How To Get Off A Ski Lift

Learning how to get off a ski lift is easier than it might first appear. Yes, the ski lift never stops moving (unless you wreck at the top and they hit the brake in order to drag your body out of the way). But the lift speeds are set to allow plenty of time for you to get off the lift and out the way of the next chair. High speed lifts slow at the end of the line to prevent you hurtling out into space, no matter how cool that might look in cartoons. Keep a few tips in mind and you can get off a ski lift smoothly, without taking out your fellow skiers like a bowling ball mowing down pins.

1. As the lift chair you're riding in approaches the top of the lift, remove your feet from the footrest. Raise the restraining bar.
2. If you're a skier, grasp your ski poles in one hand and keep your skis pointed straight ahead, tips slightly elevated.
3. If you're a snowboarder, angle your board so that it's perpendicular to the lift.
4. Scoot to the edge of the seat. Grasp the edge of the seat with one hand.
5. At the unloading line, stand and push off from the seat. Boarders, stand with both feet on your board, but only one foot in your bindings.
6. Immediately move away from the unloading area. As soon as you get off the ski lift, gently steer to the left or the right of the unloading area.