A Conversation for How to Survive a Skilift Ride on a Snowboard

Good advice

Post 1

jasegroom

An excellent entry - pretty much all bases covered. The only thing I might add is that if you're thinking about attempting the one-footed mount / two-footed dismount technique for chair-lifts and you're in step-in bindings, forget it. If you've got the strap and ratchet-type, you can lean over and get them on relatively easily. With the step-in ones, you need to be able to hold the board steady with your hands while applying enough downwards force with your foot to snap the bindings into place. This is always assuming you haven't got so much snow packed onto your boot from walking the length of the life queue that it's impossible to even get the two parts of the mechanism together.


Good advice

Post 2

Hoovooloo

Good point, jasegroom. More and more of us are stepping in these days, and I expect getting your back foot in on a lift pretty much depends which step-in system you've plumped for.

Flow bindings I would imagine are no problem - in principle it wouldn't be that different from strap-ups. Autoloks I can see being a real nightmare, and I don't much fancy Klickers either. I ride Burton Si, and I've found I can either jam the board against the footrest (if there is one) which gives enough purchase (Si doesn't need *that* much downward force), or alternatively, I just wait until I'm getting off, and step into the binding when I stand up off the lift. That's failed to work a grand total of once in two seasons.

Thanks for the feedback, I wish I'd mentioned step-ins now!

smiley - cheers

H.


Good advice

Post 3

Monsignore Pizzafunghi Bosselese

Yay! This one ought to be the entry which passed through the system in the shortest time ever smiley - smiley (perhaps except for the 'Remembrance Day' entry, but this doesn't count)


Good advice

Post 4

Hoovooloo

Oh I don't know... "Gyroscopes" was recommended in about five days, and was on the front page within about ten days of me writing it! This is positively sluggish by comparison. (On the other hand, I'll bow to your superior knowledge of the stats if I'm wrong, Bossel. Am I?)

H.


Good advice

Post 5

Monsignore Pizzafunghi Bosselese

Well, I can't claim to have paramount overview (and was thrown back last week because of some strenuous RL work), but I can recall *some stats* though. BTW, the shortest ever PR thread was finished today: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F73338?thread=149661, A602001 - The Rise of the French 3rd Republic ;-)


Good advice

Post 6

jasegroom

Yeah, it's easier to do it while you're on the chair if there's a footrest. I have tried stepping into them as I get off the lift, but I'm still getting the hang of it, with some predictably amusing results.

Further lift wisdom - if, like me, you have no desire to ever master drag-lifts on a snowboard and just want to avoid them altogether, under no circumstances go to Bulgaria. They don't seem to have heard of chairlifts there...


Good advice

Post 7

Hoovooloo

I have heard tell of a thing in the States called a "magic carpet" - like a travelator or something. Probably limited to nursery slopes, but a great idea!

H.


Good advice

Post 8

jasegroom

Yeah, they've got one at the Snowdome in Tamworth - I didn't realise they were using them on real slopes as well.


Good advice

Post 9

beeline

They're getting more and more of these in the French Alps as well. It's a little surreal getting on to a moving conveyor-belt because your eyes are immediately fixed on the point where it runs out - where there's a nasty-looking drop-off into the snow beneath: that's where you start calculating whether the chair's going to get to you and scoop you up in time...

Good for tiny kids, though.


Good advice

Post 10

Swiv (decrepit postgrad)

I've seen those travelator things in the Swiss Alps too - only on nursery slopes though...
They're not the worlds most comfortable things to ride on, you have to slide on to them uphill, and keep leaning forward all the way up or else you fall down backwards...


Travelators

Post 11

Martin Harper

There were little mini-travelators on the bottom of chair lifts where I was in Austria, but I've not seen of travelators that take you up an entire slope - that sounds very weird (and uncomfortable...)

-Martin


Travelators

Post 12

Clelba

there're a couple of magic carpets here (mont tremblant) for the nursery slopes...they're not open yet though, and in any case i haven't bought my ski pass yet smiley - erm
i'll let you know what they'[re like if i ever use them though smiley - winkeye
^. .^
= ' =


Solution to Article's problem

Post 13

snorhino

You may or may not be aware, but there is a product that solves the problem of snowboarder discomfort on chair lifts. It is made in the US, but available for sale anywhere. Several resorts in the US already have the product installed.

SnoRhino snowboard footrests: http://www.snorhino.com


Solution to Article's problem

Post 14

Mick

Good Article, The advice on the button lifts is particularly good, they can seem so easy yo ride but getting catapulted off one at the start of a lift hurts the pride..and various other parts..

One point I would bring up on the chair lift problem is coming off the lift double bound, the last few times I have been away the lift operators have gone mental at me as I board away, apparently its safer to risk life and limb coming off the lift with one foot in.. something to note if you wonder why they start shouting at you!


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