Universal Covid-19 solo chair riding etiquette?

[::: :::]

thinking about printing up some of these.

what would be an even better caption?

“Ask me about my viral load”

[RockinB]

I’ve been following this thread from the start. The management at our resort allowed all those who bought a season pass to get a full refund as long as it was done prior to opening day. I thought it was a respectable move on their end and was what convinced my wife and I to buy passes with no pressure to keep it. I’d assume a lot of people bought passes with the same train of thought. We both bought our passes over the summer when the covid numbers in our area were really low. That’s not the case now.

We spent a significant amount of time debating whether to keep are passes or not. It all came down to what we enjoy most about skiing at the resort is the social aspect. It’s one of the places where we get to see a lot of our friends, have beers and spin laps with people we don’t see that often other times of the year. We just kept coming back to how different this year is going to be and it wouldn’t be worth the frustration of being stuck in long lift lines and annoyed with people ignoring rules just to ski in a crowded resort. We bailed on our passes last week.

Luckily we have touring gear and there are endless opportunities near our house to get out and ski. In a normal year I would say 50% of our ski days are touring. I think I’m mostly going to miss the morning/afternoon quick sessions at the resort the most.

I’m already looking forward to next season and hopefully that it will look and feel a bit more like years past.

[paulster2626]

I don't know why the immediate assumption if I'm being quiet on the chair is I'm a grumpy fuck, bro-brah, having a bad day, pouter, etc. I enjoy every turn I make, and I talk to plenty of people on the chair. But more often than not, I would just rather listen to the chair bumping over the sheaves. I have young kids at home (who are home all of the time), I have to talk to people all day at work, skiing is my opportunity to shut myself up. I'm not trying to be in the "zone" or too cool for school, I just don't always need to talk, or to be talked at. I don't really talk to people in the elevator, or on the bus, or on a plane. The only difference with riding a chair is when we get off we're all doing something we really enjoy , and the scenery is a whole lot better. So enjoy it as you will.

I used to ski with a paperback in my pocket on sunny days (which is damn near every day here), and more often than not it was impossible to read because people always wanted to ask about what I was reading. Oh well.

I wouldn't assume that. I'd assume you're probably a cool person who at this moment in time just wants to sit quietly and contemplate whatever, and I'm happy to oblige. You don't have to talk, it's all good. Sometimes I just want to sit in silence too; there's nothing wrong with that.

[anotherVTskibum]

Good point, but I'd guess when it's all snowboarders (they don't have 182 boards to ride park) they were closer than 6'. And we were all shoulder-to-shoulder horizontally. No one was giving space after going through the ticket gate, so it's 8-10 people crammed together when I was only riding 2 to a chair, sometimes 3.

A few had their masks pulled down. I doubt I'm going to catch it in those lines unless the lift stops, but it didn't feel like a fun experience

The local resort has been really good IME at line management (light-years better than I expected, honestly), but the 'crowd after the gates' is still a problem. I think it's two-fold at this point:
a) at the busiest lifts, they do have an employee in that area to monitor, but they're generally focused on the tablet in their hands because there have been some significant IT headaches this year and a lot of passes aren't working correctly
b) people are dumb. I'm pretty sure some of these people—who push forward through into the gate as soon as the person in front of them starts clearing it—are the same people who inch forward onto train tracks while waiting for a light to change.

The people directing the traffic through the merge and towards the gates seem to be doing a pretty good job overall with managing flow, but the point-b issue makes their job far harder than it should be (really, people, just stop with your skis a little back from the person in front of you, or with your skis a little back from the person in the group ahead of you who is one gate over, and be patient—you're not getting on the lift any sooner).

[The AD]

People are creatures of habit and the season is just getting going. I have a feeling things will get better as the season goes on--assuming it goes on.

[ntblanks]

“Ask me about my viral load”

like it.

