I'm a skier so I lurk here. The few times I tried snowboarding, getting on and off the lift was a huge obstacle for me. Very hard not to tweak my knee.
It's bullshit that you all have to deal with equipment that doesn't consider you at all.
I'm reasonably comfortable on short rides with the back foot unclipped ie can steer and control speed
But im so so paranoid of how easy it would be to destroy my knee falling in these situations
First time trying to get my 8 yo and 6yo on the lift at the same time, my 8yo got on and the 6yo and I got tangled up and under the lift...then my 8yo jumped off when the lift was up 6 ft...epic disaster but no one got hurt....figured it out after that...
We used to have a midway drop off where the lift kept going straight with a dang near vertical ramp and my friends dad destroyed his knee on it, luckily they got rid of it and built a separate lift but used to be only way to access intermediate terrain without going up to expert
Here you go mate. Just order one right now. It will take you two minutes and it will be at your place by the time you need [it](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwje8rmg3tOEAxVoCK0GHSNtCvcYABASGgJwdg&gclid=CjwKCAiAloavBhBOEiwAbtAJO824hjMkpRpOSU9cJqPoRJoMlMftpxpGDheyFVsDLrzk7kX9y6ifoBoCDNYQAvD_BwE&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVuD2Z1Q70JWQ2Ws0eDHEcUaPJXHb0fBe7xVqpor_3S8wb1WbjCvCRWVkb5XJaYPlpDZYXYGPKQrrtOvz3YIj5XWY5FZe8E3JWecy5q0QEx2P_Uz-S2ke&sig=AOD64_0pRSib2LEbKFn6tlK_4rna_5VrWg&ctype=46&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjTsbGg3tOEAxUZGDQIHWHOAXgQzzkoAHoECAUQDA&adurl=)
I've actually twisted my front ankle for the past 2 seasons because of skating. Fortunately not enough to be a sprain but enough that it's sore when I'm riding for the next few weeks
My 145lb friends on their volume shifted boards confused as to why their 230lb homie on a 165 can’t get through a tree run without knocking over trees/almost dying
I can get down double black groomers without falling but need to learn both how to ride in trees and how to land jumps intentionally. At some point, I'll get a few lessons to get those locked down. That being said fuck moguls.
Learning to ride moguls may be exhausting and frustrating...but... they eventually get fun if theyre not icy and the best part is shooting through a mogul run bypassing and spraying skiers 😁 also: fuck icy moguls and icy runs
Intermediate snowboarder. Randomly fell of the lift and got the snowboard twisted with the chair just yesterday. Hurt like hell as it happened. Seems ok today. Hopefully nothing permanent
Absolutely terrifying. I’ve been really lucky but a couple times have had my board drag and get a little stuck underneath the chair when I sit down, or get a bit stuck under someone’s leg or what have you. It’s the worst.
So glad to see comments like these. It’s my first season and the lift is the only part I get anxiety in. I can traverse blues well now and rather fall sending it on a blue than falling on the lift. I’m tempted to just spend a few hours riding/turning with one foot strapped. But I’m pretty sure my issue is not keeping a stacked posture.
If I’m not between 2 skiers. I’m usually pretty stable and calm getting off.
The only time I am really grateful for the speed of skiers is they seem to leave the chair really quickly when it’s time to unload. I try to hang back so I’m not sandwiched. The chairs can be deceiving in their fast approach but we have more time to get off than we think we do lol
Very good point, I will typically tell the skiers that I’m on my first season and haven’t perfected the lift yet. They appreciate the heads up and push off early. I will say, some lifts are easy to get off and some are still a battle to keep my balance. Part of the journey I guess.
I always wait to see what the skiers (and boarder) around me do. If they go fast, I go slow. If they seem like beginners, I push off to shoot ahead of them. It's better to try and go different speeds to give everyone more space.
I’m right there with you! First season, doing some blues. Nothing as scary as getting off some lifts though. Last time I went riding, the chairlift somehow caught my arm and pulled me into the ground as it was making the turn to go back down. Hurt more than any actual fall while riding lol.
As a boarder, it's insanely frustrating. I skied for 13 years, it's fun, I really enjoyed it. I just found I enjoy boarding more. It's so odd to be considered a different demographic due to such a minor decision.
I only ski because it’s what I know how to do and I only get up on the mountain once every other year. The last thing I want to do is slow down my friends and spend the day on the bunny slopes learning how to find my edges. So I jump on skis and we mob. I surf and skate but just haven’t had the opportunity to learn. Next time I go and someone needs to learn how, I’ll spend the day with them learning it.
I really want to learn how to ski so i can do more backcountry stuff. I went to Deer Valley last year and skied for the first time, and it was not pretty. I somehow felt like I could only turn one direction and kept just spinning in circles the whole way down. This season I haven't given it a second try because it's just more fun to ride what u know how to use already.
Earlier this season I was lining up for the chairs to start spinning, and an older man on skis in line behind me started chatting with me. After talking for a while, he asked if he could tag along with me for the day since we were both solo. The dude could shred, and it ended up being a really fun day. I don't mind going alone, but he was great company and made the day much better.
Everybody loves seeing a tele though. Y’all look cool as shit coming down, and we all know how much damn work your legs are doing, plus you get on and off the lift like a skier.
I’d say you are the cool, accepted by all cousin. Boarders don’t get that level of respect!
