Universal Covid-19 solo chair riding etiquette?

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Hear me out and please tell me if I am off base here.

I have skied two days on chairlifts this year so far. First day was pretty busy and riding solo on a chair was not really an option. At least I never had a stranger RIGHT next to me. At least one person space in between.

Today was a very slow midweek. Empty chairs going up the mountain.

When I ski up to the maze with essentially no line at all, let the two people in front of me go by themselves, and then hang back standing dead center of the maze waiting for my own chair could it be any more clear that I want to ride alone? Am I over estimating people's spatial awareness?

Multiple times today there would be a grand total of 4-6 people in the entire line for 4/6/8 person chairs. Every damn time some joey last minute flies into the maze and jumps on the chair with me when it was pretty obvious I waited one extra chair to ride alone......

Not a powder day....marginal groomer skiing....not busy.....etc

Even had people jump ahead in line to squeeze on with the group of strangers one chair in front of me.....wtf?

Like I am not a super germaphobe, but waiting another 10 seconds for the next chair is that much of a problem for people? They HAVE to ride the chair with strangers during a pandemic?

I guess when you risked your life to fly across the country to spend $200 bucks to reserve a day to ski rock covered groomers during a global pandemic the whole waiting for an empty chair thing goes out the window?

Very very very little irks me, but I couldn't help get annoyed a couple times today.

Are you explicitly telling people you want to ride solo on the chair? Am I being insane?

[morphintoskittle]

Haven’t seen any of this at squaw/alpine...I’ve already had covid and still see this as basic courtesy/etiquette. You’re definitely not off

[zartagen]

The shit you mention is annoying regardless of a pandemic. If there's no one in the maze, I'm taking a chair by myself. But every now and then some ding dong blasts up last second to hop on next to me, and they usually slam the bar down, too.

Some people just have zero spacial and social awareness.

[Wookiee]

Some people are space cadets; got to tell them ‘seats taken’ in gump voice. I find that shit to be real annoying and I can only imagine even more so with COVID. When there is no one in the corral wait the 5 seconds for the next chair.

[schindlerpiste]

I'm really surprised. In Park City, only groups can ride together. Doesn't matter whether it is a double or 6 pack. If you are alone, you ride alone.
No sharing a smoke with strangers...

[whyturn]

Tape a sign on your back. “I ride alone and have IBS”


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[snowaddict91]

I'm really surprised. In Park City, only groups can ride together. Doesn't matter whether it is a double or 6 pack. If you are alone, you ride alone.
No sharing a smoke with strangers...

They didn't get the memo on the canyons side. I shared two chairs today with last second resort employees hopping on. No line. The one didn't even want to talk at all. WTF?

I've pretty much decided if there is a line, I'll pair up with a single on a quad, but no line I'd rather ride solo.

[Lone Star]

This Alta skier is also surprised. Even with long lines and getting in line alone, people have politely asked if I was OK sharing the chair. I was expecting more heckling and mean people but haven't witnessed any of that. We'll see how the first big weekend pow day goes....

[snowaddict91]

People also totally suck at social distancing in lines, while we are on the subject. Like dude, there are three people in the maze to ski an iced over groomer, back the fuck off.

[romeo tango]

.... most people just have zero spacial and social awareness.

FIFY

.

[zartagen]

FIFY

.

True, thanks for catching that.

[romeo tango]

mi casa es tu casa

.

[DryorDie]

I'm really surprised. In Park City, only groups can ride together. Doesn't matter whether it is a double or 6 pack. If you are alone, you ride alone.
No sharing a smoke with strangers...

Hah, no that's definitely not what I witnessed today. Had to ask the two Texans to move to the other side of the six pack instead of loading up right in the middle.

[Buster Highmen]

Loading @ Crustal, 2 on either ends of a quad, trying to make it 3, in scoots that famous maskless Irish novice, Brother O'Blivious.

So I pushed back around his tails, outside the pending chair and rode the next one solo.

[Toadman]

I ended up on a 6 pack at Crystal with 3 Zoomers. They all popped brews and were shouting to each other. Last time I rode that lift. I think my mistake was not being a bit of a Karen and saying something to an Xtal host or employee. That kind of shit is just not cool in the COVID era.

