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May, 2025

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Chairlift Safety Bar?

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ski-swagga
Posts: 5276 - Karma: 219
Hello NS, I'm skiing in Italy currently (*claim?) and i realized that everyone here uses the safety bars on the chairlifts. i find this pretty annoying since i have never really used them my whole life until coming here. I've also heard that people use them on the east coast. So i was wondering if you guys use them and what your opinion was on them.
14 years ago
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EvanMeyer
Posts: 3828 - Karma: 3,537
doesnt really come to mind when i get on the lift ill put it down every once and awhile when i want something to lean on
14 years ago
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special_k10101
Posts: 1498 - Karma: 72
because sometimes i'm not prepared for it and people don't give me any warning before they put it down and it hits me in the dome. it makes me want to strangle british tourists when that happens.
14 years ago
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Taydawg197
Posts: 1137 - Karma: 22
Alot of places in WA dont have em either.
14 years ago
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PeterWojnar
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 678
Nah, on the west coast (at least, the resorts on the west coast I ski at) leg rests are a rare thing, and a lot of lifts don't even have bars.
14 years ago
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BDWYE
Posts: 571 - Karma: 12
I used to not care about putting it down, but now I'm taller and I either have bend awkwardly to avoid it or just let it hit me. Kind of annoying but it's still good to have a footwear sometimes
14 years ago
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Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
I guess I'm the minority in saying I've practically never put the bar down myself in 15+ years of skiing?
14 years ago
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TheTristanator
Posts: 1015 - Karma: 820
i use it when my head gets itchy so i can clip my helmate to it... or to rest my feets
14 years ago
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Toasty.
Posts: 6198 - Karma: 2,341
well i live in germany, and i ski all around europe, and i know that the second you get on a lift people are pullin that bar down. so you really dont have a choice.
14 years ago
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nkmo.
Posts: 3994 - Karma: 285
Only if it has footrests, and that's pretty rare here in UT.
14 years ago
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corona
Posts: 12845 - Karma: 33,290
love the foot rests. and i have a tendency of leaning forward and resting on them. so me gusta
14 years ago
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wintersway
Posts: 5115 - Karma: 128
its a vermont state law to lower the restraining bar...
14 years ago
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mammothpunks
Posts: 5724 - Karma: 372
If you cant ride up a lift without fear of falling, then you should not be on the mountain. Windy day? Keep your tips up and you will be fine. I have been on a chair with no safety bar in 80+ mph wind gusts and never had a problem before.
14 years ago
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Psychonaut
Posts: 19 - Karma: 10
east coast skiing? never, unless whoever hopped on with me put it down. Or, yeah, if a lil kid asks me too.

In the black forest though, in germany, the operator stopped the lift when my buddies and i were 20-30 feet out, slowly walked out of his "office" and proceeded to yell at us, telling us in german to put the bar down. they take that shit seriously.