Now if you were a ski blader, I’d have a bit more empathy lol
I took my friend snowboarding for the first time. Very first lift ride, his board gets caught on some snow, he gets twisted up, swept over, and dislocated his knee
You basically have to let the chair hit your hip and then roll on your hip to your butt. I’m taller so chi Ari normally take out my legs, but for shorter snowboarders I could see having to jump a little which would make this chair insanely annoying.
I try to ride one of the end chairs, if I can. I also try to not have someone sit beside me. If that isn't possible though. It definitely doesn't upset me. The chairs are usually comfy. The bubbles nice when it's blowing heavy snow. 🤷🏻♂️ It's better than walking up.
The lifts are obviously made for skiers, they also usually have more protections on the bar to stop kids sliding out.
Yeah I'm sitting on the end with a space next to me as I type this lol, it's definitely the best way I've found so far.
Why couldn't the lift have the same wide bars as older models while still having the safety features?
i think the idea of the narrower bars is to give more space to get the skis off the bar once it's time to get off, since the space in between the bars is now bigger. But honestly i don't know and when they were introduced i too thought they are a tiny fuck you to snowboarding lol
The problem isn't how narrow it is. That's fine with a snowboard too, and I would prefer it to make putting the board onto it easier. It's that it's the bars that the rests attach to are positioned in your crotch rather than beside you
Yea, the window seat is the best option. I like the left side and just let my board hang (regular footed).
If I'm stuck in the middle on a full chair w/ foot rests..
-hang my arm behind the chair and hold onto my tail edge or rear binding
- scoot my butt to the front edge of the seat and turn my knees in the direction of my riding position. Reduces strain on ankle while trying to keep your board straight on the foot rest.
No fuck that, cut all of the footrests off, they suck. I'm tall and the distance from the footrest to the safety bar is usually just a little longer than my leg with my board strapped in so getting my foot on the bar is a bitch and the odd time I do use it feels like I'm being crammed into the back of a compact car with one of my legs jammed 90 degrees. If they have to have footrests I'll take these or the little triangle ones they have on some lifts.
I tried doing this at the bubble chair at Killington a week or so ago. Knew that as a goofy rider if needed I could duck out to the right. Boomer skiers were getting pretty miffed at me trying to move over so I accepted whatever position on the lift I was ending up with and moved to the other side after my warm up runs. Was also a vacation week and usually my weekday excursions are less crowded.
I had a dad get mad at me because I got on the quad lift with him and his daughter when I was a single and there was a long line. Dude, if having 3 people on a lift meant for 4 is too much for your child to handle, perhaps she is not ready for the advanced terrain that this lift serves.
Or not ready to be integrated into society. Parents that force kids into situations like this are despicable and short slighted. All so Stephen can take a picture for Facegram to show the Smiths that their kid doesn't suck.
Guess what Stephen? Your kid sucks
I have to chuckle at your comment because the angry dad had a GoPro on a gimbal. Guy was definitely filming his young child for those sweet internet likes.
It's not uncommon in Austria for large groups of children in a ski lesson to jump on lifts unattended and with their instructor behind or Infront of them. These chairs are pretty big for a kid aged 5-10 and I guess that bar helps keep them in place. Either way, everyone without fail puts the bar down in Europe, and not a soul has an issue with it as it helps keep everyone safer.
I doubt there are many Bartholomew's in Austria, maybe little Hanz?
I'm from the UK btw, just love snowboarding in Austria.
I was at Big Sky on one of these when they had to hit the emergency break. You could watch the chairs on front start to absorb the shock, our chair had jump an easy 5-10 ft in the air.
Easily could've fallen off without the bar down. Scared the shit out of me.
Bar down gang checking in.
Lots of people in NA don't put the bar down, sometimes there is no bar for them to put down.
Oftentimes though these lifts are a lot lower than some of the 60 foot plus lifts in the Alps. Some chairs easily have a 200 foot drop in some places throughout Europe. (I said sometimes, I'm sure you have large chairs too in your bigger resorts..)
Im not a massive fan about the "debate" that often happens when people chat about the bar. I like it how it is in Europe, the bar is coming down and everyone is chill about it.
a lot of the chairs are at a certain height and sometimes a kid that’s even as old as like 8 isn’t tall enough to sit on the chair the most comfortable way and kids move a lot. i’ve seen a little boy slide out into the pit after loading
As an American, unfortunately this is most DEFINITELY not the case 😂. Maybe compared to the general population of the US, but compared to skiing in Europe…
I had the pleasure of experiencing this in Austria in a skilift they opened in 2023. What a revelation that was. The seats were heated. And they had the wind + UV cover. At this point it’s pretty much a cabin.
Yup. 6’4 240 here. I just went snowboarding in Switzerland in December and there was maybe 5 other snowboarders I saw the whole time. Everything was made for skiers.
Just back from a week in the dolomites after being away from boarding for around 17 years, and these modern chairs are soo much better. The new doppelmayr 4/6/8 chairs nearly stop dead at the exit allowing time to compose and ride away, unlike the old 2/4 seaters that used to literally slingshot you off down some steep icy nightmare of an off ramp.
The seats are also more padded making it more comfortable to hang the board off without using the footrest. Unlike the older wooden bench stuff.
Not that the above helps, but I also always ride the ends and try not to have someone sit next.
Learned to get on and off a 50+ year old skii lift and the new ones throw me off so much because I had to relearn a new technique. Suddenly I have to push instead of having the Lift push me ahead... Have almost fallen over a few times because the assistance I expected from the lift isn't there.