[BFD]

Wolf creek loads every 4th chair single for those wanting to ride single. I am pretty sure now that the holidays and early season rush is over you can have your pick of chairs.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I ended up on a 6 pack at Crystal with 3 Zoomers. They all popped brews and were shouting to each other. Last time I rode that lift. I think my mistake was not being a bit of a Karen and saying something to an Xtal host or employee. That kind of shit is just not cool in the COVID era.

I guess I am gonna just have to speak up and be slightly Karen-ish.

[sloChinoMalo]

what is the rule or etiquette?
From Vail's website...
'We will continue to offer singles lines. Singles may be seated together on opposite sides of four- and six-person chairlifts and on opposite sides of larger gondola cabins. All guests will be required to wear face coverings while in lift lines, riding chairlifts and inside gondolas.'

and also

'Guests can ride chairlifts and gondolas with their related parties, and no one will be required to ride with someone they don’t know. '

So far, I've ridden single with a stranger single on each end of a Quad and Six-pack probably 50% of the time. Seemed okay to me. Especially we were forward facing and the chair never stopped. no conversation. I would not feel comfortable riding the gondola with somebody else though.

For a six-person chair (8? feet apart?), should a single ask the other single whether he/she can ride together, or just go?

[river59]

Same shit happened yesterday at my Hood meadows. Most of the day it was no problem to catch a chair solo, but some knobs came in hot to the loading zone to sit on either side of me as the chair was coming around. Proceeded to crash the bar down without a word. Masks barely covering their chins... No friends (or etiquette) on a crust day.

[ZomblibulaX]

Don’t flame me, but I think Vail’s got it right.

I’ve ridden up with one other person on our six pack several times, and that works for me. We’re following the same protocol, stick with your group, if you want a chair it’s yours, and everyone has asked before joining me. I keep my mask on and I am more than happy to ask someone to keep theirs on too, but I’ve also been calling people out in the lift line when the ticket checkers won’t step up to it. It’s up to the community to remind people to not be a dick, and the more people say something, the more likely other people will just do the right thing.

Now around the base area, parking lots, etc... as soon as people step away from the lift they’re mask off yelling at each other. Christ on a cracker, figure it out people.

[old goat]

Around here all the resorts have said that no one has to ride with strangers. They have no choice. The alternative is likely to be shut down. If you want to take your chances and ride with a stranger great, but no one should be shamed or harrassed for riding alone, and no one should join a stranger on a chair without permission. We shouldn't feel we're being Karen's, or uncool, or be afraid to be flamed for standing up for our personal safety.

Saw a young guy--maybe twenty--politely ask someone else in the lift line to pull his mask up. After the first guy was out of hearing the offender asked his partner, "What triggered him". I said "your penis nose." (But I only said it to myself, alas. We do have to be friendly and polite when standing up for ourselves. Unfortuantely.)

And if you do let someone ride with you, be glad if they don't want to talk. Also because it spreads germs.

[muted]

And if you do let someone ride with you, be glad if they don't want to talk. Also because it spreads germs.

I've been texting people I ride up with this season instead.

[tmokes]

I told one idiot skier “I’m ok to share a chair if you got your mask on”. And this guy start talking about how masks don’t work and if I was a nurse, I should know better. I know we can’t cure stupid so I told him I don’t want to talk to him unless it’s ski related.

Both days were half day, to miss the opening/closing rush hour and no powder day. Long lines, partially due to limited chair operations in early season, so I can’t imagine on powder day when everyone is itching to get on a chair...


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[shera]

The shit you mention is annoying regardless of a pandemic. If there's no one in the maze, I'm taking a chair by myself. But every now and then some ding dong blasts up last second to hop on next to me, and they usually slam the bar down, too.

Some people just have zero spacial and social awareness.

Yup. I solved this long ago. Sometimes I make a monster pizza to block off both sides...alternatively if people get up beside you on the loading line, just stand there and wait for the next chair, let them load the current one alone.

[zartagen]

On the other hand, if there is a long maze, the best thing may be to fully load every chair. Half loading will double the maze wait, which will also cause the maze to have more people. Standing around in a crowd for 20-30 minutes has got to be more conducive to spreading the virus than 7 minutes sitting next to someone masked up with a steady breeze. Then again, the ski areas are supposed to limit guests so that doesn't happen.