# How long do you wait in a lift line before you lose your mind?



## Sincraft (Sep 6, 2010)

Just wondering, I see many people talking about their awesome resorts, and always figured there was so much terrain that they couldn't possibly have lift lines. 

When I was young, we went mainly on weekends, and long waits were common. We would be super happy to ski, hope onto the lift, rinse /repeat. Our resorts or small, the hills short and the amount of people riding back there was...ALOT.

Today, I ride either on evenings or weekdays.

On average, I've probably waited in line 5 seconds this year. No joke. 

I watch some of the videos people serve up from big resorts, and see TONS of people on the hill compared to my tiny resort.. I have to wonder if my childhood dreams of big resort riding were all just fantasy?

So ..

question: how long is your average wait in your lift line? Where is the best place in the United States to ride with the most terrain and least amount of population in your opinion?


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## tj_ras (Feb 13, 2011)

during the day when all the kiddies are in school, not so bad (<40 sec). week nights, mehhhhhh so/so (1-2 min). weekends, fo get about it 3min+. and thats with high speed lifts. 


at least thats the longest i waited at any "resort" around here.


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## Kesserendrel (Mar 23, 2010)

I usually have no more than one or two groups in front of me. I doubt I've ever waited more than ten chairs. Granted, that's weekday riding, but it's also pow-day riding.


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## BliND KiNK (Feb 22, 2010)

Really weird because even in Breckenridge like some of the peaks would be literally ride up and go... but at beaver creek it was like 5+ minutes....


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

When I was a kid and lifts were painfully slow, 30 minute waits weren't unheard of in Summit County, CO. Vail was notorious for 45-60 minute waits on busy days. I couldn't imagine doing that now. Since I go midweek a lot I often ride right up to the chair or wait no more than 30 seconds. On busy days I've had to wait up to 5-10 minutes at most.


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## StarCommand (Dec 21, 2010)

I try to avoid weekends on the east coast as much as possible. If there's a high-speed chair, it's not AS bad. But I've been in line for upwards of 15 minutes. Truly a bummer.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

It's all about knowing how to snake people and being aggressive.


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## StarCommand (Dec 21, 2010)

If you shank people in line, there will be less of a line later.


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## labowsky (Sep 28, 2010)

well since my mountain is the only one on the island, on weekends we get quite a bit of people.
weekends usually 10-15 min, but that usually the lift where the terrain park is located
weekdays 5 seconds to 1 minute.
but the lift to the outback is always empty so no waiting there haha.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

If you can ride weekdays, you're fine anywhere. If you're riding weekends in CO, just avoid any of the Epic Pass resorts and you'll still be fine. 90% of the Front Range doesn't realize that there is any skiing/riding outside of the Epic Pass resorts. Vail Resorts marketing is THAT good.


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## init (Mar 8, 2010)

The resort my friends and I mostly ride have a 8 person speedlift. I have never ever seen a line there, but the other local resorts can be up to 5 minutes wait on weekends. Not so bad all in all


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

During the week, Seymour and Grouse are basically ride up and get on. Weekends, Seymour has up to a 20 minute wait (not all the time) between about 11am and 1:30pm. That's when I go to the bunny slope to practice technique or hit the beginner park.

Grouse (I'm told) on weekends can have up to an hour wait.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

What is a lift line???


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## Gigglinpig (Mar 2, 2010)

Had to wait an average of 15-20 minutes in the lift lines at Breckenridge last weekend, and I am not going there again on a weekend.


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## roremc (Oct 25, 2009)

Mid week here there are no lines ever. No matter how much snow we have had. Sunshine can be busy on a Saturday.

The only place it ever gets busy is at the gondola at Kicking Horse on a saturday pow day. There is only one main gondola there to the top so when its busy its gets shit but once you are up the mountain is so big the crowds disappear pretty quickly. 

When I worked at Keystone (10 years ago) during spring break the lines were crazy! I imagine its worse now.


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## suicidelemming (Nov 7, 2010)

I've probably had to wait 15+ minutes a couple times for a certain lift at my local hill. It's the only lift that accesses that part of the hill though so it tends to get pretty crowded. Every other lift is rather quick and easy though.


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## danielle (Apr 2, 2009)

I try not to stand in line, so I am always planning what lift to hit for the shorter lines. Maybe 2-3 chairs, I really hate waiting. Last weekend my husband almost beat down some guy for getting in line really quick, then having his friends cut though to join him, he did this about 3-4 times. Either wait for your friends or go alone or with another group. Stop holding up the line and asking people to move to let your friends though. Especially when they suck and fall every time they get off the lift in front of us.


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## unsunken (Dec 15, 2009)

Back on the east coast I used to wait upwards of 30min to get up the bunny slope. No wonder it took me so long to learn how to board! A single day = 5 times on the bunny slope. If you're not falling, that's equal to like... 5 minutes of on-snow time per day.

