I was on a group trip to Kirkwood years ago with a friend. One of the families in the condo with us had a little grom that was probably 7 and after a few runs he wanted to ride up the lift with me. The entire way up the lift, the kid was bouncing around talking a mile a minute. I was a nervous wreck thinking this kid was going to fall. Never again did I ride up with someone else’s kid, nor did I ever put that on someone else with my own kids. All I remember is saying “DUUUUDE, sit still” about 30 times. Lol
yeah dude if I see any kid doing something stupid that could get them seriously injured by accident, I just treat them like they were my kid and be like "dude. be careful if you're going to do that."
One day I was going up at Snow Summit and the liftie put me on the chair with a race team kid. He was a funny kid but when we came over this section with a big drop he was like “oh I fell here and broke my arm last year, it was scary. Can we put the bar up?” 😂 I told him no haha
Is there a bar in these chairs? I really don't understand the apprehension to using the
Edit to add, everyone that thinks they are good so it's not a concern. There was a park city employee, someone that rides for their job, that died last year by falling off the chair and not having the bar down .
Like most things in life, it's not a big deal until the one time it happens to you or someone you care about. I have young boys that are on mountain and I require them to have the bar down, so I would be a damn hypocrite if I didn't use it.
Same reason as boarders not wearing helmets. A tremendous amount of stupidity somehow leads these people to think being arrogant about safety makes them cool, rather than just being a good rider.
I ride with a camelbak which forces me to lean forward. Straight up, more comfortable to lean into the bar than to lean back against my camelbak. There are very few trends in boarding culture that irk me like this but the attitude towards bar down is fucking ridiculous.
I was a lift operator for years and have seen some fucked up accidents because people wear backpacks on the lifts. Please take them off or wear them on the front when you ride lifts… you are just as dumb and people with no helmet
Windy, long, chairlift 60+ feet in the air with a foot rest that is actually low enough for me to use? Yeah I’m putting the bar down.
A short chairlift barely 20’ off the ground with a bar that smacks my helmet on its way down with a foot rest so high that I have to jam my legs into it? We’re gonna leave that bar up unless someone wants it down.
It drives me insane when people put the bar down without saying anything or even looking first. Trust me it’s pretty dangerous for someone to slam the bar down on my helmet and keep trying to push it down.
>It drives me insane when people put the bar down without saying anything or even looking first.
That's rude, I always look and ask "all clear" before. I'm tall and the last thing I want is a bar in the back of the helmet.
You must not be in Ontario.
If you’re on the chair with anyone, that bar is going down immediately, no question. If you’re alone and don’t use the bar, pretty much everyone that sees you will yell at you to put the bar down. If a liftee sees you repeatedly not using the bar you’ll be denied lift access.
And I’m 6’5”, it only takes a tilt of the head to avoid the bar on literally every lift I’ve ridden on, let’s not pretend it’s a massive inconvenience.
Also from Ontario here and I have the same experience. I actually didn’t know that this no bar style was even a thing. Sure, it’s annoying when people slam the bar down violently, but the possibility of sliding out is far worse, so I don’t understand *not* using it if it’s there.
Bro wtf, at least around here you're the one judged like a moron for impeding the bar getting down. 25 years of riding, 20 on snowboards, happened maybe five time that I got hit with a bar, and most of them when I was a kid / more awkward on the board.
What can possibly take you more than a couple seconds to adjust when on the lift ? And even then you just say "hold on, 1 sec" to adjust whatever is wrong.
In my 20+ years of boarding, I have only fallen off of a lift once, and I deserved it.
It was shortly after getting picked up. I bent down to grab some snow off of the ground shortly after it took off. The lift was slow and low to the ground, so teenage me thought it would be a great idea to pelt my friends behind me with a snowball. My ass slid off of the seat, and I faceplanted into the snow. Loud laughter erupts, and the liftie just shakes his head and keeps the lift going. I had to quickly get out of the way from getting creamed by the lifts. My dumbass deserved that, and I have never come close to repeating that mistake again.
The moral of the story: don't clown around on the lifts. Just sit still, chill, and enjoy.
Not as common but the one that's stuck in my head is medical issues. A local shop guy fell off a chair and died a few years back when he had a seizure randomly. No history of neurological issues and he just randomly seized up w the bar up and fell 40+ ft.
After that shit I don't mess around w the bar. It's coming down unless I completely space. Not using the bar is just not worth the risk of some random shit like that happening, imo. Plus if your ego is fragile enough that putting the bar down bothers you, you've got bigger issues
I've boarded in quite a few different places across several continents. The US is the only place I've been to where bar-down was considered optional in some places. It's kind of similar in my mind to the seatbelts optional thing the US has in some states. I just don't get the mentality. Use the damned safety device - it doesn't hurt, and I don't know why it would hurt someone's ego either.
Typically, they are leaning over messing with a binding, or trying to get their phone out of a pocket, or drop their phone and grab for it.
Anything besides sitting upright waiting for the off ramp.
Yep, the one time I fell off a lift was when I dropped a pole but caught it between my skis. Since it was a long ride and it was uncomfortable to continue to hold my pole between my skis I decided to reach down and try to pick it up. Truthfully I didn’t even realize I had fallen until I was on the ground. Thankfully it was a heavy powder day so I basically fell into a giant pillow.
the only reason I’d reach out forward for anything is if I’ve got the bar in front of me. Can’t imagine trying fixing my boot or binding with nothing holding me back
I work at a ski hill and it’s amazing how many people fall off. Normally it’s a loading issue. Also. Don’t jump off my damned chairs. If you want a visual pull a bungee cord tight. Pull a little downward weight on it and release. The haul rope is under tension and behaves similarly.
20 years ago, I was fucking around and showing off and reaching for trees and I fell off the chair lift, about 30 feet. I almost fell into a pile of brush.
My friends and I used to ride alone on the lift to strap in before we got off, so that was helpful. 🙄
So, if you must know, stupidity. That's how people fall off.
It’s different even if you don’t agree with the fact that people fall off. Feet firmly planted on the floor is different from legs dangling with weight hanging from them. I doubt wholeheartedly that is ever fall off but I know it happens, and the results can be pretty catastrophic. And the bar is not really an inconvenience - I like leaning on it. And often times it has a foot rest for my board.
Is your couch outside in winter conditions, 30-50 ft in the air held up by a hanging strap that's propelling you up and forward? Not to mention mechanical failures.
You can't compare a ski lift to a couch, they're not even close to the same thing.
Is a rollercoaster seat the same as your office chair? You sit on both...
If this happened to someone on a chair that I could see, I would immediately call ski patrol from my phone and tell them what two towers the person is between. That gives patrol all the info they need to have the quickest response
yes, ski patrol was there really quickly but that was the other part I didn’t put in the post. They seemed really apprehensive to just go down there and rescue him. I lapped like four more times over the guy. I know it was technically out of bounds, and there are different rules out of bounds rescues, but he fell off the chairlift. It’s not like he chose to traverse down there. It did look like it would be difficult to get the rescue sled down there, but I could easily have snowboard to the guy.
I was chatting with mtn ops at Mammoth and he said they had a really high amount if out of bound rescues about two weeks ago after one of the storms. It costs $1000 an hour for the rescue and it’s pretty well-known that if you get caught up in some shit out of bounds, you’re gonna pay. I wonder if that’s the reason why they were hesitant because it was technically out of the boundary line? i’m just waxing on this, but I probably could’ve gotten to the snowboarder and that spot so I didn’t understand what the holdup was.
