using a drag lift

Well I have some advice.

I'm really comfortable with using drag lifts and I believe it is because I started on a small easy one which gave me confidence and taught me what to do so after that it was pretty natural.

Another tip is to look at your skis so you can keep them parrallel and going straight and keep them in the tracks other people have made as this will help guide you along. Don't forget to keep checking the route ahead as well though.

On the faster ones make sure you are confident at getting on them as if you are not ready the initial tug can topple you pretty easily. Also lean forwards as you would when skiiing to keep your balance.

Hope this helps!

Bang on, weight and head over your boots.

very weirdly, we were just talking about this.

we're in the chalets right in front of the Almes "rocket" drag lift in Tignes at easter. has anyone else had experience of this lift because I've only got my husband's word for it and i'm wondering if he's over reacting when he says he doesn't want the boys to go on it again?

You lot are all lightweights. You want to try the drag over the back of Sauze on the link to Sestriere. Its takes about 20 minutes to haul you back up from the bottom. Its a killer. And if you do fall off, which of course I havent, there is nothing to ski onto, so you have to slide all the way back down to the bottom.

Out of interest which resorts still have a lot of drag lifts?

I remember there were quite a few in Saalbach when I went with the school in the early 90's but presumed most would be replaced by now. Certainly haven't seen many recently - La Plagne have those flat escalators instead of drag lifts on the beginner slopes.

I don't recall a drag like that in Tignes so guess I avoided going on it!
I have been on one or two which could easily leave a chap with a voice an octave or two higher!

Only advice I can give is to ride them with your skis flat. The problem some beginners have is edging their skis in a bit of a snowplough, a recipe for disaster.

I remember watching carnage at Avoriaz. We'd skied the wall and we're enjoying a hot chocolate in a restaurant below. There are two adjacent T-bars going back up, now being the wall the gradient is seriously steep. Towards the top one of the skiers on the lift fell and slid down taking out every other skier below. We sat and watched for well over 20 mins as people struggled to first find and then collect skis, poles and assorted bits of equipment.

KevinC wrote:Out of interest which resorts still have a lot of drag lifts?

alpe d'huez!

andyhull wrote:I don't recall a drag like that in Tignes so guess I avoided going on it!
I have been on one or two which could easily leave a chap with a voice an octave or two higher!

Only advice I can give is to ride them with your skis flat. The problem some beginners have is edging their skis in a bit of a snowplough, a recipe for disaster.

having questioned the husband further, he's telling me that it's bl**dy awful at the start and then ok until about half way and then it's actually ascending a black, in other words bloomin effing steep and just a little bit too fast :shock:

maybe it's not the best "ski out" option...