[leroy jenkins]

Just here to highlight one of many posts that displays the piss poor reading comprehension which is endemic to this place. Nobody said anything about wanting a ski area to themselves or wanting a wilderness experience, they simply said they don't feel like interacting with randos when they're skiing for the day. How some of you arrived at the former when the latter was stated is unsurprising, but idiotic nonetheless.

I wasn't even going to bother with this, I thought it was a bit pedantic, but in your earlier response to me you showed a lack of reading comprehension by misconstruing my statement that perhaps a hello or head nod or grunt to a fellow human on the lift may suffice to generally acknowledge and respect the existence of those around you to mean some requirement have in depth conversation. Just enjoying the irony with your little reading comprehension rant.

I think you're mistaking internet ire for actual ire displayed in the meat world. I'm sure all of the folks spouting off here about wanting to be left alone are pleasant human beings in real life, maybe even fastfred. Even me.

I get bored riding chairs. I actually like talking to folks in a normal year, as long as we're not talking about politics, religion, or the weather. I'll even talk to you if you slam the bar on my head, as long as you say sorry first, and as long as I am still conscious.

Yea probably. There are some folks who are downright anti social though, not in the sense of avoiding interaction which is how most people use the word anti social, which in fact is better described by the word asocial, but by being closer to the clinical definition of the word antisocial, such as having anti social tendencies. Like the tendency to look at other humans, or other humans that can do nothing for you, as automatically some sort of adversary and to create antagonistic or standoffish interactions with them as a matter of course simply for existing in your space and perhaps saying hello.

If you're just asocial I dont care. I've had roommates who kept to themselves and clearly had social anxiety, I've been that roommate too, but I've also had a roommate who had some weird chip on his shoulder I don't owe it to anyone to say hi or act civil which was really about some sort of angry antagonism more than anything else. There arent many people like that but there are a few.



Years ago a couple guys I knew ate mushrooms together and went for a little walk in the desert. One told me the story later. After a while of doing desert stuff they sat down to enjoy the view, and one, feeling reflective, opened up about feelings about being adopted and struggling to sort through that. The other guy just said who dude you're ruining my trip don't bring me down with these bad vibes and just got up and left. The guy who told me the story was the guy who left. I asked him what it would have cost him to just sit and listen and say yea dude thats some real shit life sure can be a motherfucker huh but he couldn't tell me.

Some of you guys are just grumpy. If you ride a lift with me I'll take a hint if you don't want to talk, but I'll keep on assuming that a hello is not an affront to most people. Shrug. Really most of this is probably shit we can all agree besides semantics but its a thread about chairlift etiquette so like, first world problems right?

[leroy jenkins]

I feel like the whole talking to people on lifts thing has reached the point of over analysis.

It really comes down to social interaction and you aren't going to explain it on the internet.

Or the internet is the perfect place for discussing nuances of society and personality differences that won't often get touched upon in real life, at least with the breadth and variety of responses one could expect online. Different strokes I guess. Regardless, it costs you only what you let it cost you.

[Ottime]

Tip to tail with 182cm skis is 6' on the dot. But it feels way closer when you are surrounded by a large crowd of people that close for 15-20 mins each lap. Kind of a mind fuck.

I think the rope lines need to be extended waaaay farther than normal because without ropes forcing people to space apart from each other horizontally, you just get the blob of people waiting to enter the corrale.

The over filled corral bunching that happens is likely the danger zone with all the typical jockeying for position that goes on.

As for those who hate a hello, hello. Seriously, get over yourselves.

[Ottime]

Squaw is trying to keep people without passes or day passes out of the parking lot. At any given time there seem to me more people wandering around the "village" (read shopping mall and condos in a parking lot) in street clothes than in ski clothes and they want to keep the crowds down. Most of those folks don't buy anything. I have no idea what the attraction is, other than there's not a lot else to do up here in the winter if you're not into outdoor sports.

They are all looking for the Californian version of the Stenson hat they bought while window shopping in Telluride last season.

