Young Males Keep Falling From Chairlifts Out West

jamesdeluxe said:
To repeat my rant upthread, I'm still convinced that it's some (apolitical, non-gender-specific) regional libertarianism that'll never change -- and education or scolding will only make it worse, like a teenager disobeying his parents.

"You must be from the East." :eusa-wall:
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Nope.

Sure, there may be some rebellious kids out there doing if for that reason, but many of us that live out west and ski/ride year after year can tell you it's primarily just something most of us don't think about (putting the bar down). There's rarely a discussion about safety bars on the lifts in all places I've ridden, and if there is... it's not usually an issue to put it down if someone wants to (although, i may groan if it's a full lift and I'm stuck in the middle on my board with 3 skiers).

I think for whatever reason, it's just never really been a thing... an it's probably just passed onto the next generation without thought.
 
ChrisC said:
I often use chairlift safety bars out West because I am too lazy to remove my smaller sidecountry backpack (limited gear), and get pushed forward when seated on a lift.

My exceptions are Riblet center pole lifts, and older lifts built without bars - backpack comes off or moved to the front.
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That's one reason my daypack is small. It will fit over above the back of most chairlifts. The fancy new Doppelmayrs like chairs 1 and 16 have higher seatbacks and are the exception.

snowave said:
Sure, there may be some rebellious kids out there doing if for that reason, but many of us that live out west and ski/ride year after year can tell you it's primarily just something most of us don't think about (putting the bar down). There's rarely a discussion about safety bars on the lifts in all places I've ridden, and if there is... it's not usually an issue to put it down if someone wants to (although, i may groan if it's a full lift and I'm stuck in the middle on my board with 3 skiers).

I think for whatever reason, it's just never really been a thing... an it's probably just passed onto the next generation without thought.
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Snowave absolutely hits the nail on the head here. Thus my conclusion in post #38 above.
 
For those in cheap seats in the back... Bar down yesterday at Brundage! (that's my wife next to me).



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Below is the Powder Seeker 6-pack at Big Sky.

I really despise this lift 'advanced technology' with miniscule footrests between the legs, and the auto-locking mechanism. Supposedly, it's for child safety. However, more often a boarder gets equipment incorrectly positioned, bar gets lock, and everyone is SOL for the ride.

Bar barely comes up until well-inside the upper lift terminus.

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ChrisC said:
The bubble is optional and can be moved up and down during the lift ride. The rest is non-negotiable.

Europe (Austria in particular) has a lot of these Doppelmayr high-altitude, suspended prisons!
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Ok, that's slightly better... but still, that sucks (especially for a boarder... good way to hurt someone).
 
According to Lift Blog, people are dropping all over the place. 3 chairlift related deaths in the past week or so which seems nuts. A Teen at Cypress BC, a child at ski Apache and a 60 year old at Timberline, WV.

That's a LOT of major incidents for even a full season, let a lone such a short time period.
 
snowave said:
many of us that live out west and ski/ride year after year can tell you it's primarily just something most of us don't think about (putting the bar down).
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In an example of speaking out both sides of my mouth -- most of the lifts at Greek Peak, NY are very old and not high off the ground so on a handful of rides last week, a) we didn't bother to lower the bar, and b) lifties didn't scold or reprimand us for it. For us and I suspect many people, it's related more to getting antsy about falling from a significant height than a "the safety bar must always be down no matter what!" mandate. Still, "skiers/boarders are free to make their own decisions about bar usage" will lead to injuries and deaths as shown in EMSC's previous post (even if it's a tiny percentage of total rides) so something has to give.

Remind me, are ski areas still protected from legal exposure caused by falls from chairlifts through the "skiing is an inherently dangerous sport" clause?

There's rarely a discussion about safety bars on the lifts in all places I've ridden, and if there is... it's not usually an issue to put it down if someone wants to
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Agreed, however as noted upthread, there have been enough instances over the years where westerners make annoying (and a bit parochial because that indicates they've never skied outside the U.S.) comments.
 
jamesdeluxe said:
For us and I suspect many people, it's related more to getting antsy about falling from a significant height than a "the safety bar must always be down no matter what!" mandate.
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Yes, and it's not rational. Many people riding chair 23 look down and think, "OMG I really need a safety bar!" Yet chair 25 remains without one. It's not like you wouldn't get injured falling 20-25 feet off 25 but it doesn't scare people like 23 does.
 
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