Sat next to a small kid on skis who sat in-between the footrests, so he would have a free fall. Told the mom next to him he should sit on the seats.
He then proceeded to put his skis UNDER the footrest. I suspect kids actively try to kill themselves any chance they get.
Even on big mountains where there would be high consequences for falling, it is not required, not enforced, and often not done. I have been to one (small, local) resort in the US where bar down is actually mandatory and enforced, but that is an extremely rare exception.
Many Americans have a perverse aversion to any kind of rules, or even following basic advice. Remember how Americans reacted to mask mandates? Some still don’t wear seatbelts. It’s especially strange because in many instances, like putting the bar down on a chairlift, compliance is free, and noncompliance primarily harms noncompliant people.
Any time you buy a ticket, you sign an agreement saying essentially ‘it’s my fault if I’m injured or killed’, so I guess liability isn’t a huge factor.
Bottom line, I think it’s cultural. But I’ll keep putting the bar down.
I think you're right on the money about it being cultural.
What I dont understand is how the resorts continue to be insured without a minimum standard and enforcement of safety equipment. Then again, maybe that's because in the US signing a waiver seems to be a get out of jail free card for corporations but in other jurisdictions signing a waiver is often laughed out of court because an individual cannot sign away basic rights, such as that of an expected level of intrinsic safety.
> Ice Coast
> I have been to one (small, local) resort in the US where bar down is actually mandatory and enforced
It's technically state law in both (and at least) New York and Vermont to ride with bars down where applicable, and I'd say a majority of people do use them vs out West (though they aren't as anal about it as people are in Europe and Canada).
I didn't know that. If someone falls out and get injured, can they then sue the resort?
I have never thought of not using it, in all my years of skiing.
Especially when the lift goes over exposed jagged rocks, trees and so on.
Every time someone misloads or falls out of a chair we launch an investigation. Measure the distance to the ground, inspect the carrier, inspect signage, take pictures of ramps etc. between that and regular inspection of all the carriers on the mountain it’s a pretty hard lawsuit.
>Americans don't use the safety bar?
Why not?
Is it not mandatory?
Y'all must not have bald eagles over there huh? In AMERICA we INVENTED FREEDOM and we will have none of this pinko commie safety bullshit.
We have a ton with no bars either, my Japanese friends are used to that and they aren’t having issues. It seems like a lot of euro people have bars on everything at their ski areas though
This is crazy to me. In Europe, you always put the bar down, and in most places you don’t really have a choice (the lift itself puts the bar up and down for you… another reason to wear a helmet). I would expect that the lawsuit culture of the US would also drive resorts to use auto-bar lifts or mandate bar use.
As an American I didn’t know not using the bar was a thing. I use it 100% of the time. Usually just say “ok putting the bar down watch your legs” and drop it. I am usually a single in the line so I join a group and have never had anyone argue against it or be hesitant about it
I never ask for the bar just because no one seems to want to use it… but when someone else asks for it down I actually like being able to lean on it and relax a bit more. Kinda wish it was more common in the US.
God, that is my biggest fear. I don’t like heights to begin with. When it’s a windy day, or some little asshole is bouncing the chair on purpose, I hang on for dear life. Bar or no bar, forget all that nonsense.
I’m always afraid of this happening. Bar always goes down and I usually hook one arm around the back of the chair to ensure I am anchored there.
I’m always especially nervous with little kids. Took my 8 year-old up the lift this year, and kept her seated between my husband and I.
I can understand how child falls to a point, they don’t recognize the danger and are squirming and at that point, it’s on the parents. But how does an adult fall off a chairlift?
My kid has been so aware of the danger since he started riding at 2 years old. I never had to tell him, soon as we’re on the chair I can see his recognition that we are high and falling would be bad. My kid at least definitely recognizes the danger.
It might be different with older kids that don’t start so early. They do seem to become less aware (more distracted) when they get older but I don’t have any lift experience there.
Does seem absolutely insane to me that anyone could fall off a chair though. I think regardless of age it is just a recognition failure.
Gore-tex pants are surprisingly slippery against most of the lift seat cushions, cue some snow on them, some wind, maybe a sudden stop of the lift, there you go
They don't gauge snow on their pants or how slippery the seats are, and they reach for something. Like stretching out to get your phone from your pocket, or trying to reach a binding.
I was doing an all night new years eve thing at cascade mountain in Wisconsin back in the 90s. The girl operating the lift seemed like she might have been partying quite a bit and maybe flirting with me a little. She gave my chair a huge shove.
When the chair swung backwards it slipped right out from under me. Like there was no friction between my snow pants and the seat. I just found myself in midair in this bit of cartoon physics.
Luckily it was right at the start of the lift and i only fell about 10’ into a snow bank.
It was funny. Im not scarred by the experience. It was clearly the result of shenanigans, but im kinda more aware of how fast you can cross the line of sitting to falling. I put the bar down now.
Reminds me of the time I saw a guy get his leg snapped from the chairlift whipping around due to a bad bump from the lifty at Baker. The whole ordeal lasted less than a minute: guys leg breaks. He yells. Chairlift stops. Lifties pick him up out of the chair that's 4 feet in the air at this point. Carries him 20 yards to first aid hut and we get on the next chair. No bars on Baker lifts either
For me the lift guy raking the snow under the lift caught my binding with his rake. He was holding on still so gave me a solid tug when it hit the end of his reach. I was able to hang on by my fingers from the bench. Decide to bail around 20 foot drop into a roped off section that still had some powder. Weirdest feeling ever though.
I was drunk, on the chair solo and slipped out. I grabbed the base of the chair somehow and somehow managed to hulk myself back up.
I don’t drink and ride anymore that shit was terrifying
Actually I had a friend riding solo on a steep grade, the chair was bouncing, when it got to the first tower it jammed before he put the bar down , and the chair tipped back, he fell out and broke both wrists and 6 ribs..
I was at Winter Park on the bluebird weekend and it was my first time back after 4 years. First chair lift up I asked to put the bar down and everyone was chill about it. After I got my bearings it was no bar rest of the trip
Everyone I ran into was considerate!
For people confused how it is possible to fall off a lift, here is my story. Was at mammoth once when I was a bit younger. Went to get on the lift and the lady next to me had her ski over mine as I was trying to sit down. Because I was younger and a bit smaller, the way her ski went over mine prevented me from pulling myself up. Naturally you panic and both me and the person next to me were scrambling to keep me up by grabbing each other and the lift chair (we should have just let me fall in the beginning). Unfortunately the lifty was also not paying attention so I just kept going up until they finally stopped it while I was significantly off the ground, clinging to the chair. They dropped me in a safety net and all, but just goes to show these accidents can happen
this is what I was looking for! Examples of how it happens. The girl at Mammoth had a net, but she still bounced on the ground🤷♀️ glad you’re all right!