[Bunion 2020]

Or the internet is the perfect place for discussing nuances of society and personality differences that won't often get touched upon in real life, at least with the breadth and variety of responses one could expect online. Different strokes I guess. Regardless, it costs you only what you let it cost you.

Well put.

[old goat]

My pole plus my arm is 6 feet. If my pole tip is in your eye you're too close. If my pole tip is up your ass I'm too close. Sorry.

[FigureELEVEN11]

Disappointing thread.

Its pretty easy to gague if the chair rider wants to chat or not and you have a 3 second exchange or 3 minute life story talk.

Lifties seem friendlier than ever this year but most of you rich entitled brats likely treat them like lepars since they don't work remotely like you.

[SKIP IN7RO]

^Don't be disappointed. These old fucks very rarely offer any wisdom, but they'll tell you about their experiences.

[FigureELEVEN11]

^Don't be disappointed. These old fucks very rarely offer any wisdom, but they'll tell you about their experiences.

Yeah I get it Vail in the 90s when they couch surfed was great until Daddy died and they could move to Montana or JH.

I don't even know if I can count lifetime unpleasant ski chair convos on one hand. Good ones over 1,000.

And plenty of 'hey' nods ands silence.

Fucks wrong with people its a social sport its not team tackle football where we all go shower together after the game but again skiing is not not that.

[TBS]

Opening today at Mt Bachelor was a little crazy at first, but seemed to sort itself out. The lift maze lines are spread laterally so if you don't stand on someone's tails there's six feet of distance all around before you dump into the main chute. Households can ride four to a chair, but strangers are limited to two, and riding single is just fine.

Lift crews were trying hard to enforce mask policies and distance for a largely clueless crowd with no concept of distance.

At head of singles lines on one trip, the line guy asks me and the other skier if we were OK riding together. I said "Sure, so long as he keeps his mask on and takes all his clothes off". That lightened the mood in the crowd.

@ntblanks - another caption might be "visualize six feet of space". Anent what OG sez, distance from my armpit to tip of pole is 70". So if I stab someone with a pole it was in self defense.

[Toadman]

it's all about wind direction. Don't be that tool that is downwind in the lift line.

[interloper]

I just tell folks I drove up from Cali last night....

[FigureELEVEN11]

Daddddddyyyyyyyy

They didn't wear their masks in the liftline and they put me on the 6 pack with a dad and his kid I am gonna get rona.


Daaaaadddddddyyyyy I am scared.

[Greenstateofmind]

If it’s all a little too overwhelming, maybe an n95 mask will help with the nerves.

I’m not thrilled about lines this year. And there will be knuckleheads, just like every year. So being prepared for ass hattery will go a long way.

Maybe skittle machines with Valium at the que?

[FigureELEVEN11]

If it’s all a little too overwhelming, maybe an n95 mask will help with the nerves.

I’m not thrilled about lines this year. And there will be knuckleheads, just like every year. So being prepared for ass hattery will go a long way.

Maybe skittle machines with Valium at the que?

Just call daddy and do your meds and your OK bro dude.

[TBS]

I just tell folks I drove up from Cali last night....

You'd get a better reaction if you said Idaho...

[FigureELEVEN11]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5i-UnuUKUI

Just in the wishing well

[anotherVTskibum]

The over filled corral bunching that happens is likely the danger zone with all the typical jockeying for position that goes on.

As for this who hate a hello, hello. Seriously, get over yourselves.

I will say that, IMO, there's been less jockeying for position this year, even in the cluster yesterday. The one lift-served run I took, we got up to the corral..and found that the line we had been standing in for 20 minutes didn't actually continue into the corral and was merging into the two adjacent lanes. We looked around like "damn, WTF?" and got a shrug from the folks in the next line over, who let us in with the same kind of "well, this is dumb" shrug.

[FigureELEVEN11]

I miss Juice WRLD.

Just get on the chair and go skiing and call daddy to cry about the fear after.