This thread is teh ghey. There's enough real threats out there without burning bandwidth on ridiculous hypotheticals. I regret adding to this thread's post count, but someone had to say it.

Jeesh.

Getting stranded on a ski lift is a homosexual experience to you?

Lift cables are not greasy, they are bone dry and quite clean being pelted by snow and ice all the time.

Not terribly likely but I'll play along.

I'm no longer in shape for significant acrobatics / heroics so I'll play it safe and use one of my cell phones (yes I carry two) to call/text/email for help.

If we further annoy the gods of probability so that neither cell phone is working then I'll have to settle in and try signaling for help with my flashlight.

I don't think I'd be stuck for much more than overnight because family/friends would quickly miss me and knowing I was last out skiing get some people looking for me.

For reference - I have "jumped" to solid, level ground from about 10' up when I was (much) younger and wouldn't want to try it at my current weight and age. I have also jumped into 5' of new snow from nearly 20' up when I was younger, no major damage but it was not a soft landing. Add in a slope and unknown terrain features and I'll probably focus on waiting it out while trying to signal for help.

-Eric

There are certainly occasions where you can be stuck on a chair lift for a period of time, hopefully you’re not forgotten and left for the week, but a mechanical failure or other emergency my cause you to be stuck for a time.

I'm not sure about packing equipment specifically for a chair lift emergency, but my general skiing equipment includes a "space blanket" type bag and high energy food snacks and when I’m in the snow I always have some extra clothing.

Alerting authorities, shelter and food are probably the priorities.

After reading through the discussion I’ll make a point of adding the ski resort’s emergency phone numbers to my contact list (in addition to general emergency numbers). Then (hopefully) I can phone up and ask what’s happening and how long.

Re paracord rappels. I think (as was mentioned) you may be able to use some cord to get you a bit lower to the ground (before you jump/fall), but if you were high up it would seem foolish.

BUT after speaking to the resort management you could lower your paracord to the ground ask management to tie on some supplies – food, clothing, blankets. (I guess you could also use it to pull up a proper climbing rope, but I really don’t see this ever happening)

There was another 'Frozen' thread on here a few months back. The movie falls right into what Sue basically said, "if you stupid enough to play that game in real life, you get what you ask for."

However, IF stuck alone, it is generally a good rule to have contact with society and if a cell phone doesn't work where you're going then planning to have a PLB makes sense. I own a SPOT2 so it is usually in whatever pack I have with me. I don't ski, but I guess I might have a pack with me or put it in my pocket. I'm not sure.

As to repelling with 550 cord, it can be done. I have done it from 3 stories up. I made a swiss seat out of 550 cord, I used a carabiner and using rock climbing gloves I repelled down using 550 cord. You have to have good control of the rope through the carabiner so it doesn't get away from you and your decent rate is slow, and the swiss seat will leave some pretty bad and unique bruising.

I think all things considered if I was skiing and stranded I'd more likely have the SPOT2 on me than enough 550 cord to repel.

All ski mountain lifts in my AO have specially trained lift rescue people on the mountain at all times (mandated.) Their job is to get people off the lifts as quickly and safely as possible. These people are very good at at. I have had the opportunity more then once to see these teams practice back when a friend worked on a local ski hill and was trained in this type of rescue.

If you are to the point that you are speaking with the resort manager, chances are you will be safely rescued in due time and not have to find your way down a climbing rope on your own...

Some interesting ideas here. Lets look at the options.

If you've got 3 people stranded on a chairlift, you only need to get one person lowered down safely (right)? It only takes one person to go for help. It might be possible to use belts, and skis to lower one person down by 20-30 feet. Then maybe they could drop the remaining 20 feet, land safely in the snow, and walk out for help. It all depends on what the terrain is like underneath the chair lift. I doubt that you could lower a person the whole 50 feet - not enough gear. The main problem with this procedure is that once you start lowering the person, it's going to be nearly impossible for them to climb back up. So you have to get it right the first time.

I like the idea of climbing off the top of the lift, going along the cables, and going down one of the support towers. Or maybe I should say - it's intriguing. But it's also quite dangerous. If the weather is bad, and esp. if conditions are very cold and icy, the chance of taking a bad fall could be quite high. If you were going to attempt something like this, it would be smart to attach some kind of belt around your waist, so you could connect the belt to the cables as you do the horizontal section of the traverse. That way the belt can support some of your weight. But I have to tell you that this whole procedure could be enormously strenuous, esp. if the person climbing cannot find a rest position a few times during the escape.

Back to your original question. Yes, you can bundle up low-diameter paracord and keep it on you. But rapelling on this stuff is much harder than you think. Even if you have a single strand 9mm rope (the standard lightweight rope for technical climbing), you will find that there is marginal braking ability with normal rappel devices. It can be done, but you need to be careful selecting the right rappel device before you do it.

Small diameter paracord would be a major problem. It MIGHT be possible for one person to tie into one end of the cord, and then wrap it around the metal on the chairlift many times to add friction, and then have the other 2 people lower the person down. That might work. But before you rely on paracord, i suggest that you actually try it out (SAFELY!) at home. You'll see what I'm saying.

other Pete

Back when I was on a volunteer ski patrol I carried a webbing harness, carabiner, rappel device and about 80 feet of 7 mm accessory cord. The entire set up weighed about 2 pounds and fit into a waist pack. At that resort, 80' was enough to get down from most chairs using double strands and all the chairs on a single strand. The 7mm diameter cord is strong enough and tough enough for that type of use and will work controllably with several types of rapel devices. I carried additional slings to be able to lower other people as well. If word came over the radio, or by a patroller under the lift, that a chair was going to be inoperative for and extend time, we patrollers could self evacuate and then assist others with gear from the ground.

As far as climbing on the cable goes, good luck. The weight and bulk of heavy clothing and the awkwardness of ski/snowboard boots would make this very challenging to say the least. Another consideration is what would happen if the chair started moving? Would you survive an encounter with the wheels of a lift tower cable support? If you are rappelling when the lift starts moving it is not as nearly as bad.

I still carry a similar rapel setup in my inbounds ski pack nowdays, just in case.

njs ... what rappel device did they recommend for the 7 mm cord? Can you give us a brand name, or better still a link on the Web?

Otherwise, I tend to be in agreement with an opinion expressed above that you are taking a serious risk by trying to rap using paracord. The chances of getting into a free-fall accident are high. Not to mention the nasty burns you would get on your hands. People who do fast rappels either use special rappel devices (e.g. caving gear), or fat ropes (military).

other Pete