I'm afraid of chairlifts.

JeremyClarksonYou should be cuz this could happen to you and your homies!

lol

Honestly, I don't care if people think I'm stupid putting the bar down. I'm not scared or anything, I just think it's way more comfortable than leaning back and slouching so much. I'll just be laughing when they're in the hospital when something like this happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zioMFv2_pk

I'm terrified of heights. Chairlifts don't really bother me that much because you get on and off low, and are sitting the whole time, also I take billions of them working at mountains all the time every year so exposure therapy for the win.

That said I have worked/ridden some places with some very scary lifts. Some that I would only take that lift once in a while, and breathed a legitimate sigh of relief when I got off at the top, instead of falling to my death.

I am completely terrified by chair lifts as well. Constantly find myself grabbing the back of the chair. I don't think I'll ever get over it because my thinking is kinda like some lift, some day will be breaking will I'm on it.

I instruct at a ski hill where none of the chairs have the guard bar things. Doesn't bother me too much but riding with little kids sketches me out. Also hat riding with beginner snowboarders that just fall over all the time.

This thread is awesome. Be thankful very few people know much about lifts because they are sketchy and finicky cunts. So many things can go wrong. But they usually don't hah.

used to work in whistler and i still dont like doing the peak chair... worst part is when you go over the first ledge when you download to go between stations.

Pretty sure they closed down this super sketchy blue chairlift at meadows. It was a double with the bar in the middle that at one point is pretty high off the ground

Oh well! All I can say is - the best way to conquer fear is to face it! That's all you need to do men! Just don't do shit on the chairlift, stay steady and calm, don't look on the ground. Look on the view or the in the clouds. Calm yourself and think of happy times.

perryhunterOh well! All I can say is - the best way to conquer fear is to face it! That's all you need to do men! Just don't do shit on the chairlift, stay steady and calm, don't look on the ground. Look on the view or the in the clouds. Calm yourself and think of happy times.

Flooding FTW.

You could also give Mr. Bishop a piece of candy every time that he successfully gets up a chairlift without crying. That way he associates chairlifts with happiness.

Candy = happiness
Chairlift no crying + candy = happiness
Eventually, Chairlift = happiness

The referenced post has been removed.

the only bad thing about skiing ever...

skiizey_steezyPretty sure they closed down this super sketchy blue chairlift at meadows. It was a double with the bar in the middle that at one point is pretty high off the ground

Double chair Riblets are the safest IMO. Not much chance anything can go wrong and you have that center bar to grab. The detachable chairs like Mt. Hood express have all sorts of extra parts that can fail.

EmperorKuzcodrop acid before it will help

When you come over that first face and are 150ft+ above the ground... the peak lift at Whistler is certainly terrifying

OregonDeadDouble chair Riblets are the safest IMO. Not much chance anything can go wrong and you have that center bar to grab.

This is so wrong it's laughable. There are so many things fucked up about riblets.

YoungDaphThis is so wrong it's laughable. There are so many things fucked up about riblets.

It seems unlikely that a Riblet chair will just fall off the cable and seems like every resort around here has had a detachable chair fall off at some point. This incident at Bachelor happened last season http://www.ktvz.com/news/empty-chair-plunges-off-mt-bachelor-ski-lift/32078340
In Jan 2013 a loaded chair at Timberline failed to attach and the chair just dropped when it got to the end of bottom terminal. These incidents are rare and the chairlift is probably one of the safest places on the mountain. Maybe I just haven't heard about any Riblet incidents.

OregonDeadIt seems unlikely that a Riblet chair will just fall off the cable and seems like every resort around here has had a detachable chair fall off at some point. This incident at Bachelor happened last season http://www.ktvz.com/news/empty-chair-plunges-off-mt-bachelor-ski-lift/32078340
In Jan 2013 a loaded chair at Timberline failed to attach and the chair just dropped when it got to the end of bottom terminal. These incidents are rare and the chairlift is probably one of the safest places on the mountain. Maybe I just haven't heard about any Riblet incidents.

I have seen a riblet chair swing into the comm line due to high winds, get hooked and rip out of the haul rope as well as detach the comm line from the tower boot. They chairs clip into the rope but have to be migrated back 18" every two years and to reattach them to the rope you have to cut out a section of core. This results in the haul rope core being cut everywhere a chair is or has been. Makes the life of the rope much shorter. Both of those instances of detachable chairs falling off are due to someone resetting a grip gauge fault without checking if the grip is actually faulty. The amount of failsafes present to ensure detachable chairs do not fall off are insane, and do their jobs well provided operators and mechanics don't just hit reset and run.

