Updated July 24, 2025
If you ski enough days, you realize that half the fun happens on the chairlift.
It’s this weird moving social bubble where you’re crammed next to strangers, friends, or a mix of both, with nowhere to go and nothing to do but talk.
Most rides are quiet or awkward small talk, but every now and then you overhear or have a conversation so random and funny it sticks forever. Here are a few that live rent-free in my head.
The Fart
This one still cracks me up – pun intended.
(I clearly have a very sophisticated sense of humour).
I was sandwiched between two random dudes who clearly didn’t know each other. About halfway up, one of them absolutely let one go. No attempt to hide it. Just a bold, unapologetic blast.
The other guy whipped his head around and said, “Seriously? We’re trapped on this thing!” The first guy just shrugged and said, “Better now than cropdusting the next run” We all lost it. By the time we got to the top, it felt like we’d trauma-bonded.
The Grandma Confession
This one still messes with me. I was riding with two older ladies who were clearly best friends, probably in their 70s (respect). They were chatting away about grandkids and baking cookies when out of nowhere, one of them says, “Well, at least I never slept with your husband in a storage unit.”
There was a beat of dead silence, the other woman laughed awkwardly and then they both started talking about ski poles like nothing happened. I just sat there staring at the trees.
The Brag
I once rode a chair with a guy who would not shut up about how good he was. He was laying it on thick for the girl next to him, talking about all the cliffs he’s dropped. Complete “would have gone pro if not for that knee injury” vibes.
We unloaded at the top and as we slid off, she just smiled, took off down the run, and casually popped a perfect 360 off the first side hit like it was nothing. He nearly fell over trying to keep up. I have no idea if they were on a date, but if they were, I’m pretty sure she won.
The Hot Dog
I once shared a lift with two guys who were clearly a few drinks deep. About halfway up, one of them casually said, “You know, I’m pretty sure she still doesn’t know it was me.” His buddy immediately asked, “Wait… you mean about the car?” The guy just nodded, dead serious.
Here’s the story: he’d left a half-eaten hot dog in his girlfriend’s car cup holder… in July. It sat there for weeks. She spent hundreds having the car inspected for rat damage and weird smells, convinced something had died in the vents.
When she finally found it, he panicked, grabbed the hot dog, claimed it was his from that morning and ate it on the spot to sell the lie. With a mouth full of month-old meat sludge he then apparently winked at her and said “your car still smells funky by the way”.
What followed was a night of catastrophic food poisoning and FaceTiming his buddy because he was “definitely dying.” The next day, he blamed it on the tacos she’d cooked him and made her apologize for “almost killing him,” all while the rotting hot dog incident stayed his filthy little secret… until now!
The Boot Heater
One chairlift I will never forget involved two snowboarders talking about “the coldest day of their lives.” One of them casually admitted that mid-blizzard, he’d been so desperate to warm up that he peed in his own snowboard boot… while wearing it.
His buddy went silent for a moment, then just said, “Wait, while it was on your foot?” The guy shrugged like it was the most logical solution in the world and added, “Honestly, it worked. My toes were toasty for the rest of the run.”
By the time they unloaded, I wasn’t sure if I was horrified or impressed. But I do know I’ll never look at rental boots the same way again.
Final Thoughts
Chairlifts are where the real stories happen. You end up overhearing things you can never unhear.
And honestly, these were the polite stories. The truly unfiltered chairlift conversations? Let’s just say they’re not fit for print.
