Bar tender for safe chair-riding

Chairman of the barred

Have you ever taught a novice who has never ridden a chair lift before (the answer is ‘yes’) or wonder what other instructors do to help clients through their first ever chair ride?

When students realize they are en route to a chair lift for the first time (what…way up there?) they may experience trepidation, and worse, a mind numbing meltdown. Here’s what I use to help deliver an uplifting, rather than a chair raising, experience (OK, enough ‘punishment’ already!).

-          I have my learners watch other people getting on the chair.

o   Seeing others loading the chair with little issue or duress bolsters confidence. Especially when it is kids hopping on without hesitation or difficulty.

-          Before we get in line (and in other people’s way) I coach several points:

o   Pole straps off wrists for safety, hands on top of the poles for safety and easy use to push forward and steady ourselves until we are ready to sit down. Some demo and practice develops competence—no clumsy waddling and slipping, or poking out of chair mates’ eyes with flailing pole tips.

o   When to slide forward and where to stand, ready to sit. I instruct that we push forward just as the previous chair sweeps past—no hesitating to watch the people in front sit down—use poles to push then to stop, standing with boots on the designated line.

o   Shift both poles to one hand, baskets down and well above the snow, turn just enough to watch the chair, then sit when it arrives, grabbing the seat beside the knee with the free hand.

-          Once seated, it’s time to lower the bar. Safely. I introduce my favorite silly line—secretly wishing to hear it echoed one day in a British accent—“when we lower the bar carefully and gently I call it bartender”. This usually triggers a laugh, especially after 2 pm (warning:  early morning I may get a dreaded ‘tough crowd’ deadpan).

-          The ride itself is an opportunity to build rapport with your clients and distract them by pointing out views from their now lofty perspective, before casually mentioning that the top of the chair is approaching and thus scaring the cr#p out of them. Caution: choice of words is critical to avoid waking the dragon, a.k.a. mind numbing white knuckled fear. Will they get launched into the unknown, dropped into a white abyss from which no bodies have ever been recovered? Actually no. I simply tell them keep their skis parallel (french fries only, no pizza), to stand up when I say, and to bend forward as we ski away from the chair. Depending on how much I think they will hear (fear can mute any well intended guidance) I might add some of these points:

o   Prepare to dismount before we raise the safety bar. Skis (or snowboards) off the foot rests and poles hanging with tips down so we can raise the bar at the blue work safety sign “lift bar here”, with plenty of time left before we need to stand up.

o   Shuffle to the front edge of the seat to make it easier to stand up. I explain that the time to stand up is where the exit ramp slopes a little, and when I say to (I avoid phrases such as “when the snow falls away below us” which might ignite a fire of nerves).

o   Keep your skis parallel—never snow plow or ‘pizza’ beside another person when sliding away from the chair. This minimizes the chance of overlapping your ski tails with other peoples’ equipment and blowing out an ACL as your ski slips forward causing a slow knee twisting backwards fall—need I say more?

o   As our skis reach the exit ramp, I count out loud “3…2…1…go forward”, saying “forward” when the distance to the snow makes it is easy to slide off the chair into a standing position. I give a little physical assistance to make sure they get off the chair, minimizing the chance that they end up with the chair dragging them around the bull wheel until the liftie hits the mercy button.

-          Once the dismount is successful we celebrate with a cheer, then get back to the pursuit of ski improvement and great memories. After a couple of rounds the success rate is assured. Chair rides become a relaxing rest with a view rather than a nervous prelude to an abyss.

Whether teaching or simply joining others on chairlifts I always encourage safe handling of the safety bar—after all it is a ‘safety’ bar.  The goal:  less chance of a crushed skull or pinched limb due to a hastily slammed down bar, or loss of teeth from a hastily raised bar. You can help raise the bar on safety bar safety, just say “barrr-tender…”