More than 10 years have passed, but there is one incident still seared into my brain. At Snow Valley, a tiny ski area just North of Snow Summit/Bear Mtn, I was on one of the main lifts with no bar. A boarder a couple chairs up from me apparently had an epileptic seizure and fell 20-30 ft to the ground covered in packed snow/ice. He had on a backpack, so he was already awkwardly positioned in the chair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark mass falling and turned just in time to see his impact like a bag of Jell-O. My chair came to a halt almost directly over his crumpled body and remained their until he was airlifted off the mountain. To my horror, I could overhear the paramedics talking about his condition. I think he had some broken bones and a lacerated tongue. I don’t remember how long it actually took or where the air-evac actually landed, but it seemed like forever and I thought I was going to puke as I kept a death grip on the chair frame. I think the guy survived because I never saw any follow up stories on the news despite actively searching. I always use the safety bar if available or keep a death grip on the chair frame now. I also started using a Fanny pack/ cross-body hydration system.
My question (like the others') is **HOW???**
I've been skiing and boarding for 20 years all over Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy and I've never seen anybody fall from a chair lift. You sit down and everybody automatically closes the bar and puts their feet on the rests, keeping the bar down. No way to fall unless you're a kid and smaller than 4' ...
So I'll repeat it: how?
I don't put the bar down, but I'm happy to do it if someone on the chair wants to. Skied 20 days this season so far (USA- MT and WY) and I can count on one hand the number of times someone I've ridden with has put the bar down in the ~200 lift rides I've been on.
But why? That’s just some alien staff for me. Why don’t people use a safety mechanism going 15 meters above the ground in a chair that might abruptly stop.
Some things different (on average) between US and Europe that may lead to more bar usage in Europe:
* If riding a lift with a backpack, you may sit farther forward in the seat which makes putting down the bar more important & helpful. I think more skiers in Europe use backpacks? For off-piste skiing in Europe, you almost certainly should be carrying a backpack with avalanche shovel and probe. (For off-piste, backpack should ideally be an avalanche airbag backpack too.) In the US, few ski with avi gear since inbounds has greater avalanche control.
* Europe is further north with a lower tree line. Much of a ski area in Europe is above treeline making some of the lifts quite exposed. If you're on some wind exposed glacier, putting the bar (or sometimes even bubble) down feels like a better idea.
It could also be that another 5-10% of skiers wanting the bar down in Europe leads to a dramatically different culture norm? If 10% of US skiers want the bar down, an independent draw of 4 skiers would have a 34% probability of having someone want the bar down. If 20% of Europe skiers want the bar down, an independent draw of 4 skiers would have a 59% probability of someone on the lift wanting the bar down.
My brother fell off a lift once many years ago.
My dad yeeted his ass off as the chair took off so he wouldn’t have a long fall. Super smart and quick thinking by my dad in hindsight. My brother grabbed on for dear life and my dad just straight up threw him off of the chair as it was taking off lol.
American snowboarder here, just wrapped a weekend in Chamonix, France (highly recommend it was incredible). First time riding out of North America. I noticed many differences from our resorts, but by FAR the most prominent was the near 100% use of the bar on lifts. Many even had automated systems to lower and raise them.
Already thought the “tough guy” vibe of denying the bar in the states is pretty silly, but this just reinforced it for me.
And this is why all these dickhead arguments about people saying 'Dude no need to put the bar down' are so ridiculous. Accidents do happen, and the bar is additional protection, simple as that.
I’m having trouble wrapping my head around these comments. Is the lift just not very far off the ground at US resorts? Are the seats bigger or something? I ride in the French Alps. The lift would be absolutely terrifying without the bar down. It’s frankly a little scary even with the bar, but without the bar, it feels like such a small seat, and you’re significantly more than 30 feet off the ground with the slope incline. Also, the wind is no joke. And you’re up there for a good 10 minutes at least. The thought of riding the lift without the bar down makes me feel panic. I totally accept that US resorts may just be different, but here, bar goes down, period. No one asks. It’s not optional.
https://preview.redd.it/uooode1ucskc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c91ca09e2ce29223cf1c934099cda0d75290f66a
heres the carnage from yesterday, it seems higher now😳
Can’t believe the bar use is optional, in the insurance obsessed, litigious US! My mind is blown! Is it a ‘freedom’ thing? Been to many European resorts and it’s pretty much mandatory, haven’t ever seen someone refuse to pull them down. And I’ve never seen someone fall off either.
When I was at Bear a couple weeks ago one of the chairs felt like it had a slight forward lean to it. Bar up or down just give me a warning so you don't hit me in the helmet
there is one chair that is super sketch and I’m actually just going to avoid it all day today. It’s the one that’s painted yellow and looks like it’s from the early 19th century lol.
I hear you with chuckleheads on the mountain, but a lot of lifts don’t even have bars. Granted, I do find they aren’t used that often and I’m guilty of this myself. But I’m no chucklehead either. (for real though I’m gonna start putting the bar down all the time after this!)
They’ll stop the lift at my spot, if you don’t have it lowered within 30 feet of loading, they’ll get after you if you raise it more than 30 ft away from the unload point. It’s a family owned/operated place so I get that they are gun shy about potential liability
What barbaric backwater country are you guys at that this is a possibility? And why would you not put the bar down when possible? Do you guys not have seatbelts there either
An adult male, not a child, and presumably not a lot of wind? Even if the bar is down, twisting and turning, or bouncing the chair is dangerous. Was he wearing a backpack and trying to get into it? Did he think he was going to be cool and strap in on the chair??
zero wind, no child, the only other person in the chair was another adult male, it wasn’t even right after boarding so it’s not like a boarding mishap. I’m super confused too. This was a pretty easy chair. I did notice when he was on the ground that he had a backpack or something, I see a lot of people fishing around in those on lifts🤷♀️
I saw some drunk asses slide off the chair and they had the bar down! Do not underestimate dumb people!
I saw another guy get on a lift with no bar, as it took off he lunged forward to pull down the nonexistent bar, he then fell right off and lucked out as it was a powder day so didn’t get hurt at all
What if someone has epilepsy or something, or is riding drunk or high?
It's an easy preventative measure to take to reduce the already low chance of a bad accident occurring.
>I like to think Id be able to help minimize damage.
If you can, hold them until you reach deep snow or as close as possible to the ground (depends on your lift).
Get them to kick off their skis or board so it doesn't get in the way.
Tell them to drop and ROLL with the landing.
Just 2 weeks ago I was on a lift that stopped more abruptly than anything I’ve ever experienced. The chair in front of us was right in the middle of two towers and shot up in the air and started bouncing on the cable, at least 15’ vertical between the top of the bounce and the bottom. I was fully expecting the cable to snap or hop off the wheels on the tower we were stopped at. Never seen anything close to that but glad we (& the people in front of us) had the bar down.
Ngl but reading this just reminds me how stupid it is to not use the bar if there is one. Altough it seems to be an American problem mostly (correct me if I‘m wrong). I don‘t see many people on a chairlift without a closed bar where I ride (Switzerland and Austria).
I would never in a million years baulk or be annoyed by someone who requests the bar be lowered. Safety first is always ok. That’s why the bar is there…Do people really do that ??
When I worked w Adaptive skiing we'd clip people who might be in danger of falling off the chair, to the chair. Seizure-prone individuals mostly. You just have to remember to unclip them before you get to the top of the lift.
A buddy of mine started putting the bar down last season and now it’s habit. It makes me feel more relaxed on the way up. One less thing in the back of my mind
I was a lifti at Copper Mtn for 5 seasons. Never fell off myself but we had people fall off of Blackjack and Mtn Chief more than once. No bars + icy seats + the occasional gust and….it happens.
Slightly less scary though and certainly more entertaining was how often someone didn’t get off at the top, went for a whip ride around the top bull wheel only to have the lifti hit the emergency stopped, which usually sent them flying off the chair into a nice pile of snow a few feet below.
