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Lift Rant

7K views 66 replies 28 participants last post by  snowklinger 
#1 · (Edited)
I am in my 4th season and have been slightly traumatized with some lift challenges. Season 1, I fell off the Snowden Triple at K'ton during an April Spring sesh, falling into a bale of hay. I should mention, I was totally an idiot wearing a hot pink bikini top thinking I was all that...(needless to say, I was covered in mud with hay sticking out of my hair). Last year, my last spring ride was at Wildcat. I fell off the lift and slid on ice, seriously messing up my knee.

I have always had some trepidation on lifts. It's hard man, sliding down with folks on either side, particularly with the older lifts. Detachables are ok.

This past weekend at Killington I was challenged with the super low Snowden Triple. You are almost at your ankles needing to push yourself way up. My friend broke BOTH of her poles pushing herself up.

Then, at Outpost Triple on Pico, phew, SUPER STEEP and wicked narrow.

Ragged as a 6 person lift. I was petrified with the weight and having to ride off down the steep descent with 5 others. I do crash at times and well, it's not always pretty.

And what's with folks on skis who unload and stand at the foot of the lift?

Anyway, just wanted to rant a bit..carry on
 
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#3 ·
If you don't like the middle ask whomever you're with to swap to be where you are more comfortable. Almost nobody is going to deny you if it means everyone gets off easier.

From there you have two options. Either try to shove off early and win the race, or take seat a little longer and be at the rear of the pack. It's really only the person next to you that you have to beat or go after.

To be honest I'm not really sure how you actually fall off the chair. I'm guessing it's as you scoot over to get your board straight and tip up? Again, there's no rush in getting prepared. And being on an end seat will help tons there.
 
#4 ·
Last weekend when I went up there was a lady skier standing in the middle of the off-ramp just as it leveled out. This is a green slope, but even so, she was directly in the way of everyone.

Sliding off the chair I notice she's not even attempting to move so I just yell out, "If you don't move NOW, I'm going to have to give you a giant hug." and I like spread my arms out in a hugging motion. She turns and gets this wide eyed look and does this really awkward step/slide as fast as she can and we all just barely clear her.

No one wants my hugs :(
 
#5 ·
I haven't fallen "off" a chair per se..I was unloading and crashed to the left, landing in a bale of hay (little snow cover)...I do choose a side and wait until everyone unloads and then slowly, scoot off..Sometimes the descent is really steep or lots of people are in the path and no where to turn..many variables can complicate my exit off the lift..it's the only part of boarding that stresses me out..
 
#6 ·
Few will argue that it is one of the harder skills to learn. And harder now because it's in your head. Is the issue the crowding, or are you rotating or catching and edge trying to flat base it off?

And tell your man to step up and clear a path for his lady.
 
#11 ·
Just start running over the unload area loiters. The more I ride the more I bitch at people doing stupid shit. @ridenbend was laughing at me for talking shit to someone the other day. I will snag peoples skis/boards and spin them. I have taken peoples poles from them on traverses and tossed them off the trail when they are slinging them around like a fucking samurai. I spray groups of people stopped in areas that are blocking the flow of traffic.

I mean i also stop to pick up yard sales or give a hand to a boarder than cant get out of deep snow.....

I guess what I am getting at is that if you correct the behaviors enough, eventually they go away. Maybe it will never happen but its fun being a dick to stupid people sometimes.

Definitely practice skating. I hold out to be the last off the lift. My son shoots off as soon as the lift gets there....
 
#12 ·
As you know, it's in your head. But, get a stomp pad and put it near your back binding. When you get off the chair, slam that back foot on it and against your back binding. Control with your front foot. Maybe get to the mountain early and practice before lines start forming.
 
#15 ·
I took my buddy boarding and he wiped out pretty hard coming off the lift.

Thing is, he didn't just fall after clearing the lift, he fell in front of me. So I had him at my feet and couldn't get out of the way. Anyways, I turned around just to see the lift coming straight at me. The lift took out my torso and I couldn't move my feet, pretty much did a no motion tamedog.
 
#16 · (Edited)
My absolute favorite chair ramp....thing is there is only about 15 feet of runout before you have to turn a hard right or left otherwise its straight on into a cliff area...PLUS you have folks hiking through. After a couple of seasons of eating shit...everything else is a cake walk. Too bad they got rid of it a few years back.




And the old on-ramp was about half the ramp up as the above pic....so you had to come-in pretty hot to get on up the thing...if there was no folks in line....otherwise at times it was even a challenge to get on the chair
 
#19 ·
This works for me.

I ride goofy. Therefore I always sit on the right side of the chair. ( looking forward ) That way as I set up to get off the lift I am looking at everyone else on the chair. I can now see and react to what everyone else does as they dismount the chair, but I have no one in my blind spot behind me. ( If you ride regular, you sit on the left side of the chair)

I also make a point of asking others on the chair if they are going left or right. This is really important on 6 pack chairs.

Like Argo, I also hang back and get off the chair last. Again let's me react to the carnage and hopefully not be a part of it.
 
#21 ·
Wraith's chair of doom up there, damn.

Other's said it, it's one of the last aspects of snowboarding to come together for a newer rider. There's so many variables that make it tough. I have a friend that I ride with that has ridden for years and still ate shit at least once a session on the unload, but this year he seems to have kicked the habit. Good for him, but it's less funny for the rest of us. lol
 
#23 ·
My fiancee insists on riding on the right side of the chair, which is fine except on extremely tight double lifts... She is goofy and I ride regular so that way our boards always overlap. She freaks out about lifts so she waits till the last second to turn her board and without fail puts hers down right on top of mine every time

Usually its the option of me biting the bullet and falling or giving a little tail flip and sending her down (lets just say, days I ride with her I avoid the double lift or pair her off with one of her friends lol)
 
#43 ·
I run into people..can't help it if they are in the unload area. I grab them, apologize and politely but firmly remind them where they are standing. Love reading this...I watched people falling off the lifts all day Sunday at K'ton...snowboarding and lifts can be tricky..HOLY GOD, where the hello is that vintage lift?
 
#45 ·
Last season at a small local hill I lined up solo with some random newbs.

Gates open and I skate up the line. I look to my left and right and the newbs were nowhere to be found. I look behind me and these idiots lined up at least 8ft BEHIND the load line.

By the time the lift got to me I no longer had a seat. The liftie clearly paid no attention because my seat ended up being some dudes lap.

The lift kept going until I had to jump off as the lift was in the air, luckily it was only 2-3 ft in the air at this point.
 
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