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Just to uncrowd the other thread where it was becoming off topic, thought I'd start another.

 

OK, places where there are single lifts remaining.

 

From my memory, in my area that I can think of right now:

 

Ishiuchi Maruyama

Minami

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no need for a bar or rope on the niseko ones as you're invariably frozen to the seat. no danger of falling off. they are dangerous though - on the single seater up to the start of the peak hike I was so intent on the wonderful view back down the mountain that I didn't see the lift station and so flew into it backwards and was then run over by the chair. they need a hood on the front to keep out the wind and a blind on the back so you don't get distracted by the view.

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The patrol guy standing near the gate probably thought so. After watching me fall off a slow moving single lift he gave me a spot quiz on the avie report for the day - clearly he thought if this gumby can't ride the lifts he probably shouldn't be venturing through the gates.

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2008.2.22madarao03.jpg

The one at Madarao doesn't even have a back on it, let alone a bar. It's like you are riding up on a Macdonalds tray!

 

Is there anywhere in Japan that still has a Tbar or rope tow?

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Originally Posted By: The Gimp
The patrol guy standing near the gate probably thought so. After watching me fall off a slow moving single lift he gave me a spot quiz on the avie report for the day - clearly he thought if this gumby can't ride the lifts he probably shouldn't be venturing through the gates.


the correct answer would've been "what's an avie" lol
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I think's there's been one manners in most of the Japanese ski resorts I've been too. eg: Rokuroshi in Fukui.

 

They're not limited to Japan of course - eastern Europe still has a few kicking around eg in Vogel, Slovenia:

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I experienced the single lifts for the first time this year. The first time I was hugging the bar like it was Brad Pitt. The second time I got brave and only held on with one arm lock.

 

By the end I was like a pro.

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Originally Posted By: abe
The one at Madarao doesn't even have a back on it, let alone a bar. It's like you are riding up on a Macdonalds tray!

Is there anywhere in Japan that still has a Tbar or rope tow?


Wow that's wild!
I'd be concentrating on hanging on there, heh.

Niseko's Wonderland Chair & King Lift #4 are both single chairs (which we termed "parrot chairs" as they look like a parrot perch and swing nicely sometimes) and were a bit hairy in a bit of wind and low visibility - they both had a snall backrest tho.

Niseko also had 1 ropetow we saw, and caught several times (it had a sign: "Niseko Best Powder" at the bottom of it, and an arrow pointing up along the ropetow) - it lifted you from near the bottom of the Wonderland Chair / kinda near The Lookout Cafe, up to the top of an old (now unused, as far as I could tell) Gondola/Chairlift top station, and allowed us to access the Superstition run (a double-black diamond-rated run which hardly had anything comparatively difficult to the steeper and tougher aspects of Thredbo's Funnelweb run, especially when it's icy, by the way).

Whilst this ropetow was closed during our 1st day or 2, and thus we had to hike or skate up the path to access these runs (which we did, and found it great then), when it was open I loved riding it as you could position the plastic handle-thingy behind your lower back, stand up straight-ish and get a nice massage while you ride up!

I actually kinda missed a T-Bar as they have always been a novelty-type lift from my very first days snowriding.
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"Parrot Chairs" lol

 

Niseko still has a rope tow? They replaced the one over between Hirafu and Hanazono with the "Swinging Monkey" lo-speed pair lift. I hated that thing! We used to call it the "Donkey D**k" because of the red handles.

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Those singles without backs, When you think about it it's a pretty crazy design. No brains. They never had bars and I wonder when they came in I can't remember. I remember people falling off lifts and reading it in the papers.

 

For snowboarders, T bars simply hurt when you are on it for a long time. I don't mind when it's for a short time, it's kinda fun. I tried it after my 9th day of boarding and no problems.

Apparently it was part of a snowboarding lesson how to use tows according to my Bavarian girlfriend.

Actually, those singles are not padded and it hurts when you have a snowboard more than skis.

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Originally Posted By: Mamabear
Interesting ...skiers find drag lifts nostalgic and snowboarders hate them ...

<tongue firmly in cheek> I wonder why...


Just that particular one. The staff did little to maintain the somewhat steep track, so it was like a tiny little halfpipe instead of a flat surface. Going up was one edge catch after another!
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Yeah- sorry Ez.... I had a fair bit of success on some easy drag lifts at Falls Creek in a lesson - but after that trying it on the mountain on my own on decent terrain area's (read not the baby learners lifts!) I ended up face down in the snow after catching edges repeatedly.

 

Maybe I will practice some more in Thredbo this July - but me? I hate them all at this stage! LOL

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