I often load chairlifts as a single. As seat numbers per chair capacity increases on chairlifts, so does the potential for not filling a chair efficiently to capacity. People want to ski, not stand needlessly in long lift lines. When a lift maze has few people, that is not an issue. In fact when lift lines are short, most of we experienced advanced skiers let groups, especially mixed couples ride by themselves considerately giving them a chance to talk with each other privately. Thus on say a quad chair with few groups in a maze, even though I could add to a another double or triple, may ride solo or will load with other singles if they just happen to be arriving at the next load block about the same time since most of we singles tend to be gregarious.
However as lift lines increase beyond a minute or two, that begins to be annoying to those waiting in maze lines. That is more likely to be the situation at popular lifts on weekends or holidays versus for mid week visitors. As we approach the Christmas New Years period crowded lift mazes will peak. With intelligently structured lift mazes and lift attendants guiding group combinations, all this can run smoothly with just a few occasional chairs loading at less than capacity.
More recently with the rise of ticket RFID scanners, I've noticed quite an increase of situations where an attendant has difficulty scanning a ticket for whatever reason and then loading becomes more dependent on those groups and or singles moving towards the next load block that need to do so on their own. Same thing in the past before scanners when a person's lift ticket was hidden beneath clothing thus not visible. The same situation may happen when a larger maze is so undermanned that the attendant can only really cope with scanning leaving the loading up to those proceeding along a maze ramp. As a tip, when I approach an attendant with an RFID scanner, until they recognize me as familiar, I usually point a glove finger to the pocket my season pass is in, instead of letting them hunt for such over my clothing that otherwise occasionally does not instantly register.
There are and have always been numbers of people and partial groups that seem to have little interest and awareness indicating to others what group moving towards the next loading block they are part of. Singles in particular if too shy to speak up may find the situation confusing as they try and understand if they need to join groups. Often on advanced quad and six-pack lifts, attendants expect singles to match up by themselves while they concentrate on dealing with the multi-groups. Often say on a quad I'll see people that are actually all part of a group not moving as an obvious line forward in a maze. Sometimes someone in one group may in fact be moving along a loading maze next to person(s) with parts of a group in front or behind. And have noticed they are often not paying attention to those beside them say looking down at the snow or elsewhere. What happens right before next loading blocks sometimes is suddenly they are all too late staring at each other like dopes deciding how to match up. And everyone still in the maze is one chairlift ride slower towards skiing.
My input here open for discussion is I would like to see those skiers and snowboarders that seem to habitually not pay attention moving along lift corrals towards a loading block, during more crowded periods with long lines, to considerately pay better attention while moving through lift mazes. Since there are fair numbers that are unlikely to change their current inattentive whatever behaviors on their own, additionally would like to see terse advice signs for such along lift mazes to make them aware of what is good practice. Many lifts of course already have signs with safety loading notes. Something as simple as the below would help
However as lift lines increase beyond a minute or two, that begins to be annoying to those waiting in maze lines. That is more likely to be the situation at popular lifts on weekends or holidays versus for mid week visitors. As we approach the Christmas New Years period crowded lift mazes will peak. With intelligently structured lift mazes and lift attendants guiding group combinations, all this can run smoothly with just a few occasional chairs loading at less than capacity.
More recently with the rise of ticket RFID scanners, I've noticed quite an increase of situations where an attendant has difficulty scanning a ticket for whatever reason and then loading becomes more dependent on those groups and or singles moving towards the next load block that need to do so on their own. Same thing in the past before scanners when a person's lift ticket was hidden beneath clothing thus not visible. The same situation may happen when a larger maze is so undermanned that the attendant can only really cope with scanning leaving the loading up to those proceeding along a maze ramp. As a tip, when I approach an attendant with an RFID scanner, until they recognize me as familiar, I usually point a glove finger to the pocket my season pass is in, instead of letting them hunt for such over my clothing that otherwise occasionally does not instantly register.
There are and have always been numbers of people and partial groups that seem to have little interest and awareness indicating to others what group moving towards the next loading block they are part of. Singles in particular if too shy to speak up may find the situation confusing as they try and understand if they need to join groups. Often on advanced quad and six-pack lifts, attendants expect singles to match up by themselves while they concentrate on dealing with the multi-groups. Often say on a quad I'll see people that are actually all part of a group not moving as an obvious line forward in a maze. Sometimes someone in one group may in fact be moving along a loading maze next to person(s) with parts of a group in front or behind. And have noticed they are often not paying attention to those beside them say looking down at the snow or elsewhere. What happens right before next loading blocks sometimes is suddenly they are all too late staring at each other like dopes deciding how to match up. And everyone still in the maze is one chairlift ride slower towards skiing.
My input here open for discussion is I would like to see those skiers and snowboarders that seem to habitually not pay attention moving along lift corrals towards a loading block, during more crowded periods with long lines, to considerately pay better attention while moving through lift mazes. Since there are fair numbers that are unlikely to change their current inattentive whatever behaviors on their own, additionally would like to see terse advice signs for such along lift mazes to make them aware of what is good practice. Many lifts of course already have signs with safety loading notes. Something as simple as the below would help
Please pay attention moving towards
next loading block
together in a line, as a group.
next loading block
together in a line, as a group.
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