using a drag lift

grrrrr hate drag lifts...hurt my thighs.

You must be doing something wrong on them then. I don't understand why people get so hung up about drag lifts.

Snapzzz wrote:grrrrr hate drag lifts...hurt my thighs.

Snapzzz,
You're not the only one. A lot of people seem to hate drag lifts. I reckon it's one of the reasons La Rosiere stays relatively uncrowded, because it's got loads of them. They are definitely more tiring on the legs (and arms sometimes) than chairs, gondolas, or funiculars.

Luckily, these days, there are plenty of resorts where you don't need to use a drag lift :D. They are even bringing in magic carpets for the beginners, so they don't need to use them either, (I believe Val Thorens, for example, now has magic carpets).

I don't have a problem using them, but they still annoy me because lift passes cost so much these days and I want to spend my days ski-ing, not ambling along on a drag lift so that I can ski back down a very short bit of piste.

I'd rather go right up the top of the mountain in a comfortable fast lift (gondola with a seat preferably), where I can have a nice rest (and perhaps a drink of water and a fruit bar), and then have a really long ski back down to the bottom. That way I spend much more time actually ski-ing during the holiday.

Edit:
Thinking about it from the financial point of view, if it costs me £1100 for 7 days ski-ing, and I ski for 6 hours per day, then it's actually costing me £26/hour (1100/42) while I'm ski-ing, and I don't want to waste that money stuck on a drag lift (or in a queue for a gondola - but that's a different problem).

Ally

I understand why some people prefer chair lifts over drag lifts. However i think it is very useful if one can use a drag lift easily. the place where i usually ski for over 15 years has drag lifts on the top of the mountain(where the snow is). so i learned to use a drag lift and now i don't even notice if I am on a drag lift or a chair lift(except when it is cold).
it is really helpful if you are on a drag lift(t-bar) with someone who can use them easily. You should be in the position that you ski in and be relaxed. much of the pain in the legs comes from the fact that most people try to fight the lift. just relax and you let the lift guide you soon you will be able to control the line even though there is no need because the lift is designed for that and it will not let you fall(unless you fight it).i have tried to ski of the line as much as i can and when i relax the lift just brings me back under the cable.
So my advise is don't avoid drag lifts because you never now when you will need one. plus drag lifts are less affected by weather(wind) so when the chair lifts are closed you can still ski. it is like swimming. when swimmers have training they don't get out of the pool after every 100 meters.

but keep your eyes on the 'road' for bumps and steeps

AllyG wrote:

Edit:
Thinking about it from the financial point of view, if it costs me £1100 for 7 days ski-ing, and I ski for 6 hours per day, then it's actually costing me £26/hour (1100/42) while I'm ski-ing, and I don't want to waste that money stuck on a drag lift (or in a queue for a gondola - but that's a different problem).

Ally

Thats interesting, I never thought about breaking it down like that. If thats the case, my skiing cost me £12.38 an hour, skiing for 7 hours a day 6 days.
However, I dont think the actual skiing costs that, as part of that is food and accommodation and flights. So, maybe it should just be worked on the price of the lift pass, as the rest is a holiday in its own right irrespective of whether you ski or not.
In which case, ADH cost me 24p an hour as my lift pass was £10, but Serre Che is going to cost me £4.24 an hour.

I like this cheap skiing lark :wink:

Tony,
I'm sorry but I don't think a ski-ing holiday is a holiday in its own right, without the ski-ing. As far as I'm concerned, take away the ski-ing and there's nothing left. I don't like shopping, eating fancy food, sitting on trains/aeroplanes/coaches, swimming in public swimming pools or whatever else there might be that one can do in a ski resort other than ski.

I go to ski, hence my financial breakdown included ski-ing hours only. Plus, in my case (self-catering) my food wasn't included in my holiday price.

I was rather shocked by the hourly cost of my ski holiday though (£26/hr) :shock:.

Yours sounds much cheaper at 24 pence per hour :D

Ally

I win then?

Tony_H wrote:I win then?

The wibble contest - why certainly :D

I'm not sure what the prize is though ...