Cutting in lift line/saving spots before first chair?

**RootSkier** · 01-05-2007, 05:12 PM

Do you do it? Do you poke eyeballs out of people who do it? I personally think it is pretty fucking wack. Or to all the sudden have two people who have been standing and talking for the last half hour be single right before the lift starts...but only for their friends.

My story:

I was all lined up for second chair a few years ago at Snowbowl, when the two dudes set up for first chair spotted two friends, and called them up. Me, being the dickhead that I am (see sig below), protested. One dude went ballistic on me, accusing me of being a trust funder (I fucking wish) who should be working instead (and you, bitchmaid?). He also brought out the 'ol "I've been skiing here since you were born" and "I know Ronnie (the owner of Snowbowl), why don't you complain to her?"

Anyways, the situation degenerated from there until a guy behind me started to threaten physical violence, told the douche that he shouldn't be allowed to breed, etcetera. I was probably a little blazed and thought the whole thing was pretty funny, but tempers were high.

Right before we got on the lift, I tapped on the guys shoulder and told him to have a good day, no hard feelings, etc. He was like, "You're cool."

So we get up to the top, where there is a short run and traverse to the second chair which takes you to the summit.

I beat all those asshats and was on the first summit chair. Boy were they pissed.

**watanabee** · 01-05-2007, 05:18 PM

I say it's wack. On first chair situations, if you are there first you are on first. I'd be pissed if someone took that away after I'd been waiting for 30mins or whatever.

Who cares who they know..no friends on powder days!

ps. you did the right thing by beating them to the summit chair. It's like a silent violence. Good work.

**kidwoo** · 01-05-2007, 05:18 PM

You and your "buddy" win in the serious serious business that is recreation.

**Yossarian** · 01-05-2007, 05:19 PM

pretty standard to put your skis down at Alta, Snowbird, Squaw, etc, but only lined up full to the chair, ie, two pairs next to each other for a double, etc. Bringing singles up only okay if someone else in the chair gets pulled up with the early patrol chairs, otherwise, it's a no-no. Couple of doods up front who then decide to each bring up a single? Whickity-wack fo' shizzy!

Of course, no one has any clue in CO...people just mob the gates, no manners at all.

**rideit** · 01-05-2007, 05:22 PM

In Telluride, at chair 8, this was the drill...dude would leave skis/board in line, and often ask "yo, is it cool if I go get coffee/take a dump/go home for nap?"

Everyone would say, "sure, bro!"
As soon as said dude left, the board would get tossed under the bullwheel counterweight, and the line would move forward.

Hilarity would always ensue.

**Art Shirk** · 01-05-2007, 05:22 PM

You wanna get up there first? Be the first one there.

**Raps** · 01-05-2007, 05:23 PM

Haha, yeah i'm usually against it unless i'm the one cutting.....

No really, i don't think its cool - but i recall doing it last year at Alta when there were a bunch of mags and would sneak in as a single to round out the quad

When i used to ski at Okemo in VT people could buy gold passes for like triple the regular season pass price and cut lines whenever.....i hated it until my friends dad got it and we used to borrow it once in a while.......

And on race days - we used to cut claiming we were late for our runs.....and with our steezy GS suits, who could say no....

But thats different from a POW day

**Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo** · 01-05-2007, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Yossarian

Of course, no one has any clue in CO...people just mob the gates, no manners at all.

So sad but so true

**MacDaddy** · 01-05-2007, 05:27 PM

From what I understand; at ALTA, if you are a HARDCOREMOFO you can cut line any time, just ax any "Alta wanna be local" here.

**Cono Este** · 01-05-2007, 05:37 PM

On a triple, 2 guys calling up a buddy, no problem. 1 guy calling up 2, fuck off.

It pales in comparisom to waiting while you watch lifties on their day off skiing up the face at my old joint. That just aint right.

**altagirl** · 01-05-2007, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by Yossarian

pretty standard to put your skis down at Alta, Snowbird, Squaw, etc, but only lined up full to the chair, ie, two pairs next to each other for a double, etc. Bringing singles up only okay if someone else in the chair gets pulled up with the early patrol chairs, otherwise, it's a no-no.

Of course, no one has any clue in CO...people just mob the gates, no manners at all.

Gotta go with that the standard practice is at the area. Around here, if you get there first, you get first chair, duh. If you get there second, you get second chair because Hardcore is saving the other 3 seats on his chair for his friends. And you can save the other seats on whatever your empty chair is for your friends. You can ask if open spots are available, but don't expect them to be.

Obviously this only works at areas like Alta that have a nice orderly maze. But it works out really well - so you can actually start skiing with a group of people you actually want to ski with instead of trying to find them once you're skiing.

**powder11** · 01-05-2007, 05:46 PM

I witnessed a pretty funny exchange the other day at Blackcomb. since theres no snow in europe, euros from the UK, Germany, Sweden and even France have descended upon whistler in droves. I was lined up with two euros (French I believe) who decided the alternating bit was far too north american for them and proceeded to poach 1/2 the line up. I played along until some crazy guy called us out. the two euros pretended not to hear him and kept going ahead. the crazy guy took his pole and whacked one of the euros on the arm. at this point the euro started telling the crazy guy off in French while holding his arm. the crazy guy replied by yelling "tourist, fucking tourist go home!"

pretty much everyone in the line was like "whoa dude, take a chill pill" to the crazy guy who stood there trying to justify his outburst stating "over here, we have order in our lift lines"

oh the irony.

anyway, the crowning jewel to the scene was when the euro told a nearby ski patroller that crazy guy had just whacked him with a pole on the arm. everyone cheered when ski patrol guy clipped crazy guys ticket. the look on crazy guys face was priceless as frenchie smirked at him.

I subscribe to the Darwin theory when Im behind the line on a powder day and only call for order when some joker tries to snake in front of me.

