leashes

[Cannonball]

I am looking for some insight from the many, many years of combined experience of the skiers/riders on this forum. Please help.

Yesterday, I was out at my favorite local mountain, where I have skied and snowboarded for the last 20 years. Several times over the course of the day I was approached by ticket checkers or "mountain ambassadors" to see if I had a leash for my snowboard - I don't. My answers ranged from "No" to "yes, but you can't see it under my pants". In all cases I got on the lift anyway, even as they stood there in shock that I had said "no".

I understand that "rules are rules", and I generally play by them even when I disagree, since it usually saves a lot of hassle. But this seems nutty. So my question is: Can anyone explain even the slightest logical reason why a snowboard leash is neccessary? Or even what it does? I have a lot theories as to how the concept came about and why some people may still be stuck on it (and maybe we can get into those if this thread progresses) but I thought mountains had dropped the issue years ago. Between myself and my close group of skier/riders we've logged thousands and thousands of days, and none of us have ever heard of an incident that might have been prevented by a snowboard leash.

Here's the deal: if anybody can give me a valid reason, I'll pull my 10- year old leash out of the attic, strap it on, and forever shut up about the issue. I truly want to understand.

Thanks.

 

[Chromer]

Leashes prevent runaway boards when you're strapping in.

Newbie puts unleashed board on ground. Puts foot in binding, falls on his butt, and the board takes off down the trail. Even on beginner terrain it can pick up speed very quickly and injure someone or damage property (like if it flies into the parking lot...)

 

[Cannonball]

Well I thought of that one....but I don't buy it. If you're totally undone from your bindings and carrying your board, you will have the leash disconected as well (they don't make them long enough to walk while connected). Which means newbie puts down board, tries screwing around with little leash clip, loses board.......

The only way that would work would be if the leash actually attached to your wrist, so you could walk around with it but you couldn't drop it. (not that I'm recommended that idea.)

Any others?

 

[Cannonball]

(whoops, a case of premature submission) because I'd like to make a couple of other points about the "newbie theory".

1) many leashes that they sell these days are about 3-4" long and just clip to a D-ring on the boot. This means that the leash is so short you actually have to be strapped in before you can attach the leash.

2) Went to Killington last week with someone who rented a board. The rental did not come with a leash. So at least K-mart is not concerned with leases for beginners.

3) Your front foot is strapped in 90% of the time, unless riding a tram or gondola. Which means it's generally on the upper mountain that people are unstrapped and run the risk of a runaway board.

Please realize, I'm fully aware that runaway boards can happen and are a real danger. I just don't see how a leash will prevent it.

 

[hamdog]

i've posted my theory on this before, but since it's a dedicated thread i'll go over it again.

the snowboard leash does nothing but shut the ambassadors and ticket
checkers up. that's it! snowboarders "strap" in but snowboards don't
have "brakes" so we are required to wear or atleast possess a leash on
our person. i keep mine in my pocket. they're really pushy about
leashes during holidays more than any other time i think too.
skier's "click" in and are not required to wear leashes because they
have "brakes". now, how many times have you seen a skier lose his/her
ski's, poles, etc during a fall? how many snowboarders have you seen
lose thier snowboard during a fall? none? oh, cause thier "strapped" in.
that's right. :roll: how about pole straps? wear those things and take a
tumble and run the risk of breaking your risk. what might have made
sense years ago simply just doesn't anymore. primarily for safety
reasons.

snowboard leashes were originally designed to strap to your leg (up on
your shin) and attach to your binding so that you could fasten the leash
first, then strap in to your binding. and vice versa for unstrapping.
nowadays, the leashes are 3"-4" long and strap to the D-ring on your
boot and the other end to your binding. with this design, you can only
step into your binding prior to "strapping" in, so it doesn't really matter
when you attach the leash. for all the old schoolers out there, did you
ever actually put the leash on your shin first, then strap into your
binding? i might have, but never really thought about it that much. you
just strap in and go. after i made sure all my zippers were zipped of
course. :lol: if it's not one thing, it's another.

i recently rode sunday river without a leash and never got asked about it
(niether did my brother who was on tele ski's). i did get asked last year
at big sky (during holidays) and i had the voluteer ambassodor call in ski
patrol so i could meet him at the top of the lift. i could've just gone on
my merry little way when i got to the top cause he never saw me, but i
approached the patroller and told him that i was the snowboarder he was
waiting for. he said not to worry about it, but try and go get a leash or
something if i could when i get to the bottom. so i borrowed one from the
rental's and kept in my pocket for the rest of the day.......cause nobody
never asked me about a leash again. if approached now, i will say that i
don't believe in them, they do nothing, and are more of a nuisance than
anything else. have a nice day.

the reason why leashes are still required are due to laws. tele skiers are
also required to wear similar leashes on each of thier boots. in this case,
i think that leashes are a little more practical.

skiing and snowboarding is an "at your own risk" sport. just be safe. that
should be the only thing enforced as some people might lack common sense.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I did observe a runaway board at Baldy yesterday for the first time. It did go into Thunder's liftline at a pretty good clip and hit someone on the leg (fortunately just a bruise and nothing serious). I don't know why the kid in question had the board off.

 

[Chromer]

Here's a thought: Over the past week patrollers have had to recover 5 snowboards from the Superquad liftline at Sugarloaf.

Safely going onto portions of that liftline currently requires ice climbing equipment.

Why should the patrol have to endanger themselves because someone couldn't be bothered to put on their leash?

 

[hamdog]

Why should the patrol have to endanger themselves because someone couldn't be bothered to put on their leash?

a leash is 3"-4" long so it is merely just another step. like strapping an
additional buckle or strap that does absolutely nothing. if the leash was
3'-4' long then we could walk around with the board in hands and
strapped to leg........until someone trips over the slack, breaks themself,
and sues the company for poor design or some shite. ok well, maybe
that wouldn't happen :roll:. no tele ski's fell in? :wink:

how about one of those retractable mechanisms like dog leashes that
have a handle, or those lift ticket clips that you pull out on a string, feed it
to the machine, and it retracts inside the little plastic piece? :idea: :idea: :idea:

Over the past week..........

not bad for a holiday week, huh? :lol:

 

[Cannonball]

Patrol shouldn't have to endager themselves for someone else's mistake...but I'm not sure I understand...

Did the boards fall off from the lift? If so, then it helps makes my point. Skis are FAR more likely to fall off from the lift, yet no leash is required.

Or did the boards come off somewhere on the trail, then slide into this area? If this was the case, then maybe a leash might have prevented it. But I'd really have to understand the circumstances, since I've never heard of a board just detaching from both feet while riding.

I'm certainly not doubting your report of 5 boards on the liftline. I can only say from personal experience, that I've seen many many skis, hundreds of poles, and thousands of hats and gloves fall from lifts....but never a snowboard.

Still just trying to understand.

Hamdog's point about the a leash being long enough to walk with, brings me to one of my leash theories. In the early days of snowboarding, the concept was to bring surfing style to the mountains. We rode snurfers and other random boards which had no bindings. (I even used to try my 6'8" Gordon&Smith at local hills when the powder was deep enough). For surfing, and for these snowboard prototypes, a leash was manadatory....unless you wanted to go running down the hill after your board. I think that as bindings developed, the leash idea just hung around. By the time modern bindings hit the scene and boards were allowed at resorts people had sort of forgot why leashes were there in the first place, and they stuck. Now resorts can't get it out of their head, even though it makes absolutely no sense.