Nowadays a 10 minute wait kills me.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

danielle said:


> I try not to stand in line, so I am always planning what lift to hit for the shorter lines. Maybe 2-3 chairs, I really hate waiting. Last weekend my husband almost beat down some guy for getting in line really quick, then having his friends cut though to join him, he did this about 3-4 times. Either wait for your friends or go alone or with another group. Stop holding up the line and asking people to move to let your friends though. * Especially when they suck and fall every time they get off the lift in front of us.*


That's when you practice your T-boning technique. Either that or ride right over the person…


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## Kauila (Jan 7, 2011)

5-10 minute wait on the weekends...I don't really know, it's not like I'm looking at the clock or anything. My son and I just chill in line and check out everyone else's gear. I'll avoid Northstar on a weekend, or any resort on MLK Jr. or Presidents' Day holidays though, that's just nuts.

It's the grizzly old type-A skier dudes yelling at people to move up in line who get on my nerves, though.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

More then 5 minutes and I start to get impatient. Back when I started, I waited in line for 45 minutes or more, now I know better.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

Kauila said:


> It's the grizzly old type-A skier dudes yelling at people to move up in line who get on my nerves, though.


On a recent pow day the line started forming about half an hour before the lifts opened. Some middle-aged focker (on a board, not skis) showed up a bit later, after some 30 people had lined up, and was grumbling about how he wanted to cut to the front of the line when they opened the gates. I told him that if he was planning to cut in front of everyone anyway, why not be brave and just do it now instead of at the last second? Of course he didn't. He waited until the liftie told everyone to move up, then dashed up in front of a bunch of people to snake their chairs. Up at the top I saw him sitting on the ground fumbling with his dumb binding as dozens of people went by. Good thing he cut to the front just to hamfist his binding. What a douche!


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Toecutter said:


> On a recent pow day the line started forming about half an hour before the lifts opened. Some middle-aged focker (on a board, not skis) showed up a bit later, after some 30 people had lined up, and was grumbling about how he wanted to cut to the front of the line when they opened the gates. I told him that if he was planning to cut in front of everyone anyway, why not be brave and just do it now instead of at the last second? Of course he didn't. He waited until the liftie told everyone to move up, then dashed up in front of a bunch of people to snake their chairs. Up at the top I saw him sitting on the ground fumbling with his dumb binding as dozens of people went by. Good thing he cut to the front just to hamfist his binding. What a douche!


See now, I _know_ that violence is not the answer, and I _know_ that the general feeling in this forum is that you shouldn't go down that road, but to be honest, if someone tried to do that to me I'd grab them by the back of the jacket and yank them off their feet, then stand over them and give them my opinion. I know it's immature, I know it's a bad idea. Sorry.


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

This is where singles line is your friend. Even if you are with a group of friends just meet at the top on weekends. It just pisses me off when there is a group of three and I am in the singles line and they refuse to ride with me since they are scared or something.


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## SobeHall (Feb 28, 2011)

Was at Copper last weekend on a Saturday, green run lifts 0 wait time, blue/green lifts i waited nearly 5mins, longest of any this year, other than that, typical wait time this year, Steamboat 1-2mins, Copper 30-45secs, Winter Park 30-45secs, Keystone 1-2mins


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## baddmaddy (Mar 2, 2010)

You want massive wait times? Hit up Northstar on a weekend or holiday? Even mid-week is much worse than it was 5 years ago. I would rather go to a much smaller resort i.e. Donner Ski Ranch and have the place to myself than spend time waiting in lift lines at a larger mountain.


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## CKilger12 (Feb 14, 2011)

i would say 1-2 minutes on a busy day...dont have any huge resorts but there are a enough within proximity to each other where the crowd is pretty evenly spread out


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## Steery (Oct 25, 2010)

At Whistler/Blackcomb i frequently wait 1 - 5 minutes for a chair mid week. The wait times depend on the snow quality and holidays etc. During Presidents Week there was a 1 hour + wait for all high alpine chairs. However when it's like that i either ride out of bounds of 7th Heaven or Peak or ride trees on the lower chairs which have a much lower wait time.


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## roremc (Oct 25, 2009)

snowvols said:


> This is where singles line is your friend. Even if you are with a group of friends just meet at the top on weekends. It just pisses me off when there is a group of three and I am in the singles line and they refuse to ride with me since they are scared or something.


I don't give them a choice. If there is a spot left at the gate and I'm in singles i'm taking it unless its and instructor with kids.


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## KahWhyC (Nov 10, 2010)

On weekends I have to snake around and skip people.
Some people just love to stand in the middle of the line and talk
Or sometimes theres beginners that just stand there confused and not move at all


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## WeekendWarrior (Feb 25, 2011)

Longest I have ever waited was last weekend for KT-22 at Squaw. The line was a little over an hour but absolutely worth it. i have never seen a line like that before - it was absurd.


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## Haho (Oct 10, 2010)

WeekendWarrior said:


> Longest I have ever waited was last weekend for KT-22 at Squaw. The line was a little over an hour but absolutely worth it. i have never seen a line like that before - it was absurd.


An hour wait worth? Not in my book!

Where I ride when there is a wait for the main peak (up to 10 min on weekends)i would go to the terrain park and there is no wait!


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