Ski lift dangers or how to survival ski lifts around the world.

If you ever you speak to airplane pilots they will all tell you that the most dangerous moments are on take offs and landings.

So it is in skiing. The getting on ski lifts and taking off ski lifts.

Seems simple, but if you have travelled to various ski centers around the world you quickly see that there are no international standards , no one way to get on lifts.

This post has one aim. To inform skiers on how to avoid accidents, injuries and stress near lifts ( getting off and on).

I am sure others will contribute to the many "techniques" used in various ski countries and ski lifts.

Here is my contribution.

First I must tell you that I have some unique physical "changes" in my body which causes me to avoid any falls at all cost. One major accident and I will not be able to ski ever ( or walk again ). As a result I am very very careful getting off and on ski lifts and have developed some survival skills.

My worst traumatic moments while skiing were always at off ramp or on ramp of ski lifts.

These are my survival skills. You decide if they are appropriate to you.

1. While in lift line I watch skiers and try to plan who will come up with me. A two person chair lift is no problem for me since I can avoid skier at top if dismount disaster happens. It is the 4-5 skier chair lift that concerns me.
If a person has major problems just walking up to chair lift I avoid them. I let others go up with them.

2. I position myself on the outside section of the chair lift. That is if chair turns left at top ( to go back down), I am on the right.
Why ?
If there are any problems at dismount,,,,,,,,I can "bail out" by going sharp right away from all the fallen skiers. I have had three young skiers ( 11,12,13 ) joking, laughing, pushing each other while on chair with me. At top, while dismounting on a steep ramp all three fell. Two had broken legs , the other had a cut nose. What saved me was I was on their right and I quickly turned right away from them.
The most dangerous position is the middle one. Like in car racing you never want to be "boxed in".

3. Boarders. I have many friends who are boarders and who ski with me. I always sit one person away from them on chair. Why ?
Boarders do not place their boards in front like skis, but rather ACROSS sitting skiers. That is not their fault. It has to do with how their boots and board align.
The problem this causes me and other skiers is that if incorrectly positioned you will have the board"s tip resting on your skis and push down. I do not need more weight on my knees.
I let boarders go ahead of me in the lift line.

4. A small hint that will save you black and blue injuries just above the calf muscle. All ski lifts ( well I should not say all after what Bandit showed me ) have a mark to show where skiers are supposed to wait.
The smart wide mature skier waits 30-50 cm. ahead of this mark.
Why you ask ?
As the chair comes around, if attendant does not do his/her job the chair will hit first skier it meets. Trust me it hurts! Let others be the target of the famous "calf attack". The bruise will last at least 3-4 weeks.

5. Now for another rear calf injury.
Depending on the total weight of ALL the skiers on one chair, the height of the chair will vary. On a 4 person chair if you have a two 200 lbs skier, another 190 lbs and you at 180 lbs. that chair will sink lower.
If by chance you place your ski boots just under chair lift as you all sit down,,,,be ready for the famous chair squeeze. The horizontal steel bar will squeeze your calf muscle just above ski boot cuff and even set on top of ski boot cuff. Pain like you have never felt.

Solution,,,,place ski boots ahead at all times.

More to come,,,,,

Excellent post Pav....

Thank you for taking the time to write this.
The worst skiing injury I have ever sustained was getting of a chair. I was on the left, the skier inside me was a novice and pushed me as he fell over, my left ski tip hit the mound of the snow to the left, I wasn't going fast enough for the binding to simply release - hence ligament damage.

But please ......
Can we be careful about giving too many tips please?
:mrgreen:
I always stop ahead of the "stop line" - for the reasons you describe. But what happens when we all do that???

And I would always prefer to wait than get on a chair with a load of dodgy types.

And if on my own I do position myself to the outside.

This is really interesting, I always thought that getting in/off the chair lifts was the easiest thing ever but my experience is limited to lifts in Europe. I heard that in States there are even lifts without safety bars or foot bars which makes me appreciate that it may not always and everywhere be so straightforward. But even over here older chairlifts are quite evil and may hit you behind the knees if you are not paying attention. Luckily they are getting replaced and there are not many of them left - I think there are no more than 3 in Verbier now and I am only using one of them - the 3-man that goes to the top of Chassoure.

