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xtreme_bunny 
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Post subject: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
 Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:15 PM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2008
Posts: 57
Location: teesside
Status: Offline
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Hi guys
off to whistler (yea yea i know i havent stopped telling anyone)
anyway... as ive only ridden at cas and cairngorms and a baby slope in chamonix ive never seen a chairlift nevermind been on one...
what do i do? is it really hard to get off??
and... if im normally riding green runs will i be ok to ride blues in whistler???
bit confused with their pistemap. |
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Markland
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Post subject: RE: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:22 PM
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Joined: Nov 24, 2007
Posts: 1150
Location: Warrington
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| Well Poma's are one of the hardest lifts and i guess you can ride them if you have ridden Cas. I was abit worried about chairlifts on my first holiday but i just watched other people in the queue before me and it was simple. You just walk up to the marked spot (or stand on rolling carpet thing) and the chair comes behind you and you sit on it. (I always carried my board, not sure if your allowed in whistler) When on you just pull the bar down or someone else on the chair will. |
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D219
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Post subject: RE: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:28 PM
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Joined: Oct 11, 2004
Posts: 821
Status: Offline
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Try and stay relaxed when you get off it, practise scooting around a bit before you get on. I personally have usually found it easier to be on the right hand side of the chair, as if you start accelerating away you can usually touch your toes into the snow to slow you down a bit.
Off to Whistler myself in March! |
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xtreme_bunny
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Post subject: RE: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:31 PM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2008
Posts: 57
Location: teesside
Status: Offline
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nice one hun.
what do u mean by scooting about tho?
just like having a bit of a slide? i can get my bloke to push me about!!! thatl b fun! might take some skates or something for round town. lol
no but seriously im worried about the chairlifts. i know gondolas will be easy enough just know im likely to fall over just like at cas on the far side poma! |
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xtreme_bunny
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Post subject: RE: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:36 PM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2008
Posts: 57
Location: teesside
Status: Offline
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oh yeah and......
the grading system for the runs...
whats the ones with the white dots?
and are the blues over there more like reds?
dont want to get myself stuck. |
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evilfairy
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Post subject: RE: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:36 PM
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Joined: Oct 22, 2007
Posts: 645
Location: Darlington
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Chairs are pretty easy with board attached, front foot only like on the poma, I've found being goofy sitting on the right's more comfortable becasue of the foot rest thing attached to the bar
getting ons easy, point your board forward at the line and be prepared to sit, the chair'll hit the back of your legs (which is a pretty good inticator you should sit down or be pushed forward
getting off's slightly more fun, first the bar needs lifting (always over a big drop) then you'll reach the end, the ground comes up you slide forward and put your board down, and prepare to stand properly, soon as you stand a little push on the lift to get you going and you go down a ramp (so the chair doesn't twat you on the head) and try to break away from the others you just went up with.
if you can get off the poma at cas and control it you should be fine coming off a chair, just remember a lot of skiers will snowplow to stop when they come off (and wave their poles) and other snowboarders might go the wrong way or be unballanced
your allowed to fall over and take out 3 other people coming off your first time, no its expected, bonus points for causing the group on the next chair to crash and fall too  |
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xtreme_bunny
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Post subject: RE: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:39 PM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2008
Posts: 57
Location: teesside
Status: Offline
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| lol that will be me!!! |
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evilfairy
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Post subject: RE: Progression, Chairlifts and Gondolas
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:41 PM
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Joined: Oct 22, 2007
Posts: 645
Location: Darlington
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white dots? would that be the black diamonds? horrible feeling theyre the hardest
think they have green blue black black diamond n double black too, you should be ok on greens and blues, if I remember right (coz I'm to lazy to look it up) the blacks over lap europe's reds in difficulty/steepness, but I'm probably wrong n we were just telling my friend that so she'd go down them |
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xtreme_bunny
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 12, 2009 - 11:45 PM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2008
Posts: 57
Location: teesside
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not sure because there were greens and blues with white dots between the colours.
i know i wont be touching the blacks.
was wondering if they are maybe off piste? |
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evilfairy
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 13, 2009 - 12:10 AM
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Joined: Oct 22, 2007
Posts: 645
Location: Darlington
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Its not clear what they mean but all the dotted ones connect to dotted ones, and lead to the town so it could be a home route marker, when they start closing the lifts, they're the runs you want to go on to get home
off piste wouldn't be marked or else it'd just be ungroomed piste |
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tannedstamina
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 13, 2009 - 09:14 AM
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Joined: Jan 30, 2006
Posts: 138
Location: London
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Hey, chairlifts can be a bit scary first time - I've found the ones in france easy, but a few years ago I had some in Austria that were really steep. I'm not sure how steep they'll be over there.
