The Life of a Lifty
An important but often overlooked part of the ski scene is the lift attendant. One newspaper in southern Oregon describes the lives of lifties at Mt. Ashland.
Some of the points the article makes aren’t surprising. For example, the work is physical and sometimes mind-numbing. What I haven’t thought much of, though, is that some lifties go out of the way to have a game face on for hours on end.
“The thing that keeps me doing it is all the guests,” says [Becca] Henriksen, 19, “seeing them come back and getting to know them.
“You just try to be interested in how they’re doing,” she says, “or comment on their hat or glasses. It’s always nice when somebody comes up and before you have a chance to say anything they say ‘How’s it going’ or ‘Nice to see you.'”
Being friendly for an eight-hour shift can be exhausting, Henriksen says. “You’re ‘on’ all the time. You have to be on all the time, and you have to like being on all the time.”
I’ve seen a variety of lift attendants in my time. Some are like Henriksen. Others are silent.
Given the boredom that accompanies the job, I’m not surprised that some lifties bring along a boom box and turn out their favorite tunes. That’s a hit-or-miss proposition, though, as what appeals to the lifty may not appeal to the guest.
Lifties also keep fresh by alternating stations, either from lift to lift, or from the loading station to the unloading station, or “top shack.”
The article also mentions that lifties might like or dislike particular stations, based either on the particular configuration of the chair, or the types of guests (children, experts) who come through.
I have also seen lifties enforce various rules, which wasn’t mentioned in the article. For example, if you ride alone (which I often do), you may be expected to sit on the “inside” of the chair. On occasion, I’ve also seen lifties ding a snowboarder for not having a leash.
So, dear readers, here are some questions for you:
Do you prefer a lifty to be “seen but not heard,” or part of the environment of skiing or riding? Do you usually talk with the lift operator, or remain quiet?
Do you prefer to have music at the loading station, or none?
Have you ever gotten into trouble (say, catching an edge on the loading ramp, getting clothing caught in the chair, etc.) and had to rely on the lift operator for help? I’ve seen lifties be very helpful and others seem almost content to let a guest who falls off the chair be dragged up the hill.
(Hat tip to Michelle at Alyeska Lift Crew for the pointer.)