third lift operator lifted two skiers while third skier slipped back in the backward off the load area into other side area where the chairs come into the terminal. I don't understand why three skiers behind front three skiers would do that.

#2: At the bottom of the lift (this lift is for intermediate and advanced intermediate), the lift operator warned two skiers to stay until he said go ahead. Both skiers don't listen, they were awkward and went ahead to the load area. The lift operator didn't stop the lift instead of pushed the skiers away. Why the skiers don't listen to the lift opeartor?

#3: at the top, a girl got off and lost balance. The girl's father yelled at her and he said don't stand up, stay down. The girl was going to stand up. The father's voice raised loud to stay down. The girl contiuned to stand up very slow. A lift operator didn't see her fall, he heard the father yelled, he saw the girl, and he told the girl to stay down. Because these chairs moved over the girl. so they wanted her to avoid hit the chairs with her head. The lift operator ran and pulled her away. Why don't the lift operator watch? Why don't the girl listen to both her father and the lift operator?

#4: I was embarrassed myself, because I was with my three friends who didn't pay attention to move to the load area while I moved foward to the load area and they stayed there. The lift operator yelled at them to move, but it was too late since there was a long line (alot of people). When I sat down on the quad chair, I noticed they were not with me then I looked back over my shoulder to see them there, so I was surprised and I was alone on the chair. They sat the other chair behind me. I asked all of my three friends that what happened to them and why don't they go after the front chair passed. They were embarrassed and they don't watch. Just like careless.

Why some skiers and snowboarders don't listen to the lift operators and warnings?

This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 23 March 2008 - 06:43 PM

[aug]

Sounds like just another day at work. For the record the majority of the time the lift operator will act accordingly to the situation at hand . Unfortunately operators are human and do make mistakes. On the other hand guests at the ski area leave 50 percent of their brain at home when they leave to go skiing and then leave 40 percent of their brain in the car in the parking lot . To summarize these people have got a day of skiing ,boarding in their heads and not much else and these folks are mostly oblivious to whats going on under the BW.

[Kicking Horse]

Skiing#1,

Lift operators have alot to watch. If the op is good He/she can see a problem before it actually happens. Some op's are just there to collect the dough / get work exp and could care less about the safety of skiers. I knew about 2 handful worth of op's like that last year.


Guests dont understand that the lift can harm them and they sure in the hell think the lift can stop on a dime and we all know most of the time they do not!

[Lift Kid]

I frequently see stuff like this happen. I've accidentally gone to the load zone with too many people. My friends and I were skiing right onto the load zone because there was no line, and we didn't realize we had one too many people. We thought one of us would stay behind! The lift op panicked a little and was about to stop the lift, but, because I know a little something about lifts, I stepped to the inside, out of the way of the chair. The lifty was extremely surprised to see me react to nearly getting hit by a chair so well. As most liftys believe, and what I have usually seen, the average guest would panic in such a situation and it would not end well! If everyone would just stop and think about what would be a good move, such as stepping out of the way, there would be far less incidents on ski lifts. although not all of those things you listed are the person's fault. Sometimes people just make mistakes just because they're caught up in the moment, or talking to someone, or just making a simple mistake like all humans do! However, some guests just do nasty stuff to the liftys, like disobeying orders, just to be jerks, or to get up the hill faster. Those customers should not ride ski lifts if they aren't going to follow the directions of the operators.

[skierdude9450]

You know Skiing#1, those are just the questions of life at a ski area. As long as there are people to ride the ski lifts, there will be stupid people that don't know how to ride a chairlift. It's annoying but it happens. Two years ago, I was at Beaver Creek in the spring (in fact around this time right now) and there was a group of Mexicans in front of me getting on the lift. They let 6 chairs go by before boarding the lift. Unfortunately, I didn't have the Spanish capabilities at that time to say, "¡Váyanse tantos!" And also if you want to see a bunch of idiots getting on the lift, go to Santiago Express at Keystone. In one day I saw 5 people try to load a quad chair. Three times. The point is, these things happen. People are stupid. Let it go and get on the next chair.

$0.06

[liftmech]

'Prior to boarding any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to ride that lift'.
Unfortunately, if we as area employees enforced that line of the skier responsibility code, we'd have very few people to load and thus pay for lift tickets. Aug nailed it with the brain percentages. There used to be a joke (probably still is) that there is a notice on ski-equipment packaging that says 'after removing product for use, insert brain for safekeeping'. Those of us who work on or around lifts, or use them frequently as many of you do, forget how intimidating they can be when one is unfamiliar with them.

[Lift Kid]

liftmech, on Mar 23 2008, 08:47 PM, said:

Those of us who work on or around lifts, or use them frequently as many of you do, forget how intimidating they can be when one is unfamiliar with them.

I've even seen liftys who think they know what they're doing, and not get out of the way fast enough.

[skisox34]

My step-mom was skiing at Keystone with me and most of their quads are detach. Well we skied to the Wayback Quad which was of course a fixed grip and she didn't move fast enough and WAM even with the lifty stopping the chair anybody who knows about stopping distances will tell you a lift doesn't stop on a dime!
The one I see and can't believe is that even with loading gates people have a hard time loading a chair. I saw so much carnage last week at Stratton I had to just shake my head in disbelief. The gate opens and you go! It seems so easy. I can understand the bunny hill and when I was an op at Snowshed at Killington by the end of the day my voice was gone, especially if I was loading 1 and 2. I don't understand an upper mountain lift with loading gates!

[skierdude9450]

One of my favorite warning signs at the bottom of a chairlift is at Vail's Chair 14 which is a 90 degree loader. (I'll bet you run into this problem a bit with E lift too, John.) It reads "Wait at the yellow line or you will get hit by a chair! Trust me it hurts!" Within 5 minutes of waiting at the bottom I saw three people dodge the chair and one not person that didn't quite make it out of the way in time. Read the signs people!!!!!

As for loading gates, my opinion is that they cause more problems than they solve. (Note that my views do not necessarily reflect the views of Intrawest, Vail Resorts, and many other companies across North America )

[Snoqualmie guy]

My favorite warning signs is on the HSQ at Ski Acres. It says, "this lift is not a handle tow!" Because people like to hold on to the safety bar on the next chair.

[tahoeistruckin]

aug, on Mar 22 2008, 08:26 PM, said:

Sounds like just another day at work. For the record the majority of the time the lift operator will act accordingly to the situation at hand . Unfortunately operators are human and do make mistakes. On the other hand guests at the ski area leave 50 percent of their brain at home when they leave to go skiing and then leave 40 percent of their brain in the car in the parking lot . To summarize these people have got a day of skiing ,boarding in their heads and not much else and these folks are mostly oblivious to whats going on under the BW.

You nailed it Aug.
People don't use thier brains, around the ramps.
The same goes for lifites not paying attention. Granted being an operator is not the greatest job at the resort, and does get dull and borng often. But that's no excuse not to keep an eye out for the safty of those loading, riding, unloading, working around lifts.
There were many times i had to push guests, out of the way of the chair. Yes they were at first upset, then realized had i not done what i had done, they would of been nailed by the chair.
An Op needs to be on top of the 'game from opening to closing each day, have the guests attention all time when they are on the ramp waiting to load. Never be out of a arm's lenght of the control panle. Stand outside of the top shack , on the ready, for any unloading problems.
With time an op can learn to spot potential problems. Just don't react, be proactive.