Jump to content
Note to New Members ×

Stupidity in the liftline


BlueB

Recommended Posts

Ok, enough of "heard in...". Now, let's confess the funniest, stupidest, most embarrassing, hard to believe, or even plain dangerous stuff, that you've done, or observed others doing.

I'll start with myself: 

Today, Patrick went into one roped off line, and I wrongly headed for another. As there were no people in the roped part, I was approaching with too much speed. I wanted to just push the rope up and ride under, to the next line. Somehow, I didn't quite get the rope right, it slipped back down and caught me right into the mouth! My head came to an almost dead stop, but the board and the body carried on, resulting in everything lifting of the ground and me slamming flat on my back. Of course, the rope, getting out of my mouth, caught the googles and helmet and took them off 🙄 The whole ordeal must have looked quite cartoonish... 

Besides bruised ego, I earned a wound on the lip, bruise on the cheek and bitten tongue. My thin neck tube pulled over the face, as per Covid regulation, actually saved me from having much worse cuts. Eating snow and placing it on my face, for the next few runs, has minimized bleeding and swelling... 

Luckily, my son, who was some 10-20 people ahead, with his buddies, only saw the tail end of it. Otherwise, he would probably tease me to the end of my life... 

  • Like 3
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's easy. I have one from this week.

The American Flyer lift in Copper is a "bubble covered" lift that is really nice when it's cold. It has some really nice padded seats, is exceptionally long and reaches super long groomers that are a blast to carve on. However, this design makes it so you can't hook your arm around or under the seat backrest. This causes people to fall off at loading with hilarious regularity. They usually sit down, reach for their phone (because how can you not check your phone while on the lift) and promptly fall off. I've lost count of how many I've seen.

I've had a snowboarder come up and try to join me this week only to disappear under the seat as it was about to be picked up by the high speed line. Idiot.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One advantage of working at the hill is coming in on days off, helping the lifties set up and getting first chair.  We used to use irrigation tubing hooped into 2x8s to set up lines.  One morning I came riding into the line on an upper mountain lift before official opening, clipped one of the corrals, and ended up getting tangled up and stuck in the rest.  Of course, the whole lift maintenance crew (my dept.) happened to be there to watch the whole show.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/23/2021 at 8:24 PM, JRAZZ said:

That's easy. I have one from this week.

The American Flyer lift in Copper is a "bubble covered" lift that is really nice when it's cold. It has some really nice padded seats, is exceptionally long and reaches super long groomers that are a blast to carve on. However, this design makes it so you can't hook your arm around or under the seat backrest. This causes people to fall off at loading with hilarious regularity. They usually sit down, reach for their phone (because how can you not check your phone while on the lift) and promptly fall off. I've lost count of how many I've seen.

I've had a snowboarder come up and try to join me this week only to disappear under the seat as it was about to be picked up by the high speed line. Idiot.

I was there, second chair, the morning it opened (what, 2-seasons ago?). Good god, what a disaster. I think it stopped no less than 10-times, on the way up the hill. I never rode it again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not in the lift line per se, but I was sitting having coffee in the restaurant at Kimberly one day when a snowboarder somehow lost his board at the top of the last approach to the lift. It's a short but relatively steep pitch, so the board picked up a reasonable amount of speed, and took out three people in the line like literal tenpins. Flat on their backs, because of course they never saw it coming. 

The liftie ran out, grabbed the board, and waited for buddy to run down to the bottom before losing his s*** on the guy. I was far enough away that I couldn't hear what he said, but the Chaplin-esque foot stamping and arm waving was enough for anyone to get the gist of the conversation.

Luckily nobody was hurt, but the whole thing was like a segment from an early Warren Miller film.

Boris, glad you're OK! That sounds like it could have ended badly, ouch.

 

Edited by Allee
  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was the normal early season at Big Mountain in the 90’s. Foggy, rime, just below freezing. The scarf I was wearing froze to the chair behind me. As we unloaded, I was pulled around taking out my two fiends that rode up with me. The lifty stopped the chair just as I cleared the the opposite side of the wheel and I was dropped face first in the snow. Only 4 people saw it, but I will never live it down!

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does a snowboarder say hello?

"Oh, sorry dude!"

Years ago: A nearby hill has a fixed-grip lift with one chair conspicuously missing. It's really obvious when waiting for a chair as the timing is odd. I was there with a first-time skier friend. He asked, I mentioned it fell off last week as were scooped up. His eyes went pretty wide! 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Corey said:

How does a snowboarder say hello?

"Oh, sorry dude!"

Years ago: A nearby hill has a fixed-grip lift with one chair conspicuously missing. It's really obvious when waiting for a chair as the timing is odd. I was there with a first-time skier friend. He asked, I mentioned it fell off last week as were scooped up. His eyes went pretty wide! 

I get a kick out of the wide eyed looks when we put a bubble chair on line mid day, usually after polishing out graffiti too offensive to leave until the end of the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...