So the old Lionshead Gondola fell a long time ago and some people were killed. The spot where it fell was near the top and the drop to the ground was at least 100 feet. We'd be riding with some gapers and we'd start talking about when the Gondola fell, and at some point we would start in about how a bar on the tower broke loose and knocked the Gondola off the cable. We would also tell them that the only person who survived the fall grabbed the pole that was in the center of the Gondola. By this time we would have talked about which tower it fell from. We'd get near to that point and the people in there with us would already be scared and we would just be hitting the high point. As we got close enough to see the tower someone would yell OH Shit and point to a bar that looked bent. Reality is that all the bars that keep the Gondola from smacking the tower in high wind look bent so this is a pretty easy sell. The goal was to build up the drama right up to the point where the Gondola was hitting the wheels of the tower. Right when that happened, one of us would stomp on the floor as hard and loud as possible. If we did a good job, at least one gaper would grab the pole in the center. I'm kind of surprised now that we no one had a massive heart attack.
The other thing about that Gondola was that the operators opened and closed the Gondola doors with these keys with a square head. The key hole went all the way through the door so if you had a key, you could unlock and open the door from the inside. It was a simple lock and it didn't take us long to realize that you could just jam your ski pole into the key hole, turn it and open the door. If we were riding up the gondola with little kids that were being a pain, we would threaten to throw them out. Of course they would say, you can't because you can't open the door. Without saying a word, one of us would open it with our ski pole and the kids would usually immediately start crying. Later on when I was in college and working as an instructor, I pulled that on a group of high school kids. It was funny and no one took it seriously, but one of the kids went home and told his mother that his instructor opened the Gondola door. I was fired the next morning. I still hold the record for the person who has been fired and rehired by Vail Resorts the most. Claim!