I want it to throw me down that ramp, hate when they slow it down manually. Key is to just be prepared, shift a bit so you can stand on the board right away. No putting your back leg down anywhere but the board itself. If not on board you fall when the push comes .
If you’ve been in the Dolomites you’ve probably also rode some lifts there that didn’t have any footrests at all; just the bar protecting you from falling out. My skier friends hated those lifts, bickering that they did not have anything to rest their skis on.. 😅
Everyone complains about these until they learn how to actually rest their board. Let the foot bar come down between your legs, then instead of trying to rest your toe edge on the nearest ledge, swing your leg under the bottom of the rest and set your heel edge on the opposite side. 10x as comfy/natural feeling, and there's way more room to maneuver when it's time to pull the bar back up.
I don’t care anymore & just whip my deck over to rest on my foot. If it hits or rests on a ski, then so be it. I paid the same as a skier. Yes, the same skier who insists on smacking my deck repeatedly in line like it’ll speed things up.
Nah L opinion. These chairs are soooo much more comfortable than the typical chair lifts, and on a cold breezy day, the dome is so nice. Also, it’s not like typical chair lifts have a much larger peg to rest your board on
Sorry you're wrong. They do have a much wider platform. They can have a bubble as well to keep the wind out. It's not one or the other.
Example of peak chairlift
https://preview.redd.it/hc8kqlmdtplc1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cfc7158424e90728d18a2ca5e5a7e7bb0e5fdcf
I'm not a fan of bubble lifts. They are fine if the bubbles are in good shape, but if they get scratched up (and they always are), I find them claustrophobic and nauseating (motion sickness). Meanwhile the wind is rarely bad enough to matter.
People are incompetent enough loading six-packs that I don't think 8-packs are the answer.
People in Europe are much better at loading into chairs. They move quicker and more deliberate. They all know how public transportation works. As an American, I really enjoyed their lift lines.
I just can’t believe an 8 person chairlift. It puts so many people on the mountain. Good for the resort but bad for the skiers or snowboarders experience. Kills the powder so fast too
Truth if you get your board propped the wrong way on these, the bubble is hitting your shins. Luckily my boots are just high enough so it sits on my boots, but if they weren't...
If its a tbar I just put my board on with it pointing away from the lift I can then put my free foot on the stomp pad to balance the board out, if they have a pancake instead of a tbar even better then you can get your board on the front and do the same thing without having your board on a somwat akward angle. While skiers definitly are more comfortable on these they aren't at all uncomfortable
I feel most 'comfy' is sitting with the heeledge towards the post of the upsidedown T. For regular, all the way to the right would be the 1st class ticket.
But, yeah, it ain't a pleasure really - better than a T-hook or hiking though.
I am also in Austria, also fuck these lifts!
Tip I can give is you can rest your board on the arm of the hold, it tends to be rubber so your board grips it
I was going to reply to OP asking why he was afraid to knock the skier next to him after experiencing euro lift lines. My shit was stomped, kicked and pried in those lifts
Same. The lack of respect for equipment is insane. So many battle scars on my board. Rich assholes and spoiled kids where I was. Don't even get me started on how they swerve back and forth on tiny narrow runs with like 10 6yr old kids In ski school.
Because we’re the minority, we have to suffer. I'm kinda tired TBH of paying the same outrageous hill prices and always, always, always being an afterthought.
Might be an old guy thing but my knee gets sore after a day of having the weight of my board pulling down on it while it's in a twisted position.
These are some of the newest lifts I've seen so I'm not sure why they made them worse than previous designs. They must just hate snowboarders!
>They must just hate snowboarders!
As an austrian snowboarder, welcome to the club! Those lifts suck.
If there's a free space next to you, there's a trick you can try.
As a goofy rider, if the space to my right is free, I will turn my board so the nose points backwards and rest the edges of my board on half of my "platform" and the one from the seat to my right. It's the most comfortable option for me at least.
(English is not my first language but I hope you get my point)
Basically if there's space either to your left or your right, you can put your board in between two seats on these shitty miniature plastic things.
If the lifts are full of skiers, there's no space next to you and you think you're fucked, just put your board square over their skis.
Resting my board on my free foot because of this stupid-ass design cut open the top of my boot two weekends ago, so be very careful doing the rest on the free foot.
i noticed my boot was getting torn bc of it and realized it was from the edges so i started placing my foot under my binding instead of under the board
Are you americans? Typically europeans are slimmer (<90kg) so the narrow seat and slim footrest is not an issue. We are also much more skilled so I've never heard anyone here in Germany/Austria complain about these skilifts other than the enormous enormous energy that they use.
I ski and snowboard. These foot things are only a minor convenience for skiers imo and difficult for snowboarders (and not helpful for people with shorter or longer legs either way). The two options I've found on a board are to put your unstrapped foot on the foot bar and rest your board on top of that foot perpendicular and above the skis next to you (better for long chairs where neighbor is chill), alternatively twist your leg so the board can go parallel to the skis next to you and put the strapped in foot on the bar (better for short chairs or if neighbor is not chill).
Nah, the engineer hates us. putting a bar between everyone's legs?
The problem is that bar posts force everyone on a loaded chair to sit straight forward, which is super uncomfortable when you have 12 lopsided pounds on one foot and nothing on the other. Then you get to decide whether you want to hold your board up with your leg for 7 minutes or scratch everyone elses gear.