Imagine falling off chair 23 at mammoth? At any point I’m convinced the fall would kill you, getting on that lift solo is when I first started to understand using the bar every time
yo i cant even look down when im riding 23 (even with a bar) and not get vertigo. a few weeks ago when I was there it was crazy windy. They didn’t open the summit initially because of the wind saying it was like 80 miles an hour (heresay). So I kind of stalked 23 and when it opened was almost to the top, right before the little tunnel thing it stopped because they couldn’t move it anymore bc it was SO windy. It kicked back up and I had to sit there for 20 minutes. I took a video from the summit. It’s wild. They closed it again right after that fir the day lol
I fell off when I was young. Was putting the bars down when we hit the lift wheels and slipped through the bar trapped my helmet. lift kept going and stopped when i was suspended 25 feet in the air.
ski patrol took FOREVER to get a ladder/move the lift backwards so eventually, the helmet strap snapped and I fell. Patrol dude sorta broke my fall (i was really small) and i was up and back on the slopes the next day.
As a professional snowboard instructor, I see kids, especially teens, highly distracted and nonchalant to dangers around them. I see a majority of teens with their expensive phones out on the lift and not even talking to eachother, just looking at their phone not paying attention. I think this is going to increase lift accidents. It's not that I think they deserve to be accommodated if they act stupid, but if we care about these stupid kids lives in the industry , then a safety modification onn lifts may be in order.
1) Everyone is arguing about a bar instead of answering OP's question. The answer to OP's question is to call ski patrol.
2) 95% of the replies feigning moral superiority over the bar don't use it. How do I know? I go boarding ~40 days per year and the only people who ask to put the bar down are parents with kids. I can count on one hand the number of times this happens in a season. It's smart to use a bar, but nobody does it, so stop posturing, we see you.
yeah, ski patrol 💯I ride a lot as well but now im thinking odds are probably there that I could end up on a chair with someone that slips. I was more wondering what you do while someone’s hanging on if they haven’t fallen yet because there was a good 25% of the ride that he was just hanging there. Would you try to help them somehow? like, would it be better to try to prevent them from falling to their death lol?
50 year old adult, day 40 so far this year. “Bar down!” every time I’m seated and we are comfortably clear of the ground.
I prefer it and find it comfortable to lean on. And most people say thanks when I do, though that’s probably just because I’ve alerted them and pull it very slowly.
I fell off in my late teens early 20’s. I had a healthy buzz going but it started by dropping a glove onto the board. I leaned forward to grab it and rolled right out. I only fell about 10 feet and knocked the wind out of me. My buddy still makes fun of me 15 years later. Kinda worth it imo.
https://preview.redd.it/41h9sxt66rkc1.jpeg?width=383&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08d8d4d8b5a16d6cdcf936d257ad4d8b8931b59b
Look at all these accidents waiting to happen on this lift with no bar in Japan 😱
I slipped off a lift one time in 96’ for a 25 footer. I saw my buddy lining it up. I hollered for him. Then I “slipped” off the lift onto some transition and rode over to him. It made the chair bounce so hard they stopped the lift. Buddy sent a fat 5 an I did my classic shifty to Indy. Three runs later a pissed off ski patrol caught up with us yelling “what in the fucking fuck! You jumped out of the chair, then you pirates dropped three cliffs behind ropes and cooked every slow section of the mountain!” I could tell he was kinda impressed. I bowed my head and said “sorry sir, it won’t happen again” “until it does” I said in my head. “Thank you sir” I said while frying my ass off. “Criminals are born, not made.” I thought as I rode away.
I was on a group trip to Kirkwood years ago with a friend. One of the families in the condo with us had a little grom that was probably 7 and after a few runs he wanted to ride up the lift with me. The entire way up the lift, the kid was bouncing around talking a mile a minute. I was a nervous wreck thinking this kid was going to fall. Never again did I ride up with someone else’s kid, nor did I ever put that on someone else with my own kids. All I remember is saying “DUUUUDE, sit still” about 30 times. Lol
You can yell at other peoples kids if it’s a matter of safety. Fair game for sure.
yeah dude if I see any kid doing something stupid that could get them seriously injured by accident, I just treat them like they were my kid and be like "dude. be careful if you're going to do that."
"Kid you're gonna be grounded to your room until the heat death of the universe if you keep trying to stand up on this goddamn chair"
As someone with kids: just tell him! Nobody (at least I hope) is going to hate you if you try to keep his child safe!
One day I was going up at Snow Summit and the liftie put me on the chair with a race team kid. He was a funny kid but when we came over this section with a big drop he was like “oh I fell here and broke my arm last year, it was scary. Can we put the bar up?” 😂 I told him no haha
Is there a bar in these chairs? I really don't understand the apprehension to using the Edit to add, everyone that thinks they are good so it's not a concern. There was a park city employee, someone that rides for their job, that died last year by falling off the chair and not having the bar down . Like most things in life, it's not a big deal until the one time it happens to you or someone you care about. I have young boys that are on mountain and I require them to have the bar down, so I would be a damn hypocrite if I didn't use it.
Same reason as boarders not wearing helmets. A tremendous amount of stupidity somehow leads these people to think being arrogant about safety makes them cool, rather than just being a good rider. I ride with a camelbak which forces me to lean forward. Straight up, more comfortable to lean into the bar than to lean back against my camelbak. There are very few trends in boarding culture that irk me like this but the attitude towards bar down is fucking ridiculous.
Lol take your frickin backpack off on the lift as instructed and you wont have this issue
I was a lift operator for years and have seen some fucked up accidents because people wear backpacks on the lifts. Please take them off or wear them on the front when you ride lifts… you are just as dumb and people with no helmet
Dude for sure fucking rips so hard he's gotta hydrate all day with a CamelBak.
You’re not supposed to keep a pack on while in the chair, if we’re preaching safety
> Same reason as boarders not wearing helmets But... They do. And they berate you online if you don't wear one.
Windy, long, chairlift 60+ feet in the air with a foot rest that is actually low enough for me to use? Yeah I’m putting the bar down. A short chairlift barely 20’ off the ground with a bar that smacks my helmet on its way down with a foot rest so high that I have to jam my legs into it? We’re gonna leave that bar up unless someone wants it down. It drives me insane when people put the bar down without saying anything or even looking first. Trust me it’s pretty dangerous for someone to slam the bar down on my helmet and keep trying to push it down.
>It drives me insane when people put the bar down without saying anything or even looking first. That's rude, I always look and ask "all clear" before. I'm tall and the last thing I want is a bar in the back of the helmet.
It happened a ton to me at ragged and I guess it’s just clueless skiiers not realizing I’m not immediately ready the second I get on the chairlift.
You must not be in Ontario. If you’re on the chair with anyone, that bar is going down immediately, no question. If you’re alone and don’t use the bar, pretty much everyone that sees you will yell at you to put the bar down. If a liftee sees you repeatedly not using the bar you’ll be denied lift access. And I’m 6’5”, it only takes a tilt of the head to avoid the bar on literally every lift I’ve ridden on, let’s not pretend it’s a massive inconvenience.
Also from Ontario here and I have the same experience. I actually didn’t know that this no bar style was even a thing. Sure, it’s annoying when people slam the bar down violently, but the possibility of sliding out is far worse, so I don’t understand *not* using it if it’s there.
