"I have evolved from someone who didn't think much of the bar except for resting my legs to thinking of it as an obvious life-saving precaution. Dr. Bourne shared several examples from Mammoth in which the bar could have saved lives, including the death of her former ski coach, who fell from a chairlift to his death, most likely from a medical event which may have been treatable."
"If cardiac arrest happens while on a ski lift and the safety bar is not down, the resulting traumatic injuries will make saving people impossible. However, if you suffer a cardiac arrest on the chairlift and the safety bar is down, there is a chance that ski patrol can save your life."
"One of the strongest arguments for putting the bar down has nothing to do with skier behavior. It has to do with medical emergencies. Cardiac arrests, seizure, and sudden loss of consciousness are events that do not announce themselves."
North American ski resorts treat safety bars as optional personal preference, unlike European resorts where they are standard practice. Medical professionals and mountain safety experts argue this approach is dangerous. Emergency physicians have documented cases where medical emergencies—cardiac arrests, seizures, and sudden unconsciousness—caused fatal chairlift falls that safety bars could have prevented. When medical events occur without a lowered bar, resulting traumatic injuries make rescue impossible. With the bar down, ski patrol has opportunities to intervene and save lives. Safety bars should be treated as basic precautions equivalent to helmets and seatbelts rather than lifestyle choices.
Read at SnowBrains
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