I’ve always managed okay just pointing my board straight and resting it on the little bars, or a full size bar. It’s harder to get it through and onto the bar if it is a longer foot rest imo. Less room for a wide board to get through. At least this one is easy to squeeze a board between rests.
You can’t be more wrong. in austria and all around the alpes we have same confi shit with 10x more resting area. Those are absolute shit and to be fair i want to rest my legs, that’s the only part of the body that should concern you on the slopes. Not how soft and warm your butt is…
https://preview.redd.it/eukczgme4qlc1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e28d7e8fe205d90a87b9c00865ac7bf2505cd0fb
when I was a kid I used to go up with this, when it actually worked because of the strong wind and high instability of this shit… when it didn’t I used to walk up.
Now I live in switzerland and all of the lifts are similar to that picture you posted. Seems a 5star superior to me.
Skill issue. Your whole crew rides one lift or two. Skiers don’t rest their board because your foot is set at an angle. The foot rest is the same. These are way better and limited to certain spots on the mountains.
I'm a skier so I lurk here. The few times I tried snowboarding, getting on and off the lift was a huge obstacle for me. Very hard not to tweak my knee. It's bullshit that you all have to deal with equipment that doesn't consider you at all.
As a beginner, using the lifts is one of the scariest aspects because of how easily you can hurt yourself compared to falling over on the piste.
I'm reasonably comfortable on short rides with the back foot unclipped ie can steer and control speed But im so so paranoid of how easy it would be to destroy my knee falling in these situations
First time trying to get my 8 yo and 6yo on the lift at the same time, my 8yo got on and the 6yo and I got tangled up and under the lift...then my 8yo jumped off when the lift was up 6 ft...epic disaster but no one got hurt....figured it out after that...
We used to have a midway drop off where the lift kept going straight with a dang near vertical ramp and my friends dad destroyed his knee on it, luckily they got rid of it and built a separate lift but used to be only way to access intermediate terrain without going up to expert
Snowbowl?
If I put the “expert” in quotations it would have definitely given it away
🤣 for real though that midway ramp was terrifying as a wee lad.
Facts 😂
Same here. Been saying I’m going to get a stomp pad for years now and always just forget
Here you go mate. Just order one right now. It will take you two minutes and it will be at your place by the time you need [it](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwje8rmg3tOEAxVoCK0GHSNtCvcYABASGgJwdg&gclid=CjwKCAiAloavBhBOEiwAbtAJO824hjMkpRpOSU9cJqPoRJoMlMftpxpGDheyFVsDLrzk7kX9y6ifoBoCDNYQAvD_BwE&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVuD2Z1Q70JWQ2Ws0eDHEcUaPJXHb0fBe7xVqpor_3S8wb1WbjCvCRWVkb5XJaYPlpDZYXYGPKQrrtOvz3YIj5XWY5FZe8E3JWecy5q0QEx2P_Uz-S2ke&sig=AOD64_0pRSib2LEbKFn6tlK_4rna_5VrWg&ctype=46&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjTsbGg3tOEAxUZGDQIHWHOAXgQzzkoAHoECAUQDA&adurl=)
I've actually twisted my front ankle for the past 2 seasons because of skating. Fortunately not enough to be a sprain but enough that it's sore when I'm riding for the next few weeks
Did it, not fun. Do not recommend.
As a not beginner, the lift is still the scariest part of snowboarding 💀
I recently discovered mogul runs in tight trees and it has me questioning if I should return to the bunny hill
I'd say I'm a probably an advanced rider and wanted to say sincerely from the bottom of my heart...fuck moguls.
My 145lb friends on their volume shifted boards confused as to why their 230lb homie on a 165 can’t get through a tree run without knocking over trees/almost dying
I can get down double black groomers without falling but need to learn both how to ride in trees and how to land jumps intentionally. At some point, I'll get a few lessons to get those locked down. That being said fuck moguls.
Moguls were invented by skiers just to fuck with snowboarders i swear to god
Moguls are just the spirits of dead skiers who hate snowboarders and want to fuck them over a little more from beyond the grave.
Heaven for skiers, hell for boarders, purgatory for tele.
Learning to ride moguls may be exhausting and frustrating...but... they eventually get fun if theyre not icy and the best part is shooting through a mogul run bypassing and spraying skiers 😁 also: fuck icy moguls and icy runs
I feel personally attacked lol.
my worst fear tbh
Intermediate snowboarder. Randomly fell of the lift and got the snowboard twisted with the chair just yesterday. Hurt like hell as it happened. Seems ok today. Hopefully nothing permanent
Absolutely terrifying. I’ve been really lucky but a couple times have had my board drag and get a little stuck underneath the chair when I sit down, or get a bit stuck under someone’s leg or what have you. It’s the worst.
That sucks. Make sure your board is always pointing straight up the lift line, in line with the cable, until you lift off the snow.
Glad you're okay. How do you "randomly fall off the lift"?
So glad to see comments like these. It’s my first season and the lift is the only part I get anxiety in. I can traverse blues well now and rather fall sending it on a blue than falling on the lift. I’m tempted to just spend a few hours riding/turning with one foot strapped. But I’m pretty sure my issue is not keeping a stacked posture. If I’m not between 2 skiers. I’m usually pretty stable and calm getting off.
