Lift Riding: In or Out?

Skis are worthless without bindings, which are critical for controlling direction. So what’s behind the rule that snowboarders must have the back foot out of the binding during lift operations?

I can appreciate the desire to make sure that everyone in a lift line is under control; no need to have someone near moving equipment if the are “frozen” in place. And face it, the entrance to lifts is a flat place, and moving forward on a board on the flats is a difficult proposition. Sure, some people can hope their way around, but many (and I could suspect most adults) cannot.

So the unbound rear foot theory makes sense during loading. But what about unloading? I always find it much easier to ride away from the lift if both of my feet are in a binding.

Today I rode up the lift with a member of the ski patrol. I asked her if I could, by the rules, stick my rear foot back into the binding once in the chair. She said that I should be riding away from the lift with only one foot in.

Now that seems counter-intuitive. I am much more likely to fall if I attempt to ride away from a lift with only one foot in. Even skating on a flat surface is more than I can handle, let alone trying to skate in a high-traffic area.

Maybe skateboard-savvy kids can ride with only one foot securely attached, but for this adult, it’s quite a chore.