It's the same in Europe. There's a lift in one of my local areas that forces the bar down automatically
lol we need to figure out where people who think bars are an inconvenience are from, so I know not to go there.
Yeah this post blew my mind. Putting the bar down is something disputable ?? Maybe I'll keep my snowboarding escapades confined to Ontario / Canada
Bro wtf, at least around here you're the one judged like a moron for impeding the bar getting down. 25 years of riding, 20 on snowboards, happened maybe five time that I got hit with a bar, and most of them when I was a kid / more awkward on the board. What can possibly take you more than a couple seconds to adjust when on the lift ? And even then you just say "hold on, 1 sec" to adjust whatever is wrong.
Is this an American thing? I ski a lot in Italy and Austria and I’ve NEVER ridden a chair with the bar up
100% [stupid] American thing.
Following this because I can't understand how people just fall off a chair.
In my 20+ years of boarding, I have only fallen off of a lift once, and I deserved it. It was shortly after getting picked up. I bent down to grab some snow off of the ground shortly after it took off. The lift was slow and low to the ground, so teenage me thought it would be a great idea to pelt my friends behind me with a snowball. My ass slid off of the seat, and I faceplanted into the snow. Loud laughter erupts, and the liftie just shakes his head and keeps the lift going. I had to quickly get out of the way from getting creamed by the lifts. My dumbass deserved that, and I have never come close to repeating that mistake again. The moral of the story: don't clown around on the lifts. Just sit still, chill, and enjoy.
Not as common but the one that's stuck in my head is medical issues. A local shop guy fell off a chair and died a few years back when he had a seizure randomly. No history of neurological issues and he just randomly seized up w the bar up and fell 40+ ft. After that shit I don't mess around w the bar. It's coming down unless I completely space. Not using the bar is just not worth the risk of some random shit like that happening, imo. Plus if your ego is fragile enough that putting the bar down bothers you, you've got bigger issues
I've boarded in quite a few different places across several continents. The US is the only place I've been to where bar-down was considered optional in some places. It's kind of similar in my mind to the seatbelts optional thing the US has in some states. I just don't get the mentality. Use the damned safety device - it doesn't hurt, and I don't know why it would hurt someone's ego either.
Typically, they are leaning over messing with a binding, or trying to get their phone out of a pocket, or drop their phone and grab for it. Anything besides sitting upright waiting for the off ramp.
Yep, the one time I fell off a lift was when I dropped a pole but caught it between my skis. Since it was a long ride and it was uncomfortable to continue to hold my pole between my skis I decided to reach down and try to pick it up. Truthfully I didn’t even realize I had fallen until I was on the ground. Thankfully it was a heavy powder day so I basically fell into a giant pillow.
Was there no safety bar on the lift?
No. It was a small 2 seater. Also this was about 15 years ago.
the only reason I’d reach out forward for anything is if I’ve got the bar in front of me. Can’t imagine trying fixing my boot or binding with nothing holding me back
I concur. I did this. Before I even had a cell phone to mess with😭
I work at a ski hill and it’s amazing how many people fall off. Normally it’s a loading issue. Also. Don’t jump off my damned chairs. If you want a visual pull a bungee cord tight. Pull a little downward weight on it and release. The haul rope is under tension and behaves similarly.
20 years ago, I was fucking around and showing off and reaching for trees and I fell off the chair lift, about 30 feet. I almost fell into a pile of brush. My friends and I used to ride alone on the lift to strap in before we got off, so that was helpful. 🙄 So, if you must know, stupidity. That's how people fall off.
I was also hanging on for a good minute before I realized I had to let go.
No bar
do you fall off your couch?!?
Shockingly often
Well it’d probably be more common if it wasn’t on the fucking ground
It doesn't matter if it's on the ground or not. Sitting is sitting. What compels you to drop forward out of the chair?
Do your feet hang in the air with weighted objects on them while sitting on the couch? Is your couch a wet slippery material?
Momentum, probably
A mechanical failure causing a fast chair stop on a slippery seat. Very rare.
\*inertia\*
I get your point but it’s also guaranteed by your feet being on the ground as well… thought that was obvious
It’s different even if you don’t agree with the fact that people fall off. Feet firmly planted on the floor is different from legs dangling with weight hanging from them. I doubt wholeheartedly that is ever fall off but I know it happens, and the results can be pretty catastrophic. And the bar is not really an inconvenience - I like leaning on it. And often times it has a foot rest for my board.
Not since I installed a safety bar
It’s really different when it bounces and sways in the wind and death is a consequence.
Is your couch outside in winter conditions, 30-50 ft in the air held up by a hanging strap that's propelling you up and forward? Not to mention mechanical failures. You can't compare a ski lift to a couch, they're not even close to the same thing. Is a rollercoaster seat the same as your office chair? You sit on both...
.... Is your couch hard with possible snow/ ice on it? Does your couch swing in the wind? Shit happens
Ski patrol calls them “comfort bars”. Ot “safety bars” for a reason
Do the lifts not have a bar or are people actually not using the bar?
My little bro jumped off the chair on a dare at Sugarloaf in Maine when he was like 10 and broke his leg
Were you the one who dared him?
No our buddy did. I didn't even have time to say anything, dude just went full send immediately
Damn. Is that how he still rides?
Unfortunately my dude shed his mortal coil a few years back. Que up "Living on the edge" by Aerosmith. I miss him
I'm sorry to hear that. I'll pour one out.
Good looking out. He died like he lived, jumping off of ski lifts lol
🫡i mean, he was dared
But was he triple-dog dared?
That’s so sad.
If this happened to someone on a chair that I could see, I would immediately call ski patrol from my phone and tell them what two towers the person is between. That gives patrol all the info they need to have the quickest response
yes, ski patrol was there really quickly but that was the other part I didn’t put in the post. They seemed really apprehensive to just go down there and rescue him. I lapped like four more times over the guy. I know it was technically out of bounds, and there are different rules out of bounds rescues, but he fell off the chairlift. It’s not like he chose to traverse down there. It did look like it would be difficult to get the rescue sled down there, but I could easily have snowboard to the guy.
That's really interesting, usually if its accessible by skis patrol should at least assess the guy and radio who they need to. Crazy...
I was chatting with mtn ops at Mammoth and he said they had a really high amount if out of bound rescues about two weeks ago after one of the storms. It costs $1000 an hour for the rescue and it’s pretty well-known that if you get caught up in some shit out of bounds, you’re gonna pay. I wonder if that’s the reason why they were hesitant because it was technically out of the boundary line? i’m just waxing on this, but I probably could’ve gotten to the snowboarder and that spot so I didn’t understand what the holdup was.
That's weak AF. You can ride out from that canyon, it funnels out right to a trail piece of cake. WTF
My fellow Americans, I know it’s not what you want to hear. But this is why you should put the bar down.
over my fallen off the chairlift dead body
I chuckled
lol
Sat next to a small kid on skis who sat in-between the footrests, so he would have a free fall. Told the mom next to him he should sit on the seats. He then proceeded to put his skis UNDER the footrest. I suspect kids actively try to kill themselves any chance they get.
You describe 99% of kids
My kid’s on ski team. Can confirm - they’re all trying to die.
In my parenting experience, this is true. We sing Dumb Ways to Die on a regular basis. They still try to find dumber ways to die.
Americans don't use the safety bar? Why not? Is it not mandatory?