Another problem with riblets is the sheave construction, the outer flange is actually flush with or sometimes lower than the liner making it very easy for the rope to pop off. One of our riblets derails from the guide sheave in the bottom terminal at least 10x a year. The rope also pops out of the bullwheel liner if there is too much weight going around i.e. a gaper riding around or a loaded work car. Huge pain in the ass. The bullwheel bearings are prone to seizing and causing microfractures in the bullwheel shaft so they need to be ultrasounded yearly and the bearings need replacing every 8-10 years meaning the whole damn bullwheel has to come off. Shall I go on?

But what do I know, i'm just a lift mechanic...

YoungDaphI have seen a riblet chair swing into the comm line due to high winds, get hooked and rip out of the haul rope as well as detach the comm line from the tower boot. They chairs clip into the rope but have to be migrated back 18" every two years and to reattach them to the rope you have to cut out a section of core. This results in the haul rope core being cut everywhere a chair is or has been. Makes the life of the rope much shorter. Both of those instances of detachable chairs falling off are due to someone resetting a grip gauge fault without checking if the grip is actually faulty. The amount of failsafes present to ensure detachable chairs do not fall off are insane, and do their jobs well provided operators and mechanics don't just hit reset and run.

Another problem with riblets is the sheave construction, the outer flange is actually flush with or sometimes lower than the liner making it very easy for the rope to pop off. One of our riblets derails from the guide sheave in the bottom terminal at least 10x a year. The rope also pops out of the bullwheel liner if there is too much weight going around i.e. a gaper riding around or a loaded work car. Huge pain in the ass. The bullwheel bearings are prone to seizing and causing microfractures in the bullwheel shaft so they need to be ultrasounded yearly and the bearings need replacing every 8-10 years meaning the whole damn bullwheel has to come off. Shall I go on?

But what do I know, i'm just a lift mechanic...

Made the mistake of googling it and with no trouble I found a few reports of Riblet chairs falling off. One was in Montana (maybe your stomping grounds?) Pretty scary but I guess I if was going to go down with a chair I'd still rather it be a Riblet since there is probably less weight to crush you. Either way it is fun to be scared so please go on with the potential problems so that I can tell my friends when they ride the lifts with me.

https://youtu.be/4v5nIwGJnhg

^The only time a pussy bar should be used.. that and when you're ski instructing little kids, cas they will goof around and end up falling off. Honestly unless you for some reason fall out of a chair at your kitchen table nothing is going to happen to you. I guess I can see if your scared of heights it could seem a little sketchy but its pretty safe. Just don't be stupid and ride the chair with friends that are going to push you off LOL.

PowdaChowdahttps://youtu.be/4v5nIwGJnhg

^The only time a pussy bar should be used.. that and when you're ski instructing little kids, cas they will goof around and end up falling off. Honestly unless you for some reason fall out of a chair at your kitchen table nothing is going to happen to you. I guess I can see if your scared of heights it could seem a little sketchy but its pretty safe. Just don't be stupid and ride the chair with friends that are going to push you off LOL.

Ya, I mean, forget wind gusts, emergency stops, or power outages.

BenWhitYa, I mean, forget wind gusts, emergency stops, or power outages.

again.... if you fall out of your chair when you are sitting at home, then by all means put the bar down! If not, a little wind gust, emergency stop or "power outage" (you must ski somewhere REALLY ghetto!) shouldn't make you fall out of your chair. Obviously if the wind is super bad like in the link to this video (of my home mountain): https://youtu.be/4v5nIwGJnhg then put the bar down.

Honestly where I go skiing not a single person puts the bar down all day and NO ONE has ever fallen off.

PowdaChowdaagain.... if you fall out of your chair when you are sitting at home, then by all means put the bar down! If not, a little wind gust, emergency stop or "power outage" (you must ski somewhere REALLY ghetto!)

because any ski resort is ghetto...

power outages as a result of downed power lines due to ice storms, high winds (downed trees), or heavy, wet snow are fairly common.

I'm sorry you feel this strongly about the bar on a chairlift, I can't begin to imagine why.

It's pretty convenient & comfortable to lean forward, take my helmet/goggles off & snap them to the bar, etc.

It's weird. I feel safer on the old slow 2 seater than the new high speed 6 pack. My theory is that the old lift is tried and true. The new lifts could have an unfound problem.

Pepe.It's weird. I feel safer on the old slow 2 seater than the new high speed 6 pack. My theory is that the old lift is tried and true. The new lifts could have an unfound problem.

The newest high speeds are by far the safest, they are the result of trial and error from multiple generations of detachable and pretty much anything built later than 2008 is the most efficient and safe lift out there. Really old lifts have metal fatigue and outdated safety systems.