Killington, VT: 11/11/04

[hamdog]

patrick says: I did airtime (and probably needed a cup too
ouch!!!) the first time I took the poma that day.

i know you probably know this, but try just using your arms instead of
putting it behind your buttox right from the start. grab it just to get your
momentum. then once your rolling, grab some slack and then put in
behind you. that usually works for me. maybe you'll get your arms
ripped off if you do it this way. i don't know. just be ready for the "whip" i guess.

 

[Patrick]

patrick says: I did airtime (and probably needed a cup too
ouch!!!) the first time I took the poma that day.

i know you probably know this, but try just using your arms instead of
putting it behind your buttox right from the start.

First day out in 6 months, you don't always pay attention on what you should be doing. Geeez :roll: , I feel ashame now when I ask my daughter to pay attention.

 

[joegm]

LIFTIES SHOULD NOT BE OPERATING LIFTS THAT THEY ARE "NOT FAMILIAR WITH"... I DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE FROM SIBERIA, THE SUDAN, STOWE OR SEACAUCUS, NJ... THE TRANSITION ON THAT POMA AT K SHOULD BE AS SMOOTH AS LOADING A BRAND NEW HIGH SPEED QUAD... IF IT IS DONE CORRECTLY ON BOTH ENDS ( SKIER AND LIFTIE ) IT SHOULD BE SEAMLESS. PUTTING LIFITES IN A SPOT WHEN THEY ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH A LIFT IS NOT A BRIGHT MOVE BY A SKI AREA MANAGER... IN ADDITION TO ALL THE OTHER NONSENSICAL CRAP THEY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WITH LAWSUITS FROM IDIOTS, THEY DON'T NEED TO BE BRINGING DOWN ATTENTION UPON THEMSELVES WITH FOOLISHNESS SUCH AS PUTTING SOME FOREIGN NATIONAL ( OR SOME HOMEGROWN DOMESTIC NIT WIT FOR THAT MATTER ) IN CHARGE OF RUNNING A LIFT THAT HE OR SHE CAN'T DO PROPERLY BECAUSE HE OR SHE HAS THE ATTENTION SPAN OF A GNAT....IT'S NOT EXACTLY SPLITTING THE ATOM HERE BOYS :shock: ....1)SKIER STARTS TO MOVE DOWN THE LOAD SLOPE...2) LIFTIE JIGGELS THE HANDLE.. 3) EVERYBODY HAS A HAPPY CHRISTMAS.... UNBELIEVABLE :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[Jonny D]

giggle.... hamdog said "buttox".

i'm not surprised to find that there are some problems in the early season with lifties not knowing.... some guys i met at summer camp a long time ago were from Zimbabwe and went down to winter park to become lifties for the season. They'd never even seen snow before. I think that kind of thing happens quite a bit. Even if you could find a manager or something, i'd be hard to explain the subtleties of loading people on a poma to somebody who'd never seen snow until they started turning the bullwheel...

 

[Geoff]

LIFTIES SHOULD NOT BE OPERATING LIFTS THAT THEY ARE "NOT FAMILIAR WITH"... I DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE FROM SIBERIA, THE SUDAN, STOWE OR SEACAUCUS, NJ... THE TRANSITION ON THAT POMA AT K SHOULD BE AS SMOOTH AS LOADING A BRAND NEW HIGH SPEED QUAD... IF IT IS DONE CORRECTLY ON BOTH ENDS ( SKIER AND LIFTIE ) IT SHOULD BE SEAMLESS. PUTTING LIFITES IN A SPOT WHEN THEY ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH A LIFT IS NOT A BRIGHT MOVE BY A SKI AREA MANAGER... IN ADDITION TO ALL THE OTHER NONSENSICAL CRAP THEY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WITH LAWSUITS FROM IDIOTS, THEY DON'T NEED TO BE BRINGING DOWN ATTENTION UPON THEMSELVES WITH FOOLISHNESS SUCH AS PUTTING SOME FOREIGN NATIONAL ( OR SOME HOMEGROWN DOMESTIC NIT WIT FOR THAT MATTER ) IN CHARGE OF RUNNING A LIFT THAT HE OR SHE CAN'T DO PROPERLY BECAUSE HE OR SHE HAS THE ATTENTION SPAN OF A GNAT....IT'S NOT EXACTLY SPLITTING THE ATOM HERE BOYS :shock: ....1)SKIER STARTS TO MOVE DOWN THE LOAD SLOPE...2) LIFTIE JIGGELS THE HANDLE.. 3) EVERYBODY HAS A HAPPY CHRISTMAS.... UNBELIEVABLE :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[kmartshopper]

hehe... love the caps lock pic

On the poma though... as mentioned earlier, it's definately helpful to use your arms. Keep them bent too... then straighten them out as it starts to pull you... it dampens the inital shock. First time I rode that thing, I thought I broke my back, but now it's smooth - if not my favorite method of uphill travel. A pre-boarding repositioning of the boys might help too

 

[Sharon]

Y'know, that reminds me the last time I skied at Kmart with our dear Editor.

Marc and I were about to load on the Poma. He went first, so I got the full effect of watching him get launched, fall on his face and look very embarassed. It was also our first time skiing together, so he made quite an impression. :lol: (I rarely use emoticons...but this time it seemed useful)

(Sorry Marc, you know that something like that will get a lot of mileage before it totally is forgotten)

 

[Admin]

(Sorry Marc, you know that something like that will get a lot of mileage before it totally is forgotten)

I'd actually forgotten it...until now. :roll:

Actually, IIRC, it was mindlessly catching an edge that took me down, rather than the launch. Could be wrong, though. I spent a day at Hickory Ski Center later last season, and if I can ride those rocket pomas, I can ride anything!

 

[Sharon]

Sure Marc....whatever :wink:

 

[Cannonball]

I used to be a liftie for the monster of all Pomas....Storm King at Copper Mtn, CO. Those of you who know it are laughing already, those of you who don't have got to see it to believe it. High speed detachable Poma with steep down ramp and very steep up ramp. Absolutely the best place to see snowboarders (and skiers) eat it hard. The lift services double black terrain only so the maze is generally full of expert locals. And man are they brutal if someone falls. We had a pretty strict 3 strikes rule, but most people left with their tail between their legs after 2 smacks. A saw many, mant people actually leave in tears.

And I totally agree that lifties MUST be familiar with the lifts they work. This is particullarly true for surface lifts like these that are very sensitive. It doesn't take much for it to break down....then suddenly all the best chutes and bowls are inaccessible.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Could be worse. Could be Fernie's "Meat Hook" (first pic at http://216.250.243.13/discus2/messages/ ... 1079113920). Snowboarders have a lot of fun :? with that one too. And there's nothing the lifties can do to make it easier.

You can't tell from the pic resolution, but I recall that Richard was holding the Meat Hook in front like a water-ski tow bar. He wanted no part of that lift again.

 

[Sharon]

Yeah, the meat hook. I rode that. That was the most painful lift ride in my entire life.

The hook got ahead of me and the slope is so steep that I could not work it behind me, so I held onto it like I was waterskiing...only its friggin uphill. My arms were shaking half-way up, but I held on with all I had to avoid embarassment and harassment from my friends, or worse, to have to get on it all over again. When I got to the top and I fell onto the snow in agony and swore I would never ride that thing again. I'd rather hike up than ride that thing again!! That was brutal.