Chairlift rescue.

[Lone_Poor_Boy]

You didn't James Bond it and just drop down to the snow on your skis and take off like in the movies?

 

[Ron R]

I reckon that would most likely squash any desire to ski.

 

[Engine Swap]

A buddy almost fell off the chairlift when I was in high-school ski club.

He was riding up and noticed a loose buckle on his boot. He bent down to fix it and slipped off the seat. He was able to grab the legs of the other rider and hung on for dear life. Probably about 25 feet up that point. He dropped to safety towards the top. We all gave him a bunch of crap.

 

[imwjl]

I don't ski, but use the chairlifts in the summer when the ski resorts change to be MTB DH Parks.

I am firstly always terrified of my bike falling off the lift, but I've heard more than a few stories about people being stuck in mid summer who got terrible sunburn...

The thought has crossed my mind. I might do lift served biking at most 4-5x a year. Skis can be that many times a week.

For your bike it is really simple. We're not supposed to beat up on our fellows/others in the species and be respectful. The rules for skis and MTBs are you should be beating them into worn out stuff every chance you get.

 

[Old Plank]

Having skied my whole life I've been stuck on many the lengthily stopped chair ... never went thru a rescue thankfully, but one time as kids we were sitting there at what seemed like a very low point, and so what did we do, jumped off of course! What I discovered is that no matter how low it looks from the chair, it's actually higher ... hit the snow much harder than expected. Took a few moments to gather ourselves up but managed to take off before the ski patrol catching us. We didn't weigh much so didn't cause too bad of cable bouncing. As I don't like heights at all, I think I would have a pretty bad time with the whole rope rescue thing.

That movie was the worst! I think they may have spent $100 total on the set. Like just one camera filming actors on a fake chairlift chair. It was so bad we had to watch it till the end just to see if anything was going to happen.

I must say I totally liked that movie!, in bad-B movie way, it certainly threw everything bad at you that might happen from long-term stuck-age on chair in winter! In fact I honestly liked it way more than the other Frozen.

 

[getbent]

I'm not a natural at the adventure stuff but it was and remains life changing and what it does should foundational. Long ago it was part of transition from being a chubby and bullied kid. It was and is a fun way to teach ourselves. Now it helps me be old.

It doesn't have to be a winter or a gravity sport to teach the be bold and fear management. Many activities teach it. Thinking back on life, many things have the right elements. Fun things make it easier and again, fun! Many things considered dangerous are not so much if you drill into actual fatalities and injuries.

Been there, done that and in a few flavors. Probably seen some extra from being a trail steward, the years I was a licensed guide, and doing lots of outside stuff.

Something strange in this was patrollers getting angry at people with phones out as if some were misbehaving. It was like police who can push their behavior in a wrong direction. The trigger was missing with their gun to shoot a line over the cable and several shots where the 22 sounding shell didn't shoot it high enough. They should have sent the most competent patrollers to our 3 highest chairs first vs last.

Our understanding is the "e brake triggered and did gear box damage". I think e means emergency in this case. More fear than a rescue is knowing there have been some brake failures sending chairs backwards fast.

probably not wanting to be on insta looking unpreprepared.

 

[Honga Man]

I'm getting close to fifty years on skis myself. I think my parents got me started around 1974 or '75. Now I ski with my teenage children.

I have always been a little scared on ski lifts, when I think about it. It's not a constant fear, but once in a while I think, "What if..."

I'm that guy with one arm around the back of the chair if others don't want the bar down, at least when the chair is high above the snow and/or when my mind is playing "What if" games with me.

 

[tele_savales]

Getting on and off chairlifts is dangerous, and learning how to do it without mangling yourself is a requisite skill for fun in the mountains, especially at ski areas where there are old fixed-grip chairs. Getting smacked by a chair or getting your skis or board crossed up under can hurt you pretty badly when there's 2000 feet of wire rope and all the other chairs behind you-kind of like getting hit by a slow moving train.
I have a buddy in Colorado who always has webbing for a swami belt, and a few 100 feet of escape line to rappel off a chairlift if he has to, when he actually does bother to ski in bounds. He's used it more than once.

 

[Peegoo]

 

[Honga Man]

especially at ski areas where there are old fixed-grip chairs

Plenty of those still around. Here's Lift 9 at Loveland Ski Area, where we ski most often.

I'd be the guy on the left with my arm around the back of the chair.

When it debuted, Lift 9 was the highest elevation quad chair in the world.

...and no bar for us 'fraidy cats.

 

[imwjl]

Plenty of those still around. Here's Lift 9 at Loveland Ski Area, where we ski most often.

I'd be the guy on the left with my arm around the back of the chair.

My daughter and I have been there and on it when they decided to close it down. The sketchy old lift matter has been in mind before this because for a few seasons now we've been pursuing the opposite of Epic/Ikon. Overall we've loved avoiding the crowds and the affordability factor. We ski more than ever that way.

probably not wanting to be on insta looking unpreprepared.

I'm sure.

I would like to be an angry jerk to them in my follow up message but that would be IMWJL v 1.x where IMWJL v 2.x is the result of working decades to behave and think better. The struggle are real.

 

[Ted Keane]

When I was 20 I used to ski with a guy who was kinda shady,but a great skier.We were on a chairlift and the guy in front of us dropped his wallet.About 15 ft down.My partner immediately grabbed the side of the chair,slid off and held on for a sec,dropped,picked up the wallet and skied off.I saw him later.He turned his jacket inside out,took off his hat,took the money out of the wallet and turned in the wallet to lost and found.I told him he was a dick,but he bought me a couple drinks.Freaked me out to have a guy sitting next to me jump off.

 

[ZackyDog]

Very brave indeed.

Your experience reminds me of Killer Wind from The Six Million Dollar Man. Lee Majors really performed that stunt.

 

[johnny k]

I had one ride on one of those. I don't like heights, and i didn't expect it to go this high. Considering there only a metal bar preventing you from jumping / falling through, i won't do it again. Terrifying.

 

[teletimetx]

My daughter and I have been there and on it when they decided to close it down. The sketchy old lift matter has been in mind before this because for a few seasons now we've been pursuing the opposite of Epic/Ikon. Overall we've loved avoiding the crowds and the affordability factor. We ski more than ever that way.

Loveland Basin doesn’t belong to either Epic or Ikon - they get more than enough traffic being so close to Denver. It’s one of the places I started at about 1964-65. That lift 9 had mirrors up top so you could check your face for frostbite.

Most of the Colorado ski areas are ridiculously expensive now, so I applaud your efforts in finding more budget friendly spots.

The Ikon pass works ok for me now, because retirement lets me ski on weekdays, where I can ski up to the chair with no lines at places like A-basin, just over the pass from Loveland.

Never have had to bail out of stopped chairlift, but have had plenty stops where it almost seems like a good idea.

Still skiing at 70 - keep up the good work and you will be, too!

 

[Guran]

I have been sitting there for a long time, but never had a rescue.

Here there has been a rescue pouch behind the backrest, containing a rescue rope and, I suppose, some other necessities. That would eliminate the gun problem.

In recent years I have noticed that I hardly ever see that pouch anymore. I assume that they have decided to not trust people to set that up. I think they may be right about that, at least for some/most people.

I have never seen what's inside that pouch, besides a rope. Some kind of harness and some descender device I suppose. To stand on the ground and try to instruct a person 15' up, with fear of heights and no technical inclination, how to rig a descender and then get out of the chair could be interesting!

 

[Frontman]

Come to Japan. I was stuck on the symphony lift at Hanazono for half an hour. But it is enclosed, has heated seats, and plays classical music through the speakers inside.

 

[imwjl]

Loveland Basin doesn’t belong to either Epic or Ikon - they get more than enough traffic being so close to Denver. It’s one of the places I started at about 1964-65. That lift 9 had mirrors up top so you could check your face for frostbite.

Most of the Colorado ski areas are ridiculously expensive now, so I applaud your efforts in finding more budget friendly spots.

The Ikon pass works ok for me now, because retirement lets me ski on weekdays, where I can ski up to the chair with no lines at places like A-basin, just over the pass from Loveland.
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Never have had to bail out of stopped chairlift, but have had plenty stops where it almost seems like a good idea.

Still skiing at 70 - keep up the good work and you will be, too!

I love A-Basin too. I'm not so sure I'll make it to CO this winter but am aiming for skiing as long as I can. I have family between front range and Frisco but airlines mess and time probably mean keeping at a not more than month of 2-4 day trips.

We can't replicate the vertical but search YouTube for Mount Bohemia TV episode 3. That's quite a happy place unlike most of the sport.

If I travel farther, there is a lot of interest in some IndyPass locations elsewhere. Also, there was a period when I was spending a lot of time either side of the Tetons so if I splurge going to the JAC airport has appeal.

This chairlift issue day was my first since Thanksgiving when I saw any lift lines. The forgotten in time places have had untracked fresh stuff for whole days. Week before last my daughter and I decided we can't be frustrated with tracks in the trees when we made all but two of them.

I hope this lasts well for another 10-20 years to put me past 70 or 80! The real concern is at some point getting limited on expert terrain.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Come to Japan. I was stuck on the symphony lift at Hanazono for half an hour. But it is enclosed, has heated seats, and plays classical music through the speakers inside.

That's not a lift, that's a gondola, right?

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Here there has been a rescue pouch behind the backrest, containing a rescue rope and, I suppose, some other necessities. That would eliminate the gun problem.

For goodness sake people, put the gun done! They'll come and get you down. Deep breaths and think of all the things you have to live for!!!