Drainthefecesswamp wrote:
GO HOME GAPER wrote:
if the chairlift issue was such an easy quick fix as you suggest it would already have been remedied. As a former lifty and ski instructor I can tell you that the probability of dying as a result of anything to do with a chairlift is extremely low. Money would be better spent stationing ski patrol in parking lots to tend to the overweight, out of shape, and from sea level individuals exhibiting chest pain.
Who said anything about money? Making a policy of seats staying down all day wouldn't cost anything, existing equipment could be kept in place. Some resorts already leave seats down all day and no more than an inch or two can accumulate while the chair is cycling around. Most people sitting down knock the snow off, so you don't really need them up.
I've skied plenty of days with 3 feet falling over the course of the day and it was fine with the seats down. When the lifts close, you raise all the seats so you dont end up with big accumulation over night, and any slush doesnt freeze hard onto the seat.
Your idea of more staff to deal with the weekend warriors having chest pain is a good one. It's likely to become more of a problem over time, the average person in the population isnt getting any fitter. The resorts in the west actually are fairly financially healthy, despite the loss of almost a month to the season over the past 40 years, so there should be some ability to make incremental improvements like that.
Is the average person in the population skiing? Are skiers (and let's add in snowboarders) representative of the population at large in terms of health status?