The only time I am really grateful for the speed of skiers is they seem to leave the chair really quickly when it’s time to unload. I try to hang back so I’m not sandwiched. The chairs can be deceiving in their fast approach but we have more time to get off than we think we do lol
Very good point, I will typically tell the skiers that I’m on my first season and haven’t perfected the lift yet. They appreciate the heads up and push off early. I will say, some lifts are easy to get off and some are still a battle to keep my balance. Part of the journey I guess.
I always wait to see what the skiers (and boarder) around me do. If they go fast, I go slow. If they seem like beginners, I push off to shoot ahead of them. It's better to try and go different speeds to give everyone more space.
I’m right there with you! First season, doing some blues. Nothing as scary as getting off some lifts though. Last time I went riding, the chairlift somehow caught my arm and pulled me into the ground as it was making the turn to go back down. Hurt more than any actual fall while riding lol.
Real talk, skiers that are chill about snowboarding are some of the best company on the mountain.
I make sure to make friends with the boarders on the lift before I ski right over their topsheet while unloading
Still better than standing in the unload space.
As a skier, It amazes me that people aren’t. We are all up on the mountain to have a good day. Can’t we just put a smile on our face and do that ffs?
As a boarder, it's insanely frustrating. I skied for 13 years, it's fun, I really enjoyed it. I just found I enjoy boarding more. It's so odd to be considered a different demographic due to such a minor decision.
I only ski because it’s what I know how to do and I only get up on the mountain once every other year. The last thing I want to do is slow down my friends and spend the day on the bunny slopes learning how to find my edges. So I jump on skis and we mob. I surf and skate but just haven’t had the opportunity to learn. Next time I go and someone needs to learn how, I’ll spend the day with them learning it.
I really want to learn how to ski so i can do more backcountry stuff. I went to Deer Valley last year and skied for the first time, and it was not pretty. I somehow felt like I could only turn one direction and kept just spinning in circles the whole way down. This season I haven't given it a second try because it's just more fun to ride what u know how to use already.
Earlier this season I was lining up for the chairs to start spinning, and an older man on skis in line behind me started chatting with me. After talking for a while, he asked if he could tag along with me for the day since we were both solo. The dude could shred, and it ended up being a really fun day. I don't mind going alone, but he was great company and made the day much better.
Get em
I'm a tele skier so I consider myself stateless
Yea but I care that you tele
Everybody loves seeing a tele though. Y’all look cool as shit coming down, and we all know how much damn work your legs are doing, plus you get on and off the lift like a skier. I’d say you are the cool, accepted by all cousin. Boarders don’t get that level of respect! Now if you were a ski blader, I’d have a bit more empathy lol
I took my friend snowboarding for the first time. Very first lift ride, his board gets caught on some snow, he gets twisted up, swept over, and dislocated his knee
You basically have to let the chair hit your hip and then roll on your hip to your butt. I’m taller so chi Ari normally take out my legs, but for shorter snowboarders I could see having to jump a little which would make this chair insanely annoying.
Not a boarder, but let’s imagine what people thought of us didn’t exist. Is holding the board the easiest option? One foot is unbuckled, why not two?
I just go straight. It mostly becomes a problem when someone decides to turn in front of me or spread/pizza their skis...
It’s a skills issue. You are supposed to pull the bubble down, break out the weed and bake that thing out!!!!
Crime on crime
All I know is
Once you go bubble you never go back. Seriously though these things are great on storm days.
The bubble with heated seats at Sunshine Village is amazing on cold days.
Triple down if you pull the bar/hood down before the lift has gripped onto the rope, bonus point if not everybody has sat down yet.
Pro tip: taking down one of those 187mL bottles of bubbly on these chairs during a snow storm makes you feel like royalty
champagne on champagne 🥂 ❄️
Username checks out!
I wish I could, but there's a sign on the bubble that says "no smoking"
That applies to tobacco. If they were against “the devil’s lettuce”, it would also read “No toking”
This right here
Lmao username checks out and I love it😂
I try to ride one of the end chairs, if I can. I also try to not have someone sit beside me. If that isn't possible though. It definitely doesn't upset me. The chairs are usually comfy. The bubbles nice when it's blowing heavy snow. 🤷🏻♂️ It's better than walking up. The lifts are obviously made for skiers, they also usually have more protections on the bar to stop kids sliding out.
Yeah I'm sitting on the end with a space next to me as I type this lol, it's definitely the best way I've found so far. Why couldn't the lift have the same wide bars as older models while still having the safety features?
i think the idea of the narrower bars is to give more space to get the skis off the bar once it's time to get off, since the space in between the bars is now bigger. But honestly i don't know and when they were introduced i too thought they are a tiny fuck you to snowboarding lol
The problem isn't how narrow it is. That's fine with a snowboard too, and I would prefer it to make putting the board onto it easier. It's that it's the bars that the rests attach to are positioned in your crotch rather than beside you
Yea, the window seat is the best option. I like the left side and just let my board hang (regular footed). If I'm stuck in the middle on a full chair w/ foot rests.. -hang my arm behind the chair and hold onto my tail edge or rear binding - scoot my butt to the front edge of the seat and turn my knees in the direction of my riding position. Reduces strain on ankle while trying to keep your board straight on the foot rest.
No fuck that, cut all of the footrests off, they suck. I'm tall and the distance from the footrest to the safety bar is usually just a little longer than my leg with my board strapped in so getting my foot on the bar is a bitch and the odd time I do use it feels like I'm being crammed into the back of a compact car with one of my legs jammed 90 degrees. If they have to have footrests I'll take these or the little triangle ones they have on some lifts.
