Ski safely not selfie

Photo: Contributed

With the pre-season powder drawing crowds to the mountains, Technical Safety BC is reminding skiers and boarders to put down the selfie stick and stay safe on ski lifts this winter. Every year, rider conduct is the biggest source of lift-related injury in BC, with 60% of incidents stemming from unruly behaviour, distracting activity, and failure to follow safety signage.

"When loading and unloading from any type of ski lift, passengers should put their mobile phones away and pay attention to lift operators' instructions and surroundings," said David Looney, Senior Safety Officer at Technical Safety BC.

Skiers and snowboarders can keep their ski lift riding experience safe by:

• Reading instructional signs and following the safety directions provided before riding any ski lift.
• Not bouncing, turning around, reaching out or trying to make equipment adjustments while riding chairlifts.
• Keeping the restraining bar down until instructed to lift it by instructional signage or chairlift operators.
• Staying in the track on all surface chairlifts such as T-bars and rope tows.
• Loading children next to the chairlift attendant.
• Standing in the center of the belt and looking uphill when riding a passenger conveyor.
• Following all the special riding requirements when using a tubing lift

"During the last year, the number of incidents that have occurred on passenger conveyors has increased. Even though passenger conveyors move slower than ropeways and seem simple to ride, they are still large, powerful machines. All skiers and boarders need to pay attention when loading, riding and unloading to ensure you have a safe day on the slopes," said David.