Earlier this month, my son and I rode the scenic chairlift ride in Lee Canyon. Surprisingly, it was kinda scary.
When we arrived on a Saturday afternoon at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, we marched directly to the ticket office, got our tickets ($10 each),
and got on the ski lift. No stopping for food or a bathroom break.
That’s how we ended up about fifty feet in the air on a
swingy little seat (with no seat belt) before we really considered everything involved
in a scenic chairlift ride.
“What were we thinking?” my son asked as we moved
herky-jerky up the mountain, stopping occasionally, our chair swaying back and
forth unpleasantly.
We both had death grips on the metal frame around the seat. “There’s
no reason for us to be scared,” we both said (repeatedly), which did absolutely
no good.
The unexpected stops were very uncool. (Son: “Don’t look
down.” Me: “Too late.”)
Happy people passing us on the other side were swinging
their legs and moving around freely, like they were totally unafraid of falling
to their deaths.
Over on our side, we were desperately attempting to find the
ends of the flimsy nylon rope we had discovered tied to each side of the
seat—one side ended with a carabiner, and the other side had a loop. It appeared
to be for cosmetic purposes only.
“I’d prefer a five-point harness,” my son said, after we
hooked the useless rope together.
We agreed that our mutual fear was totally unfounded. Everyone else seemed to enjoy the gentle ride. It was like being scared of a Ferris Wheel. We laughed
as we discussed the fact that our fingers were probably embedded into the metal
frame around us.
At the top of the lift, we got off and walked around the rocky
hillside.
“It’ll be better going down,” we agreed.
Not really.
The drop-off as you start downhill is pretty steep, but we
agreed that it wasn’t the height that was scary: it was gentle, tummy-tickling
rocking back and forth of the chair that got us.
About two-thirds of the way down, we started to relax.
Slightly. The view is incredible, and although I could use only one hand (the
other was immovably attached to the metal frame), I got some good pictures of
the canyon and the resort before gratefully stepping off the swing at the
bottom.
Next time, it’ll be better, I’m sure.
How do you feel about
chairlift rides?
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All photos by Terrisa Meeks.