In elementary school, we had a field trip to the local ski resort near the end of the school year to do a quick nature hike and see the local flora, fauna, and rock types we’d spent all year learning about. We’d hike up about half a mile under the ski lift and then ride the lift down to a bagged school lunch. The school and the resort had worked together to schedule it so that two employees could help out with the lift controls on the same day as one of their off-season inspections.

Our teacher was only a few years from retirement and stayed at the starting line with the bus driver, so the only adult actually at the top of the slope was one resort employee who didn’t know any of us and rode up rather than hike it with us. My friend and I took extra time at the top, looking at interesting rocks and plants around the upper control shack, until we saw the lift attendant on a lift bench going down. We hurried over and got on several seats behind her.

Unfortunately, she didn’t see us, and nobody did any head counts when handing out lunches. My friend and I watched our classmates eat and the two resort employees were given what we later figured were our lunches, assumed to be extras. We were at least fifty feet above the ground below us and far enough away that we couldn’t hear them, and they couldn’t hear us shouting. We didn’t panic as we laughed and joked between shouts, sure that nothing bad could happen to us children and someone would look up any minute.

We were hoarse and finally realizing that this was a serious situation as we watched our classmates get herded in the direction of the bus. We would have started crying, but we were already dehydrated before the lift stopped; we weren’t allowed to bring water to the hike because there wouldn’t be bathrooms. Thankfully, the wind was pretty light and there were no clouds, so we weren’t getting too cold, but we were getting sunburned.

Several minutes later, our teacher and bus driver came hustling around the building and looked around, still not looking up. We waved as much as we could without shaking the lift too much. We were saved! Well, we would be in a couple more minutes after the bus driver tracked down one of the employees to help look and that adult finally looked up.

We got down, and the adults were apologizing to each other frantically and occasionally asking if we were okay. We said we were hungry, thirsty, and tired. We were taken to a water spigot for landscaping nearby to get a few sips before getting ushered onto the bus so everyone wasn’t late getting back.

On the bus, there were some watermelon slices for the trip back, enough for everyone to have one with some left over. We got the bags with all the leftovers after the other thirty kids got their slices. (A couple of our classmates did kindly give up their slices so we could have more.) I could only choke down one slice because watermelon tastes like wet dust to me, but at least it helped my friend.

I don’t remember much from the rest of the day due to the exhaustion. The bus must have gotten back in time for the school day to end, and I went to my usual after-school care where I probably napped. I assumed my parents were called by the school at some point and the situation was explained, and if they weren’t mad about it, I wouldn’t kick up a fuss since I was safe in the end. They were livid with the adults in the situation when they first heard this story twenty years after the fact.

It’s not even the worst field trip negligence story I earned in that school district. It was also not the only time my parents were belatedly angry on my behalf about things I thought they knew about that happened at that school.

I am guiding some tourists around the base of our ski resort, and one of them points to a utility shed by where I am standing. Our slopes are known to have lots of moguls, which are naturally occurring bumps and mini slopes.

Tourist: “Is that where they store the moguls in the summer?”

Still not as bad as the tourist that thought we made the snow ourselves.

I was thirty-two when I first started learning how to snowboard. I bought my own helmet. Being an adult student at that time, I bought the cheapest I could get, so it was white and pink with cute drawings on the side.

People often think I am younger than I am due to my Asian genes and height. My suit was also oversized because it was my mother-in-law’s. My husband said he felt like he was taking a niece to her snowboard lesson. He was not the only one thinking that.

Me: “Hi. My class is going up this hill now. Can I use my points ticket?”

Lift Operator: “No. You need to buy the day pass.”

Me: “Oh. I would like to have the two-day pass, then.”

Lift Operator: “Okay, but…” *Stares intently at me*

Me: “But?”

Lift Operator: “I need to ask. Are you a child or an adult?”

I did contemplate for a short while whether I should have said that I was a child. However, I thought it wouldn’t bring good Karma. In the end, I did get the adult ticket, and I didn’t break any bones while learning to snowboard.

I was with a group of friends going on a skiing trip in Austria. Most of the group had skied before, but [Girl] and I were first-timers, and we signed up for early morning lessons. We used a ski lift to get to the place on the mountains where lessons took place, and then we came down and joined the group for lunch.

Unfortunately, during one lesson, [Girl] fell badly and tore her knee so that she could not stand. Emergency services were called, and they decided to move her back down the mountain on the ski lift. I went down on the lift to tell the others. They put her in a body bag to keep her warm and then, to keep her knee immobilised, they laid her down across the bench, strapped her on, and then took the next bench behind her.

As she was coming down, I reached the bottom and joined my friends.

Friend: “Where’s [Girl]?”

I pointed to the body bag that could now be seen coming down on the lift with the medical team behind it.

Me: “She’s there.”

Friend: “Oh, my God! [Girl]! Oh, my God!”

I suddenly realised that all they could see was an inert body bag being transported down the mountain and assumed the worst. At this point, I panicked slightly and, rather than just telling them she had only hurt her leg, I turned round and shouted:

Me: “It’s okay! It’s okay! They haven’t zipped it up!”

I’m at work at a ski and snowboard park on a busy Friday. We have a ladies’ clinic going on as well as the usual rush of people. Due to some poor planning from the event coordinator as well as my boss, we are slammed. I’m the only cashier and I have a line out the door.

At one point during this madness, my boss is up front helping to run out orders when a customer comes up to ask a question.

Customer: “So, when is the men’s clinic?“

My boss just gives him a blank stare.

If this guy was genuinely asking I would have been nice, but he is trying to be a d**k on purpose.

Me: “It’s on February thirtieth!“

Customer: “When?“

Me: “February thirtieth! That’s when we have our men’s clinic this year!“

Customer: “Oh! Okay, thanks!” *Strolls off, happily.*

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