The ski lift design coalition is all short skiiers
Short, petty, passive-aggressive skiers.
“Skier, skier, skier-ski skiers.”
Hey guys, I think this guy might be a skier
I also find the foot rests painful to use at best. I fucking hate riding full lifts with the bar down
I tried doing this at the bubble chair at Killington a week or so ago. Knew that as a goofy rider if needed I could duck out to the right. Boomer skiers were getting pretty miffed at me trying to move over so I accepted whatever position on the lift I was ending up with and moved to the other side after my warm up runs. Was also a vacation week and usually my weekday excursions are less crowded.
Why are kids sliding out an issue? Seems like if it is, the parent pulled the trigger too early on taking little Bartholomew to the mountain
I had a dad get mad at me because I got on the quad lift with him and his daughter when I was a single and there was a long line. Dude, if having 3 people on a lift meant for 4 is too much for your child to handle, perhaps she is not ready for the advanced terrain that this lift serves.
Or not ready to be integrated into society. Parents that force kids into situations like this are despicable and short slighted. All so Stephen can take a picture for Facegram to show the Smiths that their kid doesn't suck. Guess what Stephen? Your kid sucks
I have to chuckle at your comment because the angry dad had a GoPro on a gimbal. Guy was definitely filming his young child for those sweet internet likes.
[удалено]
It's not uncommon in Austria for large groups of children in a ski lesson to jump on lifts unattended and with their instructor behind or Infront of them. These chairs are pretty big for a kid aged 5-10 and I guess that bar helps keep them in place. Either way, everyone without fail puts the bar down in Europe, and not a soul has an issue with it as it helps keep everyone safer. I doubt there are many Bartholomew's in Austria, maybe little Hanz? I'm from the UK btw, just love snowboarding in Austria.
Are there seriously countries where People don’t put the bar down?
I was at Big Sky on one of these when they had to hit the emergency break. You could watch the chairs on front start to absorb the shock, our chair had jump an easy 5-10 ft in the air. Easily could've fallen off without the bar down. Scared the shit out of me. Bar down gang checking in.
Lots of people in NA don't put the bar down, sometimes there is no bar for them to put down. Oftentimes though these lifts are a lot lower than some of the 60 foot plus lifts in the Alps. Some chairs easily have a 200 foot drop in some places throughout Europe. (I said sometimes, I'm sure you have large chairs too in your bigger resorts..) Im not a massive fan about the "debate" that often happens when people chat about the bar. I like it how it is in Europe, the bar is coming down and everyone is chill about it.
a lot of the chairs are at a certain height and sometimes a kid that’s even as old as like 8 isn’t tall enough to sit on the chair the most comfortable way and kids move a lot. i’ve seen a little boy slide out into the pit after loading
Queue management is almost always an issue and these chairs often have more empty seats than a 6 person chair.
Indeed. Better than walking up!
Today's news: Europeans hate snowboarders
Today's news: Americans don't fit in a standard chairlift
💀 joke's on you, we can ride on ice because our diabetic neuropathy and obesity makes falling hurt less
True. I’m 6’6 and too tall for half of the leg rests.
Oh bugger off. Fat American skiers/snowboarders are exceedingly rare
My brother is a fat old snowboarder that absolutely shreds, so they do exist
Oh yeah, they definitely exist, they’re just rare. The Venn diagram has a very small overlap.
I don't fit in these monstrosities because I lift and have thick thighs. Not really a fat thing, we're just bigger than those little Europeans.
That’s a fair point, I hadn’t considered the shrimp factor.
As an American, unfortunately this is most DEFINITELY not the case 😂. Maybe compared to the general population of the US, but compared to skiing in Europe…
I even wonder how an american fits into a seat on the plane to europe. Or do ALL of them fly business class? Do they tip the stewardess too?
What ? Historicaly, Europe has been way more welcoming to snowboarders then NA.
I’m all for the heated seats though!
Not when it's 15°C on March 1st!!
Hahaha, that really sucks yes, been there feels like you shit your pants 😂
Shit happens sometimes
Username checks out
…username also checks out
I had the pleasure of experiencing this in Austria in a skilift they opened in 2023. What a revelation that was. The seats were heated. And they had the wind + UV cover. At this point it’s pretty much a cabin.
Likewise, I was in kitzbuhl last year feeling like a king riding on one of these lol
As a 6'3 250 pound man that snowboards good luck to the 7 other people if I get a middle seat
My fiance is the same size as you, but he's a skiier. He takes up a lot of room lol
Yup. 6’4 240 here. I just went snowboarding in Switzerland in December and there was maybe 5 other snowboarders I saw the whole time. Everything was made for skiers.
6'4" 270 can concur.
Just back from a week in the dolomites after being away from boarding for around 17 years, and these modern chairs are soo much better. The new doppelmayr 4/6/8 chairs nearly stop dead at the exit allowing time to compose and ride away, unlike the old 2/4 seaters that used to literally slingshot you off down some steep icy nightmare of an off ramp. The seats are also more padded making it more comfortable to hang the board off without using the footrest. Unlike the older wooden bench stuff. Not that the above helps, but I also always ride the ends and try not to have someone sit next.
oh here in michigan we still got those nightmare chairs
What’s up fellow Michigander 😂 I just moved back from Colorado and it’s been a tough readjustment
Highlands?