they also don't put the bar up until they are in the unloading area. legit, until their skis touch snow. i tried to pull up the bar before and a dude held it down. strict law-abiders over there.
14 years ago
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corona
Posts: 12845 - Karma: 33,290
where was that?  generally they'd shut down the lift if there was wind anywhere close to that strong
14 years ago
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basedjase
Posts: 2510 - Karma: 640
I hate the bar only because the gaper weekend worriors always go "BAR DOWN!" and proceed to slam the bar down in like half a second, leaving me no time to move out of the way (cause i always prop my head up with my hands which rest on my knees), and it ALWAYS hits me right on top of the head. It just pisses me off, so i never use them ha.
14 years ago
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3mania
Posts: 2651 - Karma: 10,884
The safety bar is for children and old ladies. If your legs are tired, maybe you should have done more dryland in the preseason.
14 years ago
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SHD
Posts: 397 - Karma: 83
From Norway and made everyone use it when i came out to CO!! The foot-resters are awesome! No point not using it!
sry if this conflicts the 3 pages i didnt read
14 years ago
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Schlop
Posts: 3640 - Karma: 24
The only time it gets put down on our chair is when there's a fourth person that puts it down. Everyone's saying how useless it is, but have any of you ever rode DOWN a chairlift? Scariest. Shit. Ever.
14 years ago
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Static
Posts: 8592 - Karma: 4,095
haha, dryland, maybe you should switch to xc skiing
14 years ago
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3mania
Posts: 2651 - Karma: 10,884
maybe you should switch to a sport that doesn't make your feet (and pussy) so tired you have to "rest them on a footbar"
14 years ago
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philip.thaxter
Posts: 20 - Karma: 10
I'm from Maine and boy is it fuckin' awesome when you are just getting situated on the lift and some dink slams that bar down before you are ready, crushing legs, arms, and sometimes even nuts if they have the footrest. Aside from that I dont mind it, who would?
14 years ago
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mer-man
Posts: 1079 - Karma: 10
what? lets set the "pussy" aside for a sec. This has nothing to do with tired legs and everything to do with boots, bindings and skis pulling on you're legs and joints, kinda hurts if ur taking a lift ery 2 min. also it just more comfy to put down the bar, lean back with you're feet up and smoke a jay.
Thats the way.
14 years ago
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PeterWojnar
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 678
idk about him, but at Alpine Meadows they run the lift up to 60mph winds. And if it happens to gust 80 while you're on it, they you get 80mph winds.

The Sierra Crest gets fucking windy, impressive one from this year was 120 consistent gusting 150.
14 years ago
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Hogis
Posts: 551 - Karma: 393
I get to ride chairlifts like 2times a season but when i do i use the safety bar.
Footresting is gold and im usally not the one putting it down or up so win win
14 years ago
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+[wall.e]+
Posts: 1928 - Karma: 18
In Vermont its a state law that you have to lower the bar while riding a chairlift. So its pretty enforced.
14 years ago
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Matty_K
Posts: 575 - Karma: 222
I ski in Pennsylvania, basically no one uses it unless someones a beginner, or if a small child is on the lift. I don't really care if its up or not. In vermont they were used more, I definitely noticed that..
14 years ago
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Dmarc
Posts: 1035 - Karma: 83
Im from PA and never use it and our dont have feet rest
14 years ago
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fruitstick
Posts: 594 - Karma: 1,034
I always pulll down the bar never once havent don it.

Cause i mainly ski in asutria and france and everyone does it ther.

Like why wouldint you pull it down its safer and more comfy.
14 years ago
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ski-swagga
Posts: 5276 - Karma: 219
Interesting to see all the different opinions, thanks guys!
14 years ago
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
this. Ward peak(tippy top of Alpine) has some crazy record like the fastest wind speed on the west coast, or 2nd fastest ever.

With the exception of mt Washington, the east coast gets shit for storms, because they arent at the same elevation so the winds, and snowfall amounts dont come close to that of the west coast.

It is fairly common to be on a lift at alpine, or kirkwood and get gusts of 70+. And i have never been scared, because it is already blowing at 40+ pretty consistantly and youre already holding on.

Seriously the only time i have ever fallen out of a chair whas when i passed out drunk.
14 years ago
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cwoodskiier
Posts: 141 - Karma: 8
I'm from a private club and it never even passed my mind to not do it. I remember going up the lift one time when i was a youngin by my self and I couldn't reach the bar and I clung to the back rest scared for my life. I thought everyone just did that until I was headed up to the horseman glacier in whistler with Joe schuster and he didn't put it down and obviously you can't not look like a bad ass infront of a pro so I just sat their pretty nervously but realized it wasn't all that big of deal. Still do it back at my home hill
14 years ago
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asapCferg
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 358
haha my friend got hit in the head when some man on the lift with us slammed it down. but i never use the bar unless theres a little kid on the lift or a random person on the chair wants it down
14 years ago
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
I feel like in NY (where I ski) it's a law. Somebody told me that when I was in little. Whenever I go out West, the lifts don't really have bars (except for big tourists destinations like Whistler, Heavenly, etc). I never put the bar down when I riding the lift at any resort, I just wait 'til somebody else does or it stays up.
14 years ago
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
I fucking hate this shit so god damned much!!!!! I don't usually put it down unless my feet are tired, but there's nothing I can't stand more than someone who just suddenly slams the fucking bar down the instant we sit down. I'm still getting all situated and all of a sudden, BAM, right in the back of the fucking head with the bar.

