Scared of Getting Stuck Up Here? These New Yorkers Will Save You

What would keep many people from ever hitting the slopes is what these people train for every single year.

When you ask just about every person why they've never gone skiing or snowboarding in Upstate New York, most of them have the same answer. They're afraid of heights. More specifically, the gondola.

Where traditional chair-lifts are more unsafe, with people bouncing them up-and-down and only one bar protecting you, many people still fear the gondola. The "small floating box on a string" freaks out anyone scared of heights, being that it's still encased by windows.

Being scared of falling is one thing, but the thought of being stuck on the lift and having to escape yourself is a whole different fear itself. But that's what these men and women prepare for every year.

Gondola Rescue Training - Gore Mountain

Among their long list of duties in New York State, DEC Forest Rangers are also tasked with the challenge of gondola rescues.

Each year, Rangers and staff members at resorts like Gore Mountain will train for rescues ahead of the ski season. They have to help skiers climb out the door and onto the top of the gondola. After that, they are belayed to the ground.

The skis and snowboards are also sent down from the gondola, allowing the stranded guests to get back to the bottom of the mountain. It's hard enough to walk in ski boots, just imagine having to do all of that too.

Hopefully this doesn't scare you more about the thought of skiing or snowboarding. Instead, be reassured that there are professionals on stand-by, ready to react if this situation ever happened.