**komo** · 01-05-2007, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by powder11

the euro told a nearby ski patroller that crazy guy had just whacked him with a pole on the arm. everyone cheered when ski patrol guy clipped crazy guys ticket. the look on crazy guys face was priceless as frenchie smirked at him.

so facking french of him

**kona12** · 01-05-2007, 06:28 PM

All I can say is take your blood pressure medicine before you deal with KT on a powder day. The initial line up is usually pretty orderly, but once it starts moving all bets are off. Every cool dude worth anything can find a "friend" in front and lines start shuffling and it resembles bumper cars more than a lift line. The lifties get a kick out of watching the whole thing.

**tarkman1** · 01-05-2007, 06:37 PM

I'm not big on saving spots for friends on the first couple of chairs. Let the friends filter through the singles line then get up front.

Then again, I don't really care if I'm second chair and a the first chair is all snowboarders. In that case, I'm really first to descend anyway.

Hassling for chairs is pretty silly. If I want good pow, I'll go hike for it.

**Spats** · 01-05-2007, 06:48 PM

My opinion: there's no hard rule, but I can offer some guidelines.

The amount of space you are allowed to save goes down with time. If your group is less than two minutes behind you, you're allowed to save the rest of the quad. After five minutes, a group can save one space for the guy who had to go back and get his boots. After 20 minutes, sorry, you should've got up earlier.

Saving spots for no one in particular so you can be bro-brah Santa Claus is not OK, even if one of your buddies finally does show.

Take spot-saving to its logical conclusion and you'll have rich people paying others to stand in line for them on powder mornings. You'll have people scalping chairs. "$40 for second chair, two spots for $70!"

Leaving skis or a board in line is OK for a few minutes if you have to piss or get a coffee, but it's not OK to just leave them there at 7:30 and come back at 8:55.

**rideit** · 01-05-2007, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by tarkman1

Then again, I don't really care if I'm second chair and a the first chair is all snowboarders. In that case, I'm really first to descend anyway.

Actually, I often buckle up before offloading...when possible, I am long gone before the skiers buckle up and get their poles together. But I have a pow addiction, what can I say.

**boarddad** · 01-05-2007, 07:03 PM

Can any Kirkweed regulars explain to me why the first chair is always such a clusterfuck there? I've been twice now, both times I drove up the 88 solo from freaking East Bay and got there before "opening". I get that @ KW that usually means at least an hour before any butts actually touch the chairs - accepted. Those of us that line up for that hour all seem pretty mellow, pretty well tempered, dare I say even polite. In both cases the early risers have formed full chairs and lined up in an orderly manner, only to have the whole cue degenerate as soon as the lifties wave us forward. It's not the early risers that are doing it though, it's the secondary group of regulars that take advantage of KWood's inability to open lifts on time and crash the line 5 mins before the rope is dropped. In both cases I should have been no further back than 3'rd chair, in both cases I was lucky to load in the first 10 chairs and in neither case did I ride up with the group we had formed in the cue.

In the grand scheme of things, not a big deal, but that's really fucked and it seems like Kirkwood should be better organized than that. I've learned to just shake my head and chalk it up to "that's Kirkweed for you". I guess it just wouldn't be the same without the clusterfuck (better, but not the same).

**powstash** · 01-05-2007, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by rideit

In Telluride, at chair 8, this was the drill...dude would leave skis/board in line, and often ask "yo, is it cool if I go get coffee/take a dump/go home for nap?"

Everyone would say, "sure, bro!"
As soon as said dude left, the board would get tossed under the bullwheel counterweight, and the line would move forward.

Hilarity would always ensue.

That's quality!

**Trackhead** · 01-05-2007, 07:16 PM

"First Chair" comes in many different ways.

**rideit** · 01-05-2007, 07:17 PM

I guess 'first row' in the helicopter would count, too?

**Mudfoot** · 01-05-2007, 07:24 PM

I remember standing in line for first chair at Alta on a dump day when two dickheads had put their skis first in line and then went in for coffee. When the lifty showed up he promptly pitched their skis down the hill to the cheers of everyone freezing their ass off in line. Shortly thereafter the two "locals" came out, picked up their skis and silently walked to the back of a very long line.

You wanta save a space, use your body, unless you are honestly filling out a chair.

**powstash** · 01-05-2007, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by altagirl

Around here, if you get there first, you get first chair, duh. If you get there second, you get second chair because Hardcore is saving the other 3 seats on his chair for his friends. And you can save the other seats on whatever your empty chair is for your friends. You can ask if open spots are available, but don't expect them to be.

That seems lame. I guess I've been away from the resort scene for too long. First come first served. Seems logical...but then again.....

Originally Posted by tarkman1

Hassling for chairs is pretty silly. If I want good pow, I'll go hike for it.

Which is what I do most of the time anyway. <shrug>

**Trackhead** · 01-05-2007, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by powstash

That seems lame. I guess I've been away from the resort scene for too long.

Brah, it's the fuggin HCAC you're talking about here. The rules don't apply to them.

I witnessed the insanity of the first chair run last winter, on a fine interlodged morning with Xover and APD. The culture involved was interesting.

Xover and I thought about doing a mini-docu on it.

**Xover** · 01-05-2007, 08:19 PM

can't speak for other resorts, but at Alta its pretty simple and it works .... if your the first person holding said chair whether it be #1 or #20, its YOUR chair and you can let whomever ride or not ride it as you see fit .... i'll admit is pretty "elementary" but everyone knows thats how it works and doesn't have a problem with it

about the dropping skis down in line then going in for an extended amount of time thing, if you don't have a buddy on YOUR chair holding it for you, expect your skis to be tossed and you get to start over at the back ..... phunk learned this the hard way a few years back on opening day