Practice going down some small flatish slopes with only your front foot strapped in and practice stopping. Try wedging your back foot into the side of your binding so it doesn't slip out. I've seen guys' feet slip out and they've done the splits and landed on their bindings. Ouch.
When you're on the chair lift try and get either end - for a snowboard to stop you'll need to turn sideways a little and if you're with skiers you'll knock them over. Also, used to hold onto the chair for a little bit to give the skiers or others time to get away (if you fall then you don't knock anyone off).
Good luck! |
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Ramirez
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 13, 2009 - 09:51 AM
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Joined: Sep 24, 2008
Posts: 522
Location: Lancashire, next to the pub
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I've not long since come back from Serre Chev, where I had my first experience of Chair Lifts.
They are easier than Pomas that’s for certain, no need to worry.
Like the evil fairy says, just let the chair touch the back of your legs and then sit down. Once everyone's comfy you or someone else will bring the bar down (keep an eye on the bar as you might get a clonk on the head otherwise). At this point you can move your board to rest it on one of the foot rests, which is attached to the bar you've just brought down (otherwise your leg might start to ache after a while or dangling down). Once your getting close to the top of the lift, make sure your not resting on the foot rest (you'll get a good idea when to do this as everyone else will be doing the same). As your moving in closer to the end ramp, I personally shifted my butt so I'm sitting sidewards on the chair ready to let my board touch the ramp, with my other foot ready to be placed against my back binding (like you do on the pomas) and stand up.
Once your board makes contact with the ground, stand up and give yourself a little push off the chair. As above try and direct yourself of to the side away from the others on the lift. e.g. if your on the left go left, in the middle, go straight on the right errr go right At the end of the day if you just get yourself forward away from the chair then you can fall left, right, forwards, do a back flip, its up to you just don’t let the chair slap you in the back of the head it hurts!
One thing to possibly consider is where's the chair going when you get off? As you watch the chair lift going round and you’re pushing your way through skiers who think going across your board is acceptable, think about which way the chair goes round. When you're at the bottom of the lift if the chair comes round from behind you on the left then when it gets to the top it going to go round to the left to go back down, so if your on the far right of the chair your can skate forward a bit and dive off to the right if needed without the risk of a chair clipping you. I doubt you'll need to use this method but maybe on your first go its worth giving yourself the option 
With regards to the runs, I can only speak from my own experience in Serre Chev. I found that Greens can sometimes be worse than Blues. The reason being that they can sometimes be quite narrow and not very steep which makes for lots of turning and not a lot of speed i.e. lots of leg burn and a few stops due to having to take a foot out to skate along looking for am incline. I personally was happy with blues, reds and even did a black after a couple of days (I’ve only been boarding for a few months and I’m not that great, honestly )
What ever happens, don’t panic and if a run is too much of a challenge there’s always toe/heel edge to slide down on. You’re going to love it !! |
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ace_mcgraw
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 13, 2009 - 10:33 AM
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Joined: Feb 20, 2007
Posts: 2952
Location: That snowboarding hotbed, Norfolk
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First thing I would say is that if you can do scottish pomas you can do any lifts!
Secondly, just get some practice gliding in a straight line with your back foot out of the bindings. Once your a little more comfy doing that you should be able to slide off the chair no probs.
The Whistler lifties will be unlikely to let you up without having the board on, so it's a necessary evil! |
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xtreme_bunny
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 13, 2009 - 05:50 PM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2008
Posts: 57
Location: teesside
Status: Offline
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Thanks guys! uve been brill!
Im so excited now im startin to feel sick!! lol
I cant wait!
as with trying to carry the board on the chairlift... im more likely to forget and drop the it off the lift half way up! so i wont be doin that!!!
lol!
set off soon! woohoo!!
again thanks guys uve been a great help! |
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DigitalBlonde
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Post subject:
Posted: Jan 13, 2009 - 10:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 06, 2008
Posts: 58
Location: By the sea
Status: Offline
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Hey hun!
I mastered chair lifts when in Sunshine Village in Canada last year. Came a cropper a few times and go a bit frustrated but people are fine about it. It's funny when skiiers see a seemly Bambi legged newbie to the chairlift careering towards them 
Got the hang of it and then I was away
Have a fab time in Whistler! |
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