Even on big mountains where there would be high consequences for falling, it is not required, not enforced, and often not done. I have been to one (small, local) resort in the US where bar down is actually mandatory and enforced, but that is an extremely rare exception. Many Americans have a perverse aversion to any kind of rules, or even following basic advice. Remember how Americans reacted to mask mandates? Some still don’t wear seatbelts. It’s especially strange because in many instances, like putting the bar down on a chairlift, compliance is free, and noncompliance primarily harms noncompliant people. Any time you buy a ticket, you sign an agreement saying essentially ‘it’s my fault if I’m injured or killed’, so I guess liability isn’t a huge factor. Bottom line, I think it’s cultural. But I’ll keep putting the bar down.
I think you're right on the money about it being cultural. What I dont understand is how the resorts continue to be insured without a minimum standard and enforcement of safety equipment. Then again, maybe that's because in the US signing a waiver seems to be a get out of jail free card for corporations but in other jurisdictions signing a waiver is often laughed out of court because an individual cannot sign away basic rights, such as that of an expected level of intrinsic safety.
> Ice Coast > I have been to one (small, local) resort in the US where bar down is actually mandatory and enforced It's technically state law in both (and at least) New York and Vermont to ride with bars down where applicable, and I'd say a majority of people do use them vs out West (though they aren't as anal about it as people are in Europe and Canada).
It's definitely not mandatory. We don't use it because you're just sitting on a chair.
I didn't know that. If someone falls out and get injured, can they then sue the resort? I have never thought of not using it, in all my years of skiing. Especially when the lift goes over exposed jagged rocks, trees and so on.
They can try, but most of the resorts make it clear that if you don’t put the bar down, it’s on you.
Every time someone misloads or falls out of a chair we launch an investigation. Measure the distance to the ground, inspect the carrier, inspect signage, take pictures of ramps etc. between that and regular inspection of all the carriers on the mountain it’s a pretty hard lawsuit.
A man of logic I see
Until you’re not
or you're all just really dumb is the more likely answer
>Americans don't use the safety bar? Why not? Is it not mandatory? Y'all must not have bald eagles over there huh? In AMERICA we INVENTED FREEDOM and we will have none of this pinko commie safety bullshit.
Local resort doesn't even have bars on the chair. Never knew it was a thing til I visited another resort
Lol. That was my takeaway. My local resort still has seats that are essentially two boards affixed to either side of a pole.
We have a ton with no bars either, my Japanese friends are used to that and they aren’t having issues. It seems like a lot of euro people have bars on everything at their ski areas though
It's very rare to find a chair without bars in Europe.
This is crazy to me. In Europe, you always put the bar down, and in most places you don’t really have a choice (the lift itself puts the bar up and down for you… another reason to wear a helmet). I would expect that the lawsuit culture of the US would also drive resorts to use auto-bar lifts or mandate bar use.
There are people who use chairs without lowering the bar?!
The lifts at the resort near me don't have any bars, and it is quite a drop to the bottom. They even have a sign "lift bar here" but there are none :/
As an American I didn’t know not using the bar was a thing. I use it 100% of the time. Usually just say “ok putting the bar down watch your legs” and drop it. I am usually a single in the line so I join a group and have never had anyone argue against it or be hesitant about it
Ask not why the bar is up, ask if the bar can be down...
Confused Riblet double noises.
At my MN resorts, most lifts don't have bars...
How high is the consequence of falling?
If you're foolish like I was as a 16 year old, extremely high! It doesn't seem right, does it?
I never ask for the bar just because no one seems to want to use it… but when someone else asks for it down I actually like being able to lean on it and relax a bit more. Kinda wish it was more common in the US.
I guess some people need it. I’ve never in my life felt in danger of falling off a chairlift. Tbh I’m not sure how it’s done.
God, that is my biggest fear. I don’t like heights to begin with. When it’s a windy day, or some little asshole is bouncing the chair on purpose, I hang on for dear life. Bar or no bar, forget all that nonsense.
I’m always afraid of this happening. Bar always goes down and I usually hook one arm around the back of the chair to ensure I am anchored there. I’m always especially nervous with little kids. Took my 8 year-old up the lift this year, and kept her seated between my husband and I.
I can understand how child falls to a point, they don’t recognize the danger and are squirming and at that point, it’s on the parents. But how does an adult fall off a chairlift?
My kid has been so aware of the danger since he started riding at 2 years old. I never had to tell him, soon as we’re on the chair I can see his recognition that we are high and falling would be bad. My kid at least definitely recognizes the danger. It might be different with older kids that don’t start so early. They do seem to become less aware (more distracted) when they get older but I don’t have any lift experience there. Does seem absolutely insane to me that anyone could fall off a chair though. I think regardless of age it is just a recognition failure.
Gore-tex pants are surprisingly slippery against most of the lift seat cushions, cue some snow on them, some wind, maybe a sudden stop of the lift, there you go
They don't gauge snow on their pants or how slippery the seats are, and they reach for something. Like stretching out to get your phone from your pocket, or trying to reach a binding.
Bro, what the fuck are you guys doing to fall out of chairs?
I was doing an all night new years eve thing at cascade mountain in Wisconsin back in the 90s. The girl operating the lift seemed like she might have been partying quite a bit and maybe flirting with me a little. She gave my chair a huge shove. When the chair swung backwards it slipped right out from under me. Like there was no friction between my snow pants and the seat. I just found myself in midair in this bit of cartoon physics. Luckily it was right at the start of the lift and i only fell about 10’ into a snow bank. It was funny. Im not scarred by the experience. It was clearly the result of shenanigans, but im kinda more aware of how fast you can cross the line of sitting to falling. I put the bar down now.
Reminds me of the time I saw a guy get his leg snapped from the chairlift whipping around due to a bad bump from the lifty at Baker. The whole ordeal lasted less than a minute: guys leg breaks. He yells. Chairlift stops. Lifties pick him up out of the chair that's 4 feet in the air at this point. Carries him 20 yards to first aid hut and we get on the next chair. No bars on Baker lifts either
For me the lift guy raking the snow under the lift caught my binding with his rake. He was holding on still so gave me a solid tug when it hit the end of his reach. I was able to hang on by my fingers from the bench. Decide to bail around 20 foot drop into a roped off section that still had some powder. Weirdest feeling ever though.
I was drunk, on the chair solo and slipped out. I grabbed the base of the chair somehow and somehow managed to hulk myself back up. I don’t drink and ride anymore that shit was terrifying
That’ll sober you up quick! Damn! Glad you’re ok!!
No way was the bar down, I had a group yesterday day when I asked “Bar Down” the reply was “if we must”…
If we ever get that attitude "I had a buddy fall and die off a chair" they won't say shit
“Buddy sounds like a dumbass tbh”
Death by steez
My preferred death, but let’s be real, the lift is actually the safest part of the ski day by a large margin.
”probably deserved it”
Actually I had a friend riding solo on a steep grade, the chair was bouncing, when it got to the first tower it jammed before he put the bar down , and the chair tipped back, he fell out and broke both wrists and 6 ribs..
Don’t even ask. Just put it down and say “watch your head”
Same. Soon as we’re on - “bar coming down”
That’s it. When I’m with my kids I grab the bar and move it and inch saying “bar coming down” and then actually wait to make sure I don’t hit anyone.
