Industry News
After tirelessly bumping chairs during a long, record-setting season marked by deep snow totals and at times arctic temperatures, Vermont is trying to return the favor and help its liftys out. Current regulations only require one lift attendant or operator to be present at each loading and unloading area, to slow or stop the lift if something happens, and to help guests get on the chairlift properly. On fixed-grip chairlifts, this means giving the chair a little swing, or bump, as it comes around the bullwheel, hence the term bumping chairs. If you’ve ever gotten on a fixed-grip chairlift running full speed without a bump, then you can appreciate just how important liftys are for a nice day of skiing.
With someone required to be present at all times at each terminal, it can be difficult for liftys to take breaks, to warm up, go to the bathroom, or stay attentive. A bill introduced in the Vermont Legislature in May 2025, the Extreme Weather Worker Protection Act, would establish warm-up or cool-down breaks for employees working in excessively cold or excessively warm environments. When the air temperature is less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, workers would be given a 10 minute warm-up break at least every two hours, and must be provided with adequate clothing to work in cold environments. Many ski areas provide employees who work outside with jackets, but gloves are far less common.
Ski areas try to staff two liftys at the bottom of each lift to stay more attentive for unseated skiers and to switch off bumping chairs if need be. If lower staffing numbers are available, ski areas use roving liftys who can move from lift to lift, switching out other liftys to take breaks or move to other assignments. Most regulations only require one person at each terminal of the lift, and it is possible for a ski area to be fully operational with the minimum number of liftys, making bathroom breaks, lunch, or rest breaks tricky. VT Digger reported that liftys at Okemo, Vermont were told to “go in the woods to go to the bathroom” and one lifty reported they were resorting to peeing in bottles in the motor room of the lift. While the legislation under consideration in the Vermont legislature would make cold breaks a requirement, it does not necessarily offer ski areas a solution to make those breaks possible.
Casey Jennings, a lift operator at Okemo, proposed a rule change to the Vermont Passenger Tramway Board, that would require two liftys to be at the bottom of each lift in addition to a lifty at the top. In the proposal, Jennings wrote “Since I began working as a lift operator, there has been a push by the industry to cut staffing to save on costs.” With the Extreme Weather Worker Protection Act stuck in committee and running out of time to cross over this legislative session, the Tramway Board may be able to effect change faster. The Tramway Board is slated to consider rule changes next in 2028, but has the ability to act faster if it wishes.