Now I don't mind if someone wants to put the bar down. It's really no big deal either way, but at least have the common courtesy to make sure that others are aware that it is coming down so as to avoid blasting someone (me) in the back of the skull with a metal bar.

I want to fucking punch people that do that shit.
14 years ago
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PeterWojnar
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 678
There is a situation in which I do bring down the bar— on days like today when I'm just having a good time with friends, playing GNAR or just screwing around, waiting for the opportune moment to hit someone in the head is the funniest thing in the world. Especially when a six-pack of people has some strangers, too. Good fun.
14 years ago
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bistroburrito
Posts: 417 - Karma: 11
occasionally use it for the footrest or if there is a little kid
14 years ago
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terror.bear
Posts: 162 - Karma: 30
http://www.therightperspective.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/STFU_and_GTFO.jpg
14 years ago
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Legion
Posts: 1374 - Karma: 29
everyone i ski with usually only uses it when its a blower pow day and your legs get sore
14 years ago
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
Hahaha - dick! It'd be one thing if it was one of my friends trying to be an asshole to me, but it's a whole different story when it's some fuck wad gaper that thinks they are going to fall off of the fucking thing. Like I said, I don't care if they want it down, just give me the fucking courtesy of saying "bar down" or something so I don't get cracked. It saves me from having to bitch at some tard about common courtesy.
14 years ago
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CassiusClay
Posts: 1757 - Karma: 2
Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't.  Just depends on the situation.
14 years ago
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ganja_enthusiast
Posts: 1119 - Karma: 34
yeah thats how its done
ill give you karma son
14 years ago
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Funnel
Posts: 7819 - Karma: 1,590
Big deal. I usually don't at my mountain because I forget to and we don't have footrests. At Mammoth, every lift I ride the bar goes down because i love the footrests.
14 years ago
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jason...
Posts: 9006 - Karma: 780
there are no footrests on the bars at my local mountain. im obligated to put the bar down since i work for my local mountain, but i forget half the time. up or down its not really a big deal, unless you're bouncing around like an idiot you're not gonna fall off the lift.
14 years ago
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awesomeness17
Posts: 639 - Karma: 27
Quite a few of chairlifts at mammoth don't offer restraining devices, only the newer ones.
14 years ago
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booom
Posts: 16 - Karma: 10
Wow, I didn't even realise that there are places without bars. I've only ever skied in Europe and there's bars on every lift and everyone puts the bar down.
14 years ago
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Obi-Wan-Jenobi
Posts: 951 - Karma: 119
stop trying so hard. pull down the lap bar.
14 years ago
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
A very tall friend of mine was going up a chair with a couple of gapers... they got close to the top and this kid grabs the bar and basically throws it up as hard as he can.
Hit my friend in the face and knocked one of his teeth out. Little bastard.
I don't mind the bar itself, I just hate people who slam it down as soon as they're on the chair, or refuse to put it up until the very last second.
14 years ago
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vauban08
Posts: 575 - Karma: 119
Idk about North America, but in the Alps, basically everybody lowers the bar. For a good reason. Lifts here are (as most slopes) above the timberline in very rocky areas and usually go up to 100ft over ground. Not really nice to fall out of. :D

Prime example: (watch from 1:00)

14 years ago
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S.C
Posts: 3071 - Karma: 2,523
i dont really care if its up or down, but if a gaper ever joins my group they usually want it down. i fell of the chairlift when i was 5 though /claim

hahahaha
14 years ago
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SKIU4EA
Posts: 2388 - Karma: 2,086
It's simple... we all sit down on the chair. If you want it down, then put it down. When it's time to put it up, you're puting it up. If i get hit in the head at any time, you will be doing a swan dive off the lift.
14 years ago
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