THE QUESTION: “I have an infant. Can I bring her on the chairlift?” Ski resorts often tout their family-friendliness and multigenerational appeal—and the summer scenic lift ride would seem to be the perfect attrac- tion to capture that market. But what does that look like when one of those generations is still in diapers? The question of whether a baby can ride a chairlift might seem niche at first, but it taps into a broader issue: the summer audience is more var- ied, less experienced, and often less familiar with resort operations than their winter counterparts (although, full disclosure: this winter-lover has no idea what her home hill’s babies-on-lifts policy is). For parents trying to explore the mountains with little ones in tow, answers need to be clear, consistent, and above all, reassuring. So, we posed the question about bringing an infant on the lift. The answers ranged from warm and informative to … let’s just say, nap-inducing. As always, tone matters just as much as content, especially when the person on the line is already nervous about their baby’s safety on an open aerial chair.
Has a guest asked you an interesting question lately? Send it to jordyn@saminfo.com for the Spy to pose to other mountains! We won’t tell anyone the question came from you. Plus, if we use it, your resort will be immune for that issue.
MOUNTAIN 1, VT
MOUNTAIN 2, MI
First Contact: Female. SAM: Stated question.
First Contact: Female. SAM: Stated question. Staff: Absolutely. SAM: Great, should I bring her in her car seat? Or how would she stay secured on the lift? Staff: You’d be able to hold on to her in your lap, or if she’s big enough, she could sit next to you. SAM: She’s only six months, so she wouldn’t be able to sit next to me. I get worried holding her on my lap. Staff: ( nice, but over it ) So yes, you would need a carrier in that case. Otherwise, a car seat is too big to fit on the chairlift so that is not an option, unfortunately. SAM: OK. I think I could just put her in a carrier attached to myself and we would be fine. Staff: Yeah, exactly. ( yawns ) Anything else? SAM: No, that is all. Thank you. Staff: Yep, goodbye. Score: 4 Comment: She started strong, then slowly drifted off into apathy. While I appreciate her explaining the car seat limitation, I left the call feeling like I’d interrupted a nap. Her yawn was kind of the closing statement.
Staff: Unfortunately, no. ( sincere ) For safety reasons and for legal purposes, everybody, including children, need to be able to sit inde- pendently for the full lift ride. SAM: That makes sense. If my family does choose to go on the lift without us, are there things for me and her to do? Staff: Yeah, if you still want to get to the top of the mountain, you are more than welcome to hike up, if that’s something that interests you. If you have a carrier or something, you could definitely do that, and you could see all of the views and everything still. SAM: OK, great. Staff: So that’s a good option. And then depending on when you are coming, on certain evenings we have live music and stuff like that going on. So, it really just would depend on when you are here and what it is specifically that you are looking to do. Do you want something indoors or outdoors? For instance, we have a rec center with a pool ( chuckles ). So, while your family is out, if you want to go for a swim, that is an option as well. SAM: Oh great, my kids would love that. Staff: Yes! ( kind ) Our website does have a lot of details and the sched- ule for live music and events, but please feel free to call us back if you have any additional questions. SAM: Great, thank you for your help. Staff: You’re welcome. Goodbye. Score: 8 Comment: If you’ve been reading Spy, you know I basically have a punch card for being told to “check the website.” This rep broke the streak and actually explained things. A rare win. She even anticipated follow up questions. Warm, helpful, and human.
MOUNTAIN 3, UT
First Contact: Male. SAM: Stated question. Staff: Absolutely! SAM: Oh, great. Staff: You’ll just have to hold them close to you. SAM: OK. So, I can’t bring a car seat or anything like that?
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