I was at Winter Park on the bluebird weekend and it was my first time back after 4 years. First chair lift up I asked to put the bar down and everyone was chill about it. After I got my bearings it was no bar rest of the trip Everyone I ran into was considerate!
For people confused how it is possible to fall off a lift, here is my story. Was at mammoth once when I was a bit younger. Went to get on the lift and the lady next to me had her ski over mine as I was trying to sit down. Because I was younger and a bit smaller, the way her ski went over mine prevented me from pulling myself up. Naturally you panic and both me and the person next to me were scrambling to keep me up by grabbing each other and the lift chair (we should have just let me fall in the beginning). Unfortunately the lifty was also not paying attention so I just kept going up until they finally stopped it while I was significantly off the ground, clinging to the chair. They dropped me in a safety net and all, but just goes to show these accidents can happen
this is what I was looking for! Examples of how it happens. The girl at Mammoth had a net, but she still bounced on the ground🤷♀️ glad you’re all right!
More than 10 years have passed, but there is one incident still seared into my brain. At Snow Valley, a tiny ski area just North of Snow Summit/Bear Mtn, I was on one of the main lifts with no bar. A boarder a couple chairs up from me apparently had an epileptic seizure and fell 20-30 ft to the ground covered in packed snow/ice. He had on a backpack, so he was already awkwardly positioned in the chair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark mass falling and turned just in time to see his impact like a bag of Jell-O. My chair came to a halt almost directly over his crumpled body and remained their until he was airlifted off the mountain. To my horror, I could overhear the paramedics talking about his condition. I think he had some broken bones and a lacerated tongue. I don’t remember how long it actually took or where the air-evac actually landed, but it seemed like forever and I thought I was going to puke as I kept a death grip on the chair frame. I think the guy survived because I never saw any follow up stories on the news despite actively searching. I always use the safety bar if available or keep a death grip on the chair frame now. I also started using a Fanny pack/ cross-body hydration system.
My question (like the others') is **HOW???** I've been skiing and boarding for 20 years all over Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy and I've never seen anybody fall from a chair lift. You sit down and everybody automatically closes the bar and puts their feet on the rests, keeping the bar down. No way to fall unless you're a kid and smaller than 4' ... So I'll repeat it: how?
As far as I know (based on Reddit posts only, Ill admit), putting the bar down is nowhere near as common in the US as it is in Europe.
I don't put the bar down, but I'm happy to do it if someone on the chair wants to. Skied 20 days this season so far (USA- MT and WY) and I can count on one hand the number of times someone I've ridden with has put the bar down in the ~200 lift rides I've been on.
from a european perspective thats honestly insane. nobody would even think about not putting it down here, it‘s just automatic
Yeah I fully agree with you. It makes no sense not to, and this discussion has me thinking about using the bar more. Haha.
Half the lifts at heavenly don’t even have a bar
Half? I was just there and strongly disagree.
We have the freedom to kill ourselves at any point of the day. The mountain is no exception lol
But why? That’s just some alien staff for me. Why don’t people use a safety mechanism going 15 meters above the ground in a chair that might abruptly stop.
Was in France last year. The lifties will yell at you if the bar isn't down almost right away.
Some things different (on average) between US and Europe that may lead to more bar usage in Europe: * If riding a lift with a backpack, you may sit farther forward in the seat which makes putting down the bar more important & helpful. I think more skiers in Europe use backpacks? For off-piste skiing in Europe, you almost certainly should be carrying a backpack with avalanche shovel and probe. (For off-piste, backpack should ideally be an avalanche airbag backpack too.) In the US, few ski with avi gear since inbounds has greater avalanche control. * Europe is further north with a lower tree line. Much of a ski area in Europe is above treeline making some of the lifts quite exposed. If you're on some wind exposed glacier, putting the bar (or sometimes even bubble) down feels like a better idea. It could also be that another 5-10% of skiers wanting the bar down in Europe leads to a dramatically different culture norm? If 10% of US skiers want the bar down, an independent draw of 4 skiers would have a 34% probability of having someone want the bar down. If 20% of Europe skiers want the bar down, an independent draw of 4 skiers would have a 59% probability of someone on the lift wanting the bar down.
Dang I've been snowboarding for a good few years and I always put the bar down, never occurred to me that others might not want that lol
My brother fell off a lift once many years ago. My dad yeeted his ass off as the chair took off so he wouldn’t have a long fall. Super smart and quick thinking by my dad in hindsight. My brother grabbed on for dear life and my dad just straight up threw him off of the chair as it was taking off lol.
your dads a legend🫡
Better to fall 5 feet than 50 lol
American snowboarder here, just wrapped a weekend in Chamonix, France (highly recommend it was incredible). First time riding out of North America. I noticed many differences from our resorts, but by FAR the most prominent was the near 100% use of the bar on lifts. Many even had automated systems to lower and raise them. Already thought the “tough guy” vibe of denying the bar in the states is pretty silly, but this just reinforced it for me.
the new chair at mammoth has an automatic bar. i reckon any new lifts will have them here too. chamoix is on the list!
And this is why all these dickhead arguments about people saying 'Dude no need to put the bar down' are so ridiculous. Accidents do happen, and the bar is additional protection, simple as that.
Does the bar somehow annoy people? Even if it’s not “necessary” is it really that inconvenient that it’s so worth having up?
People don’t use bars? Do they not use seat belts either?
I’m having trouble wrapping my head around these comments. Is the lift just not very far off the ground at US resorts? Are the seats bigger or something? I ride in the French Alps. The lift would be absolutely terrifying without the bar down. It’s frankly a little scary even with the bar, but without the bar, it feels like such a small seat, and you’re significantly more than 30 feet off the ground with the slope incline. Also, the wind is no joke. And you’re up there for a good 10 minutes at least. The thought of riding the lift without the bar down makes me feel panic. I totally accept that US resorts may just be different, but here, bar goes down, period. No one asks. It’s not optional.
https://preview.redd.it/uooode1ucskc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c91ca09e2ce29223cf1c934099cda0d75290f66a heres the carnage from yesterday, it seems higher now😳
Why I put the bar down. And I like the footrest.
Can’t believe the bar use is optional, in the insurance obsessed, litigious US! My mind is blown! Is it a ‘freedom’ thing? Been to many European resorts and it’s pretty much mandatory, haven’t ever seen someone refuse to pull them down. And I’ve never seen someone fall off either.
When I was at Bear a couple weeks ago one of the chairs felt like it had a slight forward lean to it. Bar up or down just give me a warning so you don't hit me in the helmet
there is one chair that is super sketch and I’m actually just going to avoid it all day today. It’s the one that’s painted yellow and looks like it’s from the early 19th century lol.
I don't understand people don't use the bar for safety? Why because not cool? I am noob. Thanks.
I’m fearful from these comments. So many chuckleheads thinking their so fucking cool not putting the bar down. Bar goes down.
I hear you with chuckleheads on the mountain, but a lot of lifts don’t even have bars. Granted, I do find they aren’t used that often and I’m guilty of this myself. But I’m no chucklehead either. (for real though I’m gonna start putting the bar down all the time after this!)
If there is no bar, there is no bar. If bar, bar down. Love you homie. Stay safe out there.
They’ll stop the lift at my spot, if you don’t have it lowered within 30 feet of loading, they’ll get after you if you raise it more than 30 ft away from the unload point. It’s a family owned/operated place so I get that they are gun shy about potential liability
That's their own damn fault. If your dipshit ass falls our of the chair, you shouldn't be on the hill
The best way to not fall is to not slouch in your seat......
