Scary - lift roll back in Georgia

[Tricia]

Jumping with skis off would be best, but jumping with skis on or off before the chair goes around the bull wheel is a must as getting flung introduces violent tangential acceleration possibly into fixed objects like chairs, signs or lift corral fencing.

Or flung violently into other people who were flung just before you were.

 

[wutangclan]

Don't have a link (especially coz I'm drunk now), but I just read somewhere that it's not just "minor injuries" ... two people have "grave injuries". Likely that number will go up soon.

 

[wutangclan]

Seems like keeping the skis on would prevent an ankle or leg from bending on an uneven landing.

Hmm ... my thinking is the opposite. I'd rather have skis off so that I sink through the snow progressively, rather than have the skis provide a platform such that the snow arrests my impact instantly.

 

[coskigirl]

Jumping with skis off would be best, but jumping with skis on or off before the chair goes around the bull wheel is a must as getting flung introduces violent tangential acceleration possibly into fixed objects like chairs, signs or lift corral fencing.

Why do you believe having skis off would be best?

Hmm ... my thinking is the opposite. I'd rather have skis off so that I sink through the snow progressively, rather than have the skis provide a platform such that the snow arrests my impact instantly.

Then catches an edge or tail causing major twisting in legs/knees as your body continues in whatever direction force is taking you.

 

[coskigirl]

Another clip of videos with some different angles. My stomach flips just watching it.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/102353648?cid=facebook.post.102353648

 

[Jack skis]

I was once downloaded backwards on a detachable quad. It was under control, but still very, very uncomfortable. As we approached the base we were told to jump, can't remember if we were told to put the bar up, but it was up. As the chair slowed we jumped a foot or so landing facing the wrong way, and then scrambled out of the way of the next chair. There were just two of us on the lift, and the dismount went well. Watching this video scared the bleep outta me. Way beyond uncomfortable. Truly terrible, I hope all involved are gong to be OK.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

Several reports I have read indicate that two people were seriously injured including a pregant woman.

 

[SkiNurse]

Um, I don't think I would ski again....

 

[scott43]

I mean ya gotta have some sack to figure what's happening and jump in real-time. I once watched a guy roll off a GSXR-1100 after his brakes failed at the end of the back straight at the local race track..bike hit a concrete retaining wall at about a buck thirty mph...he was relatively ok..but I mean, really? Just...roll off??? Wow..

 

[coskigirl]

Um, I don't think I would ski again....

Says the woman who very nearly died by breaking her liver on some rocks while skiing.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

Quote from the Washington Post:
As his expletive-laden summary concludes: “Miraculously, no one was killed, so let’s wish these skiers a full recovery, and all agree to never ski again.”

 

[pchewn]

Here's a video of destructive testing of the old "Eskimo" lift at Winter Park. The video is 22 minutes and shows several tests (including falling trees onto the rope). The link should take you directly to a test for "roll back" -- very interesting....

 

[trailtrimmer]

Jumping off with skis on isn't going to help you get out of the way of the next round of people. You need to be able to scramble to the side as quick as possible.

If you have room, kick off skis, lift your feet, spin on the chair backwards, hang and drop off facing downhill keeping your knees together. Get off to the side as quick as possible.

 

[CalG]

The best I've heard..

Jump at tower two!

Any way you can!

 

[Goran M.]

And, liability lawyers in Georgia will be glad to have it. Europe isn't as sue happy as the US but I would imagine there will be a hefty sum of damages awarded to these folks no matter what the back of their ticket says..

Europe as geographical region vs. political entity ... Georgia ... Hmmm ...

I wish speedy recovery to all !!!

 

[Goose]

You know......with due respect to all....skis on, kicjk them off, jump, etc,etc....
we can all say what we would have/should have done in this situation. But honestly when shit happens it just happens and most people (even many you here who are saying what you would do) probably wouldn't do it. The brain just doesn't work that way normally unless you were repetitively trained as to what to do. And even then, every situation is very different. Anyway I mean how can anyone actually train for that and certainly do it enough to engrain a best reaction.

I mean what if on a chair 80 feet up over some steepass rocky terrain? Are you really going to fiddle with your skies as you hold on for dear life praying you don't go down? And even on a relatively lower chair like this I suppose you are probably in better position to think a little bit more but still there is going to be some panic, confusion, a lot of question, and uncertainty in most peoples minds. Just saying, its so easy to say what you would have done. I mean a percentage of people might remain just calm enough (scenario dependent) to think "some" of what to do but in reality for the most part its only very easy to say it now as we watch and as we weren't part of it. And even what you might think of and have actually done via those thoughts may not have been the best or right solution anyway. You just cant really say.

What I cant believe is that nowadays this could even happen. That's a scary event for anyone.

 

[Bolder]

I'll scratch Georgia off my "budget-friendly ski countries" list. The skier lying on the ground who ducked at the last second to avoid the chair swinging around reminded me of that Indiana Jones scene with the German trucks.

I do practice "what if" scenarios on chairlifts etc. I'd have tossed poles and jumped with skis on as soon as I was 15 feet off the ground.

Otherwise I would have stage dived into the crowd of gawkers. With a helmet and padded jacket I think I'd have been ok.

That's really terrifying, however. 90 percent of the time I'm skiing with my young kids, and I might have had to make a wrenching decision for them.

 

[Bolder]

Europe as geographical region vs. political entity ... Georgia ... Hmmm ...

I wish speedy recovery to all !!!

Yeah, Georgia is about as European as Mongolia in some ways. Best these folks can hope for is that some oligarch's kid broke his wrist in the melee.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

Ever since Columbine and the Aurora theatre shooting, you have a prep list in your head to view entrances, locate hiding places, and know all the exits. Now, this is one more scenario to tuck in your brain and hope you never need to reference.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

You know......with due respect to all....skis on, kicjk them off, jump, etc,etc....
we can all say what we would have/should have done in this situation. But honestly when shit happens it just happens and most people (even many you here who are saying what you would do) probably wouldn't do it. The brain just doesn't work that way normally unless you were repetitively trained as to what to do. And even then, every situation is very different. Anyway I mean how can anyone actually train for that and certainly do it enough to engrain a best reaction.

That's what I'm thinking too. It's like Donald Trump saying he'd have gone into that school without a gun. Same with people videoing, unless you are a lift mechanic how could you possible help? Best thing you could do is not add yourself to the casualty count.