13 replies to this topic

[DonaldMReif]

Personally, I do. I might as well also mention that the only lifts I've ridden in the past three years not to include footrests are triple and double chairlifts and Steamboat's Christie Peak Express.

Note: this is just a "your own opinion on chairlift footrests" thread. There is no right or wrong.

This post has been edited by DonaldMReif: 02 February 2011 - 11:31 AM

[Emax]

So?
This is a symposium of industry professionals - not end users.

[Peter]

Emax, on 02 February 2011 - 11:05 AM, said:

This is a symposium of industry professionals - not end users.

Actually, it's both.

[Nor'eastSkier]

Skier, on 02 February 2011 - 11:34 AM, said:

Actually, it's both.

I certainly hope that it's both, because I'm no industry professional.

[Emax]

I stand corrected. Have at it.

Bye

[Peter]

I should clarify. There are three sets of forums, though not all are publicly viewable:

1. Society of Ropeway Technicians (SORT) - for industry professionals only
2. Outdoor Operations Forum - for industry professionals including ski patrol, instructors, lift operators.
3. Skilifts.org General Forums - For the general public

[Emax]

Skier, on 02 February 2011 - 01:31 PM, said:

I should clarify. There are three sets of forums, though not all are publicly viewable:

1. Society of Ropeway Technicians (SORT) - for industry professionals only
2. Outdoor Operations Forum - for industry professionals including ski patrol, instructors, lift operators.
3. Skilifts.org General Forums - For the general public

I strongly suggest entirely separate URLs.

[skierdude9450]

Back on the subject, footrests are nice but essentially unnecessary. However I think that if you're going to have a safety bar on a lift, it might as well have a footrest too. I can see that there are certain situations which prohibit it (like low clearance in the mid-station of Christie Peak Express) but for other cases like Winter Park I don't see why many of their detachables don't have footrests, unless it's to maybe save a couple bucks. I personally don't use the footrest often but it's nice to have as an option. Probably the most comfortable combination can be found on the Solar Coaster and 7th Heaven lifts at Blackcomb with the headrests on the chair. Takes a load off your neck since you're naturally looking up the line. $0.02 Rant over.

[DonaldMReif]

Right. I also have that hard time understanding why all of the detachable lifts at Snowmass have foot rests with the exception of Coney Glade (other than that the resort must have decided not to start adding footrests until after it was built). At Winter Park, why the Gemini Express and Prospector Express lifts do not have footrests is understandable: they are short, and are beginners lifts. Preferably, I like footrests, and am okay with them not being on a lift, though I can't understand why a long lift like say the Zephyr Express (Winter Park) doesn't have footrests when it really should have them because of its length and amount of usage. The Eskimo Express lift, for that matter, is also long enough to justify footrests. Though, the footrests are nice on long lift rides like those on the Olympia Express and Pioneer Express lifts.

There are some lifts where I wonder why a resort bothered even putting footrests on the bars, like the incredibly short Sourdough Express at Vail. And it does seem to me that converting chairs without footrests to have footrests is simply a matter of changing out the bar. Case in point: the Sunshine Express lift at Steamboat. It has footrests now, but when it was the Tombstone Express lift at The Canyons, it didn't have them.

[liftmech]

I don't like them purely because they're a pain in my @$$. I have to fix ten to twenty percent of them every summer, and they fall down, get hung up on the ramp, or cause mis-unloads from people failing to raise them. I grew up riding lifts before there were footrests on any of them (save the super-long chair 5 at Crystal) and I never got used to them when they showed up. (bear in mind I lived in a state with virtually no detachables to speak of until the late 90s/early 2000s).

[zeedotcom]

I don't like the foot rests for a number of reasons. Beyond the basic maintenance headache, there is a safety issue. If two people are riding a triple with foot rests and one isn't lined up perfectly on the chair when the other yanks the bar down with no warning, there is a chance of it clearing without the foot rest arms. With the foot rests, someone is going to get hit in the head. Additionally, skis and snowboards are designed for use on snow, not to be shoved on a piece of metal and scraped up (park rats excluded). It is also less comfortable for snowboarders in a lot of cases.

For lifts with any sort of bar, I am partial to the straight, standard bar with no handles, foot rests, or anything else. Keep it simple. Of course, foot passengers and the requirements associated with them complicate this suggestion.

[DonaldMReif]

liftmech, on 04 February 2011 - 11:02 AM, said:

I don't like them purely because they're a pain in my @$$. I have to fix ten to twenty percent of them every summer, and they fall down, get hung up on the ramp, or cause mis-unloads from people failing to raise them. I grew up riding lifts before there were footrests on any of them (save the super-long chair 5 at Crystal) and I never got used to them when they showed up. (bear in mind I lived in a state with virtually no detachables to speak of until the late 90s/early 2000s).

Check out this video of the Rocky Mountain SuperChair:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=zhfZK9gnqvs

If you look closely, you might notice that a few chairs have bent footrests. I've seen a few chairs on the Colorado SuperChair and Peak 8 SuperConnect that have very bent footrests.

Of course, what I like about footrests is that at least one can rest their foot after a very hard run.

This post has been edited by DonaldMReif: 05 February 2011 - 12:58 PM

[Bogong]

I think it depends on how long the lift is. When I'm skiing runs served by short and medium length lifts my legs don't get tired.

But if the lift is over 1,600 metres ( 1 mile) long and the runs are even longer, my legs get tried if I ski aggressively and then I really appreciate the footrests.

[texasskier]

I think footrests should come standard on quads and six-packs. I think they look kind of wierd on doubles, like Mid-Gad, Gad 2, and Little Cloud at Snowbird.