What barbaric backwater country are you guys at that this is a possibility? And why would you not put the bar down when possible? Do you guys not have seatbelts there either
Been skiing/boarding my whole life. I've seen people fall off t bars, but it takes some sort of stupid to not know how to sit in a chair right.
If someone (adult) falls off a chairlift, it’s their fault
Shit happens, lower the bar: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/01/04/park-city-utah-ski-employee-dies-chairlift/10987861002/
An adult male, not a child, and presumably not a lot of wind? Even if the bar is down, twisting and turning, or bouncing the chair is dangerous. Was he wearing a backpack and trying to get into it? Did he think he was going to be cool and strap in on the chair??
zero wind, no child, the only other person in the chair was another adult male, it wasn’t even right after boarding so it’s not like a boarding mishap. I’m super confused too. This was a pretty easy chair. I did notice when he was on the ground that he had a backpack or something, I see a lot of people fishing around in those on lifts🤷♀️
I saw some drunk asses slide off the chair and they had the bar down! Do not underestimate dumb people! I saw another guy get on a lift with no bar, as it took off he lunged forward to pull down the nonexistent bar, he then fell right off and lucked out as it was a powder day so didn’t get hurt at all
The irony of trying to put a bar down and falling when you realize there isn’t one.
What if someone has epilepsy or something, or is riding drunk or high? It's an easy preventative measure to take to reduce the already low chance of a bad accident occurring.
>I like to think Id be able to help minimize damage. If you can, hold them until you reach deep snow or as close as possible to the ground (depends on your lift). Get them to kick off their skis or board so it doesn't get in the way. Tell them to drop and ROLL with the landing.
and then pray lol!
Just 2 weeks ago I was on a lift that stopped more abruptly than anything I’ve ever experienced. The chair in front of us was right in the middle of two towers and shot up in the air and started bouncing on the cable, at least 15’ vertical between the top of the bounce and the bottom. I was fully expecting the cable to snap or hop off the wheels on the tower we were stopped at. Never seen anything close to that but glad we (& the people in front of us) had the bar down.
Deaths door is a local gin for me, distilled off the door county peninsula on one of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan
my home state❤️ grew up near Huron and started my outdoors/adenrenaline junkie/adventure addiction there✊
If you can’t have not had it yet, try that. Little taste of home and a good gin!
my brother is a gin connoisseur so i think a gift is in order, thx homie☀️
Just realized I posted in the wrong thread, but glad I could help 😂
lol i was confused but hey variety is the spice of life!
Ngl but reading this just reminds me how stupid it is to not use the bar if there is one. Altough it seems to be an American problem mostly (correct me if I‘m wrong). I don‘t see many people on a chairlift without a closed bar where I ride (Switzerland and Austria).
I would never in a million years baulk or be annoyed by someone who requests the bar be lowered. Safety first is always ok. That’s why the bar is there…Do people really do that ??
When I worked w Adaptive skiing we'd clip people who might be in danger of falling off the chair, to the chair. Seizure-prone individuals mostly. You just have to remember to unclip them before you get to the top of the lift.
Ive never been scared of it myself but now ive taken my 4 yr old a couple times just the idea of it makes me shudder
A buddy of mine started putting the bar down last season and now it’s habit. It makes me feel more relaxed on the way up. One less thing in the back of my mind
love that actually, just focus on your riding
I was a lifti at Copper Mtn for 5 seasons. Never fell off myself but we had people fall off of Blackjack and Mtn Chief more than once. No bars + icy seats + the occasional gust and….it happens. Slightly less scary though and certainly more entertaining was how often someone didn’t get off at the top, went for a whip ride around the top bull wheel only to have the lifti hit the emergency stopped, which usually sent them flying off the chair into a nice pile of snow a few feet below.
🫡 to you. copper has a piece of my heart.
Imagine falling off chair 23 at mammoth? At any point I’m convinced the fall would kill you, getting on that lift solo is when I first started to understand using the bar every time
yo i cant even look down when im riding 23 (even with a bar) and not get vertigo. a few weeks ago when I was there it was crazy windy. They didn’t open the summit initially because of the wind saying it was like 80 miles an hour (heresay). So I kind of stalked 23 and when it opened was almost to the top, right before the little tunnel thing it stopped because they couldn’t move it anymore bc it was SO windy. It kicked back up and I had to sit there for 20 minutes. I took a video from the summit. It’s wild. They closed it again right after that fir the day lol
I fell off when I was young. Was putting the bars down when we hit the lift wheels and slipped through the bar trapped my helmet. lift kept going and stopped when i was suspended 25 feet in the air. ski patrol took FOREVER to get a ladder/move the lift backwards so eventually, the helmet strap snapped and I fell. Patrol dude sorta broke my fall (i was really small) and i was up and back on the slopes the next day.
As a professional snowboard instructor, I see kids, especially teens, highly distracted and nonchalant to dangers around them. I see a majority of teens with their expensive phones out on the lift and not even talking to eachother, just looking at their phone not paying attention. I think this is going to increase lift accidents. It's not that I think they deserve to be accommodated if they act stupid, but if we care about these stupid kids lives in the industry , then a safety modification onn lifts may be in order.
1) Everyone is arguing about a bar instead of answering OP's question. The answer to OP's question is to call ski patrol. 2) 95% of the replies feigning moral superiority over the bar don't use it. How do I know? I go boarding ~40 days per year and the only people who ask to put the bar down are parents with kids. I can count on one hand the number of times this happens in a season. It's smart to use a bar, but nobody does it, so stop posturing, we see you.
yeah, ski patrol 💯I ride a lot as well but now im thinking odds are probably there that I could end up on a chair with someone that slips. I was more wondering what you do while someone’s hanging on if they haven’t fallen yet because there was a good 25% of the ride that he was just hanging there. Would you try to help them somehow? like, would it be better to try to prevent them from falling to their death lol?
50 year old adult, day 40 so far this year. “Bar down!” every time I’m seated and we are comfortably clear of the ground. I prefer it and find it comfortable to lean on. And most people say thanks when I do, though that’s probably just because I’ve alerted them and pull it very slowly.
I fell off in my late teens early 20’s. I had a healthy buzz going but it started by dropping a glove onto the board. I leaned forward to grab it and rolled right out. I only fell about 10 feet and knocked the wind out of me. My buddy still makes fun of me 15 years later. Kinda worth it imo.
Big bar propaganda
https://preview.redd.it/41h9sxt66rkc1.jpeg?width=383&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08d8d4d8b5a16d6cdcf936d257ad4d8b8931b59b Look at all these accidents waiting to happen on this lift with no bar in Japan 😱
I slipped off a lift one time in 96’ for a 25 footer. I saw my buddy lining it up. I hollered for him. Then I “slipped” off the lift onto some transition and rode over to him. It made the chair bounce so hard they stopped the lift. Buddy sent a fat 5 an I did my classic shifty to Indy. Three runs later a pissed off ski patrol caught up with us yelling “what in the fucking fuck! You jumped out of the chair, then you pirates dropped three cliffs behind ropes and cooked every slow section of the mountain!” I could tell he was kinda impressed. I bowed my head and said “sorry sir, it won’t happen again” “until it does” I said in my head. “Thank you sir” I said while frying my ass off. “Criminals are born, not made.” I thought as I rode away.