I am not the biggest fan of T-bars though, last year I got really frustrated in Saas-Fee after I fell off 3 times in a row from one of the T-bars. It was quite steep and icy at the access point plus there was something on the surface so that one of my skis kept getting stuck, before I could move them, and quickly pulling me off the lift, before I finally managed to clear the spot. It was almost embarrassing as I hadn't ever fallen off the lift until then.

OldAndy,
With your "experience" you should know that whatever advice I give,,,,there will be some who never listen, so do not worry about the ones who will get chair in the calf.

Here is another hint.

This teaches smart skiers to watch, to observe and to survive.

Most skiers in ski lift lines are so busy talking, so busy watching the "views" and so busy planning the evening that they do not observe the essentials. That is how to avoid dangers, pitfalls and dangerous "characters".
They all have a special name in various countries. They all are easily identifiable and they are are very very dangerous to themselves and others.

In my area they are called various names; gummers, yooohs, losers, yahoos, and you will say, "yes yes I have seen them" once you read this description.

Here is a description of the species.
1. Jeans
2. large,,,very large jacket from another sport such as;hockey, soccer, etc,,,
3. very very wide wild pants down to knees with a full back exposure
4. loud loud T-shirt with some "non-ski, anti-social" logo
5. loud pre-mating call which can be heard 2 km. away
6. high tech hook up wires for; Ipad, Iphone, Icam, I ego look.
7.rental (hired) boots unbuckled with thick wollen socks
8.rental (hired) 120 cm skis
9 bent poles
10 googles hanging near throat
11. huge wild wild tuque à la octopus look
12, work gloves from papa
13. smoking in line
14. pins in ears, nose, above eyes and in tongue (which has been forked)
15. should I continue ,,,,,,I think you have the picture.

Avoid them at all costs. Never go up with them since you will be traumatized psychologically, physically and socially.

Avoid them, not for their looks ( that is another issue) but for the potential dangers on the lifts.

My experience has been that they go to steepest, most demanding slopes and have no clue how to get on and off lifts.

They will grab and cling to the very nearest skier when that fall comes. They hate to go down alone. It has to do with lose of ego.

Of course they will not say that do not know how to get off chair lift and need advice. Too busy video taping for You Tube the famous fall which will happen.

In short just pass by them or let at least 5-8 skiers go ahead. Do not follow them in the next chair, T-bar or Poma lift. I promise you there will be bodies to avoid very soon.

If you visit some sites you will many who expose their fractured legs, heads, noses and arms. Seen some broken noses, teeth missing and of course fractured fingers and arms. All done on lifts not slopes.

In short,,,,,, keep away.

Your descriptions seems to fit mainly boarders :evil:

I have encountered getting my boots stuck under the front edge of a ski lift chair, just before getting off. If you move your feet back in anticipation of getting off, as the chair continues to lower, sometimes it can catch the back of your boots as your feet come into contact with the ground. It causes a momentary panic as it compresses the boot before it releases and prevents you from moving, which is enough to destabilise you and cause you to fall.

Well I did anyway :oops:

Another cause for lift dangers is the skier maze issue.

Allow me to set scene.

Great sunny day. All is going well. the as you get to top,,,,skiers all herding at very dismount zone,,chatting, taking pictures, bending over buckling boots, boards etc,,,.

Not aware that up coming skiers have no room to get off and ski away.

I blame more the ski support staff who stay in hut or who just look down rather than at crowd.


Solution to this?

As you get off chair, wave arms about, lean back and forth as a rank beginner. cross skis twice and looked terrified as you barrel into crowd. Mysteriously they will all scatter like a flock of bird in a pond.

A path is created.

Disaster is avoided.

pavelski wrote:
Solution to this?

As you get off chair, wave arms about, lean back and forth as a rank beginner. cross skis twice and looked terrified as you barrel into crowd. Mysteriously they will all scatter like a flock of bird in a pond.

A path is created.

Disaster is avoided.

This is a clear level 7 skill Pav.
:mrgreen: