Packed lift queues on a busy weekend or a prime powder day usually resemble cattle chutes (similarly boisterous, and managed as much like). However, take heed, steed, as there’s a keen means to navigate that frustrating standstill by maintaining your own go rogue / maverick independence.
Sure, while the dedicated singles line may appear to move just as slowly, or even feel totally counterproductive to groups, understanding the core physics of lift operations reveals that the singles line is — mathematically and practically — the most efficient method (for even your crew collective) to ascend the mountain ASAP stat.
The Core Math: Optimizing Capacity
The primary goal of any liftie (though at times arguable) is to achieve 100% capacity; any time a high-speed chair comes around that bullwheel and goes up with an empty seat, the entire flow of the mountain is slowed.
You’ve seen, experienced it, yourself. This main line slows down when groups of two or three leave a seat perpetually vacant on a triple, quad or six-pack. This inefficiency compounds across thousands of riders over the course of a day. The people in the singles line essentially serves as gap-minders and fillers, poised to immediately claim any vacant seat that would otherwise impact traffic. By selectively opting for single status, you’re guaranteeing that your crew’s combined wait time will be less, even if you ride up separately.
Strategic Advantage: Flow and Pairing
The most potent advantage is the dynamic pairing managed by the lift operators. When a group of two or three enters the main loading zone, the operator’s priority immediately shifts to finding a single rider to complete the chair. This creates an implicit fast-lane for the singles queue, as the operator will often wave one or two individuals, even multiples, out of the singles line and directly onto the chair, bypassing dozens of riders still waiting in the main line bottleneck.
Crucially, the singles line’s narrow and constant flow makes it ideal for one-footed skating or gliding, eliminating the cumbersome stop-start movement required to navigate the wide, congested slots and stalls of the general line. Your squad, split into singles, benefits directly from this aggressive matching and superior fluidity.
Beyond Speed: Gear and Position
Equipment Protection
The main line is a cramped corridor where riders are constantly shuffling, leading to inevitable board-on-board or ski-on-board contact. This is how top sheets get scratched and tips and tails get chipped. The singles line keeps you moving faster through a smaller, less congested area, drastically reducing the time your valuable gear spends in close proximity to others’ equipment, minimizing the chance of accidental damage.
Positional Advantage
A single rider is almost always placed in the outside seat, nearest to the loading ramp (the “bump position”). This external position allows for a much smoother, safer, and faster exit at the top. You avoid maneuvering around the bodies and gear of the other people on the chair, which significantly reduces the risk of entanglement, awkward dismounts, or falling over the nose of your board, ensuring a clean transition from riding the chair to riding the slope.
Unexpected Benefits: Going Snocial
When you’re paired with strangers, you get a quick window to chat with someone new who’s just as passionate about riding as you are. It’s an organic networking opportunity—a chance to find someone who rides at your speed, knows a secret powder stash, or is just great company.
Read more: We Are A Binding of Snowboarders
Additional Hacks To Beat The Crowds & Get Up To Get Down!
The 10 A.M. Window
This is the moment the resort transitions from pure momentum to pure chaos. The 10 a.m. window—which really runs from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.—is when the lift lines swell with the mass arrival of families, lessons, and the general public who took their time getting up.
If you’re standing at the base of the mountain during this time, you’re losing.
Your mission is to secure your position above the congestion before 9:45 a.m. Use your first three or four runs to climb the mountain quickly, prioritizing high-speed lifts that get you to mid-mountain or the summit. Once you see the base area queues starting to snarl, lock onto the smaller, emptier upper-mountain chairs.
By remaining focused on the higher terrain and cycling these less-used lifts, you’ll be logging fast laps while the masses fight for access below. When they finally make it to the top, you’ll be ready for your own private lunch window.
Lackey Lifties
When a busy lift zone is momentarily lax, lapsed, or completely unattended, step up. An actionable rider who takes the initiative to safely organize the loading zone and ensure the chair is filled can prevent unnecessary slowdowns. You’re on your game, and you’re in it to win it. Be the solution and save the flow.
Engage The Single-Rider Gambit
The single-rider line is not a queue; it’s a tactical feeding system. Watch the approaching chairs and count the gaps between established groups. Be surgically aware of the open slot and move immediately when the operator signals. This exploits capacity mismatches and is the fastest way to the front, bar none.
Gondola Gait
Watch for opportunities when uncommitted riders allow a cabin to pass under capacity. The loading window is often longer than people think. A pep in your step and focused awareness lets you snag that empty space, instantly bypassing the line. By this method, I’ve caught an empty first funitel on a mid-May powder day at Squaw.
Sacrifice Vertical, Gain Solitude
Seek out the smaller, lesser-known, homegrown resorts. They’re absent of crowds and are often able to ride right up to the chair; scored pow days after a dump. The experience is exponentially more enjoyable, and the ticket cost is substantially less.
Reference: U.S. Resorts Listing Directory
Afternoon Delight
While the term is relative to a different kind of gettin’ some, purposefully planning and scheduling your shred past primetime a.m. rush will see the on-hill numbers dwindling down. Powder can be plenty whether by secret stash visa vie local knowledge, sidelines, or leftovers.
Read more: Powder To The People!
Become A Certified Patroller
The ultimate fast-pass. Becoming a certified patroller grants you paid early-ups and priority loading. Not only do you get access to the mountain before the general public (meaning first tracks every day), but you also gain the ability to use the patrol lane to skip every lift line, making you the undisputed master of vertical. The job requires immense responsibility and training, but the payoff in terms of sheer lap count is unrivaled.
The Semi-Stealth Mode Cheat Code
While I don’t necessarily advise this method, for if any one official or ski patron is paying half-attention you’ll surely catch some grief if caught … There’s another unspoken single’s lane inside the main queue, just to the immediate left. Unmarked and unsanctioned, a quick skate by the masses shuffling their way through, will put you upfront, equally as speedily as the designated single track.
Night Time Is The Right Time
Some resorts operate a limited, lit setup staged under the lights starting at 4:00 p.m. This is an alternate offering option not to be missed.
While most people are then lapping the lodge bar for après or heading home all together, the slopes empty out drastically. If your target resort offers night riding, skip the crowded lunch window and instead target this evening session. You can ride unencumbered for hours on low-traffic terrain. The best benefit is often the chance to hit fresh, untouched pow pow if it’s been snowing heavily through the day, as few people can hang around for any more fun in the later hours.
Pro Tip: Highback Check
Make sure your rear binding’s high back is pushed forward / down before loading up. It’s a simple habit to practice that will save your binder from hungry, low-riding chairs which are notorious for chewing ’em up and spitting ’em out
Read: The Top 6 Premium All-Mountain Bindings for 2025/26 | Read more: Strap In or Step On
The Seemingly Last Will Be First
Embracing the singles line is a strategic move, not a social sacrifice. It turns an inevitable wait into an efficient, predictable process. Instead of viewing it as being separated from your friends, see it as a strategic declaration. A few moments of detachment now guarantees maximum lap count later, proving that the fastest way up the mountain is always to break from the group stink and think, and go independently. Follow the herd and all you’ll see is assholes.
