Readers Say
“I use the bar on all lifts.”
Skiers and riders in New England are a safety-conscious bunch, according to a recent Boston.com poll.
Ski magazine wrote a piece saying skiers and riders can be “weird” about using the safety bar on chairlifts, so we asked Boston.com readers if they use the bar and most respondents said yes.
Safety bar use should be mandatory at ski resorts, wrote Ski, and Vermont is the only state that requires safety bar use.
According to a study, 41.6% of skiers and riders use the safety bar, wrote Ski, with 9.4% using in the Midwest; 17.9% using in the Pacific Southwest; 39.2% using in the Rocky Mountain Region; and 80.4% using in the Northeast.
Of the 106 readers who responded to an informal Boston.com poll, 84% said they use the safety bar, 13% said sometimes they use it, and 3% said they never use it.
Here’s what local skiers and riders had to say about the issue:
I always use the safety bar
“I work in the ski industry and I’ve seen a child fall 20 feet while her dad was trying to hang onto her until he couldn’t anymore.” — Melody
“I’m scared of heights and it turns the ride from terrifying to boring. I never have an issue on the East Coast, but at many Western resorts I get side-eye or even anger. Those people suck.” — Andy from Somerville
“I use the bar on all lifts. One never knows when the lift will come to an abrupt stop. I’d rather have the bar down just in case. I ski around 80 days a season all over, White Mountains, Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Utah Wasatch Mountains. I don’t get many comments but I do get a few. I just say ‘I don’t like falling from high places’ and then, ‘Watch your heads, bar down.’” — Jim
“I’m not insistent about using the chairlift safety bar, but here’s why I generally do so: 1) it usually provides someplace to rest my feet, rather than having the weight of my skis or snowboard dangling from my ankle(s). 2) If something weird were to happen (a sudden stop, a gust of wind, etc.) it’s nice to have that bar to keep me in the chair, rather than falling off of it.” — Mike R. from Beacon Hill
“As a teenager I thought it was cool to not lower the bar, because being dumb and taking unnecessary risk was cool. As an adult I cant think of any good reason to not lower the bar. As a snowboarder I’ve even found a way to position myself when the bar has the ski rests. Having been on a lift during heavy winds and an emergency shutdown, I know those chairs can sway a lot. So why not?” — Taylor from Boston
It depends on the circumstance
“Only if another rider asks to put it down or if it’s super windy.” — Wayne from Salem, N.H.
“On the East Coast… majority of people use the safety bar. If you to go to the local ski resorts in Idaho (not Sun Valley), nobody uses the safety bar ever. Very rarely will you see someone put it down.” — Melissa
“I use it with my kids, but not if its adults only. I don’t judge other’s personal decisions, but nothing this unnecessary should ever be mandated. This is America afterall, no?” — Marg
“It depends on the situation.” — Phil from Back Bay
I never use the safety bar
The skiers and riders who said they never use the safety bar did not provide a comment about that decision.
Do you use the safety bar on chairlifts?
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
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