The Chairlift Jitters

Alright people, now I don't mean to be THAT guy but, for the love of all that is good, can we do something about all the chairlift stops?!! For those of you who are new to skiing & snowboarding, the average chairlift ride will stop AT LEAST once before you get off, due to inexperienced riders freezing up in terror, and thus, simply not being able to get onto the chair properly. Is it because people in general don't know how to sit down on a moving chair? No! It's because of fear. Fear causes them to freak out and tense up making an otherwise simple task seem next to impossible. Now, if there were a couple of guys with guns chasing after them, I guarantee you we would have much less accidents. But it doesn't have to come to that. Look, all you gotta do if you're feeling squeamish about the chair or rather its speed, is inform the chair lift attendant that you would like him to slow it down for you or that you could use a little help. I'll take a chair lift slowing down any day over a chair lift stoppage!

Now it is true that there are many different kinds of chair-lifts, ranging from the newer, state of the art types to the older, broken down, beat up chair lifts. The newer chair lifts tend to be larger having space for as many as four passengers. On top of that, they tend to be much better cushioned and will slow down during the mounting process and then speed back up to increase safety and efficiency. These chairs are an absolute dream to ride on especially in comparison to the alternative. As for the older lifts, well they just suck! There is barely any cushion for your bottom and rarely any cushion for your back. Furthermore, they usually only seat 2 people, making it more difficult to find an adequate landing strip for your butt. In addition, they do NOT slow down at all during the mounting process, and will often shake quite a bit during this time as well as while it moves over a post. However, as stated earlier, any lift can be mounted especially if you let the attendant know that you require a little help. There's no shame in it. In fact, I myself would not only respect more those who ask for help, but also be grateful they prevented another stoppage. I should also point out the reason why stoppages are so inconvenient. You see, it is not just a matter of having to wait. Although, that in and of itself is annoying, the truth is it's really cold up there while your body is at rest. When you're going down the mountain, your body is working, and I mean really WORKING, so you're not really feeling the cold.