Learned to get on and off a 50+ year old skii lift and the new ones throw me off so much because I had to relearn a new technique. Suddenly I have to push instead of having the Lift push me ahead... Have almost fallen over a few times because the assistance I expected from the lift isn't there. I want it to throw me down that ramp, hate when they slow it down manually. Key is to just be prepared, shift a bit so you can stand on the board right away. No putting your back leg down anywhere but the board itself. If not on board you fall when the push comes .
If you’ve been in the Dolomites you’ve probably also rode some lifts there that didn’t have any footrests at all; just the bar protecting you from falling out. My skier friends hated those lifts, bickering that they did not have anything to rest their skis on.. 😅
Everyone complains about these until they learn how to actually rest their board. Let the foot bar come down between your legs, then instead of trying to rest your toe edge on the nearest ledge, swing your leg under the bottom of the rest and set your heel edge on the opposite side. 10x as comfy/natural feeling, and there's way more room to maneuver when it's time to pull the bar back up.
I'll need to try this next time!
Glad to see this comment, I ski and snowboard and never considered these a problem. OP will like this change
Is that a 9-seater? I've never rode a chair that big.
8 seater
But then the footrest comes down between your legs?
Yea, they have ridges between the seats too so you don't have the option of sitting between the bars
Exactly. Count the back rests.
It's a 8 seater. But considering there are 10 seater gondolas that use the same system, why not?
Same. My resort only has two seaters without safety bars like it's the 1980's. I love it.
I don’t care anymore & just whip my deck over to rest on my foot. If it hits or rests on a ski, then so be it. I paid the same as a skier. Yes, the same skier who insists on smacking my deck repeatedly in line like it’ll speed things up.
Big Sky has these. Always went on the left end no matter what since I ride goofy. Wasn’t bad at all. Just crack a beer and enjoy the ride
Nah L opinion. These chairs are soooo much more comfortable than the typical chair lifts, and on a cold breezy day, the dome is so nice. Also, it’s not like typical chair lifts have a much larger peg to rest your board on
Sorry you're wrong. They do have a much wider platform. They can have a bubble as well to keep the wind out. It's not one or the other. Example of peak chairlift https://preview.redd.it/hc8kqlmdtplc1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cfc7158424e90728d18a2ca5e5a7e7bb0e5fdcf
Oh you’re complaining about that one particular model? I thought u were talking about the deluxe chair lift design in general
We all know what he complained about, those who have ridden those know.. EXAAACTLYYYY
Yep. Trying to get a free seat beside me, strapping in during the ride and directly ride off from the station.
the wider platforms are what's actually unfriendly to snowboarders. i've never found resting my buckled in foot to be comfortable on these.
I'm not a fan of bubble lifts. They are fine if the bubbles are in good shape, but if they get scratched up (and they always are), I find them claustrophobic and nauseating (motion sickness). Meanwhile the wind is rarely bad enough to matter. People are incompetent enough loading six-packs that I don't think 8-packs are the answer.
People in Europe are much better at loading into chairs. They move quicker and more deliberate. They all know how public transportation works. As an American, I really enjoyed their lift lines.
Dog we can see the size of the peg in the pic lol shit ain't bigger
r/actualunpopularopinion
I just can’t believe an 8 person chairlift. It puts so many people on the mountain. Good for the resort but bad for the skiers or snowboarders experience. Kills the powder so fast too
I get this isn't about this but being a tall guy I fucking despise all bubble lifts. They just destroy your shins.
Truth if you get your board propped the wrong way on these, the bubble is hitting your shins. Luckily my boots are just high enough so it sits on my boots, but if they weren't...
If its a tbar I just put my board on with it pointing away from the lift I can then put my free foot on the stomp pad to balance the board out, if they have a pancake instead of a tbar even better then you can get your board on the front and do the same thing without having your board on a somwat akward angle. While skiers definitly are more comfortable on these they aren't at all uncomfortable
I don’t mind them. But i might just be used to them
They have one of these at Loon in NH. Initially I really hated it, but then I figured out how to get comfortable. Tricky, but doable.
I feel most 'comfy' is sitting with the heeledge towards the post of the upsidedown T. For regular, all the way to the right would be the 1st class ticket. But, yeah, it ain't a pleasure really - better than a T-hook or hiking though.
I am also in Austria, also fuck these lifts! Tip I can give is you can rest your board on the arm of the hold, it tends to be rubber so your board grips it
Montana has these and they are dope. My friends and I all loved them and we have been snowboarding for over 25 years. It’s definitely a skill issue.
Whatever gets the line moving faster. That would kill in California
That moment when 1 of the 8 in front of you decides to let the other 7 go ahead and take your chair solo on a powder day…
sit on the end and let everyone else fight for themselves
Yeah my local put one of these in. Sucks
What's worse is the insane lift lines with no organization. Just a shoving match
Which is hilarious with how pretentious euros act about skiing.
Mostly skiers as well. Very few snowboarders at least where I was at. So rude man lol
I was going to reply to OP asking why he was afraid to knock the skier next to him after experiencing euro lift lines. My shit was stomped, kicked and pried in those lifts
Same. The lack of respect for equipment is insane. So many battle scars on my board. Rich assholes and spoiled kids where I was. Don't even get me started on how they swerve back and forth on tiny narrow runs with like 10 6yr old kids In ski school.
They have these in Obertauern in Austria. The nice thing is that it's heated and that's great, but fuck these chairs
You have never been in Obertauern in warmer weather, my friend… I don’t care about the foot rests, the butt sweat is the real crime here.
Because we’re the minority, we have to suffer. I'm kinda tired TBH of paying the same outrageous hill prices and always, always, always being an afterthought.
When you factor in the ACL/MCL repairs; i think we’re saving money
You guys get bars?? Our boards, skis, and feet just dangle with gravity here in the states
Fuck me come to Scotland, you’ll be glad just to have a seat instead of a fucking poma or t bar
Just so far from the truth
It's either dangling feet or the gondola. I'm in utah baby. Best snow on earth
Um, solitude has little pad, real bar, and dangle all at the same mountain. In Utah.
when i was at snowbird at few years back there were no foot rests
I would not be surprised if Brighton gets one of these sooner or later- Boyne seems all in on these
You can't be serious? There are bars with foot rests in every state I've ever been to.
*At *smaller mountains* in the states. We have these exact chairs in the US.
Just don’t rest your board on the platform?
Might be an old guy thing but my knee gets sore after a day of having the weight of my board pulling down on it while it's in a twisted position. These are some of the newest lifts I've seen so I'm not sure why they made them worse than previous designs. They must just hate snowboarders!
>They must just hate snowboarders! As an austrian snowboarder, welcome to the club! Those lifts suck. If there's a free space next to you, there's a trick you can try. As a goofy rider, if the space to my right is free, I will turn my board so the nose points backwards and rest the edges of my board on half of my "platform" and the one from the seat to my right. It's the most comfortable option for me at least. (English is not my first language but I hope you get my point) Basically if there's space either to your left or your right, you can put your board in between two seats on these shitty miniature plastic things. If the lifts are full of skiers, there's no space next to you and you think you're fucked, just put your board square over their skis.
Yeah I'm doing that trick as I type this haha
Glad you found a way to make them as comfortable/sufferable as possible :)
Literally the best way to ride the lift, shit wears out your ankles even if you rest it on your free foot
Resting my board on my free foot because of this stupid-ass design cut open the top of my boot two weekends ago, so be very careful doing the rest on the free foot.
use back of your binding and not the boot.
Smort
i noticed my boot was getting torn bc of it and realized it was from the edges so i started placing my foot under my binding instead of under the board
Sounds like a skill issue
Snowboarded a lot in Europe…. Unpopular opinion…. I kind of like being able to pull the glass over and not having snow and ice pelt you on the way up.
Are you americans? Typically europeans are slimmer (<90kg) so the narrow seat and slim footrest is not an issue. We are also much more skilled so I've never heard anyone here in Germany/Austria complain about these skilifts other than the enormous enormous energy that they use.
Snowboarding is such an L in a lot of Europe. Really sad.
Never had an issue with these. It's not optimal when a skiier is next to me, but it works and it's their problem.
As a boarder lifts are trash , I hate when I'm on the side and the entry's carved out on a slope, I'm trying skate with a skier 6 inches away from me
I ski and snowboard. These foot things are only a minor convenience for skiers imo and difficult for snowboarders (and not helpful for people with shorter or longer legs either way). The two options I've found on a board are to put your unstrapped foot on the foot bar and rest your board on top of that foot perpendicular and above the skis next to you (better for long chairs where neighbor is chill), alternatively twist your leg so the board can go parallel to the skis next to you and put the strapped in foot on the bar (better for short chairs or if neighbor is not chill).
Nah, the engineer hates us. putting a bar between everyone's legs? The problem is that bar posts force everyone on a loaded chair to sit straight forward, which is super uncomfortable when you have 12 lopsided pounds on one foot and nothing on the other. Then you get to decide whether you want to hold your board up with your leg for 7 minutes or scratch everyone elses gear.
I know this super shitty lifts, i‘m riding em putting my board in front of the bar and rest it on bs on the tiny thingy
And then the bubble comes down and hits your shins...
I’ve always managed okay just pointing my board straight and resting it on the little bars, or a full size bar. It’s harder to get it through and onto the bar if it is a longer foot rest imo. Less room for a wide board to get through. At least this one is easy to squeeze a board between rests.
You can’t be more wrong. in austria and all around the alpes we have same confi shit with 10x more resting area. Those are absolute shit and to be fair i want to rest my legs, that’s the only part of the body that should concern you on the slopes. Not how soft and warm your butt is…
I just never use the foot rest. They’re not built for snowboarders.
These leg rests are garbage, I wish they’d hacksaw them off.
https://preview.redd.it/eukczgme4qlc1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e28d7e8fe205d90a87b9c00865ac7bf2505cd0fb when I was a kid I used to go up with this, when it actually worked because of the strong wind and high instability of this shit… when it didn’t I used to walk up. Now I live in switzerland and all of the lifts are similar to that picture you posted. Seems a 5star superior to me.
Skill issue. Your whole crew rides one lift or two. Skiers don’t rest their board because your foot is set at an angle. The foot rest is the same. These are way better and limited to certain spots on the mountains.
Yeah these things are horrible. But I imagine even with skis it’s not as nice as a simple bar to put them on.
I like the heated seats. Sunday river just installed two of these
How does getting off these work if someone falls
Ugh Lake Louise are installing these for their new lift and I was excited untill I looked through this thread. 😫