Accident Avoided (by an inch)

No doubt there are a lot of stupid snow sliders out there, be they on skis or board......which is why I always bring up the rear when skiing with the kids to run interference against any yahoos coming down the hill without paying attention.

I have a problem with everyone, from snowboarders to youth ski racers to skiers, who do not keep a reasonable stopping distance or are unable to avoid a collision due to their speed.    

I got hit hard from behind by an out-of-control skier last week.  The guy who hit me could ski fine - he just couldn't stop.  We were on a wide open slope at Kton with no lip of the hill to hide me.  He was just going so fast he couldn't stop when he saw me "at the last minute" as he said.  

Fortunately, the only real damage is a plum-size lump on my hip, but it could have been worse.  

I agree.  I always bring up the rear and keep an eye uphill.  I was doing it that time as well, but this guy just blew by me.  

It's the one thing I can't stand about the sport, but I guess it reflects the larger risks of life.  You can teach your kids not to make mistakes, stay in control and not put themselves in danger.  And then some yahoo blows a stop sign or gets nervous ripping off your corner pharmacy or decides he needs to fire into the crowd outside the club to defend his manhood, and your family pays the price.

Petronio

Skidds wrote

..always bring up the rear when skiing with the kids to run interference against any yahoos coming down the hill without paying attention.

Basically if there is a bullet you take it for them.

This is a little bit of thread drift, but when you do this on teles it's really fun.  

If there is any soft snow at all. You kinda slarve around behind them, creating a small crumple zone.

  I used to run interference for the kids but now I can't keep up. Safer for the kids now that they rip.When they stop they pull over  off the edge, if they are going get hit the culprit  is eating bark.

Oh boy...

I suspect we've all done something on our skis or board that was not very smart in hind sight. I also suspect we didn't think we were doing anything wrong or dangerous or in violation of the skier code.

There are probably a lot of yahoos out there that don't understand the code or haven't thought about safety and how their actions might impact someone else. They see a lip and they are going to huck it. And they should, because that is part of skiing and riding. Another part of skiing and riding is being defensive and looking out for others that might not know they are being reckless and positioning ourselves out of their way.

We've all seen others do it. We've all done it ourselves. And we all need to guard against it.

riverc0il wrote

We've all seen others do it. We've all done it ourselves. And we all need to guard against it.

S..... Happens

Harvey wrote

Skidds wrote

..always bring up the rear when skiing with the kids to run interference against any yahoos coming down the hill without paying attention.

Basically if there is a bullet you take it for them.

This is a little bit of thread drift, but when you do this on teles it's really fun.  

If there is any soft snow at all. You kinda slarve around behind them, creating a small crumple zone.

A lot of my friends that ride switch over to skis while their kids are in the early stages..  
Easier to snowplow..

dmc_hunter wrote

64ER wrote

B. A. Barrabass; "Pity the fool, who gets to one of my kids".  No reply at all from the Royal Blue Blob.  I hope he reads this.

Thus endth the Lesson.

End up in front of me... And I pity the fool as well...  
Like the guy that carved his way into my line - you will go down hard too..

This I guarantee..
Because if your a type A adult male...  And if the It's you.. Or me...
I'm going to make sure it's you...  And your going to remember it...

Have a nice day...

My apology.  Let me clarify.  Soaring Swan is not my daughter.  I am her Ski Coach/Instructor, in uniform on a designated "Slow Ski Zone" area,(signage recently improved) moving in a predictable short-to-medium radius slow speed pattern, what could possibly go wrong?  Oh wait, I'm also behind Soaring Swan, poles extended each side to the snow, delineating a safe zone for all.

In our neck of the woods the #1,2,3 is "Safety, Fun and Learning".  The Type A Adult Male refer to must have met the friends and family of a child not so fortunate, in the Hospital.  I have.  It's not so much fun.

Ski you safely on the Hill.

I appreciate all off the feedback.  My takeaway is "awareness" is paramount---don't take eye off the ball.  Stay away from areas that have no visability from above.


Thanks

SirSkier

Well, I tell you, after this weekend, I can't wait to retire and ski midweek and non holidays again. Holy crap the mountains are full of gapers and their little progeny everywhere you go, and they do the stupidest things. Standing right at the entrance of lift mazes turning the little bugger's go pro on or off or whatever, standing in the middle of slopes just out of sight enjoying the damn view or something, letting two feet tall Bobby or Debby go into a bump field filled with troughs big enough to swallow them and, i guess, just leaving them there (Benny: Are you lost? Where's Mommy or Daddy? I almost killed you.). Let's not even mention that Asian lady who got into a shouting argument with us and others because she was holding three (three!) window tables for her family that was scheduled to arrive "in maybe a half hour" at the Kmart peak lodge around 11:30. Holy jeebus, I hate President's week.

64ER wrote

 The Type A Adult Male refer to must have met the friends and family of a child not so fortunate, in the Hospital.  I have.  It's not so much fun.

what the?

Once when I was at band camp.  

Retirement is BLISS | midweek privacy , low cost season passes , and  ROCK star parking ;)

IMO, the things mentioned here are a manifestation of the self-center nature of our society. Many people have become more selfish and have come to disregard common manners/respect/concern for others. I do think it's markedly worse than before. President's week seems to be very replete with it to the point of " OMG!".

One good thing about Gore is that I'm almost always able to find a place away from crowds to teach. Trail design at other mountains is not as favorable to getting away. At Gore, Jamboree, Pete Gay, and the town slope down at the ski bowl are perfect slopes to teach learning kids on. Dark Side, Burnt Ridge, and Ski Bowl upper slopes are fine for upper level.

I try to avoid the crazy busy/dangerous trails (Sunway, Wild Air, bottom of Hawkeye, Pine Knot, etc.) on weekends and holidays, but sometimes I have no other choice but to go down one of these routes. In those spots, I try not to teach anything, I just say something like "let's get past this crowded section, and work on something further down". When I have kids in one of those parts, I'm seriously not messing around. I try to make myself as big as possible (arms and sometimes poles out) to shield the kids from idiots. You can never avoid every moron, but I try to make it as safe as possible on the few times I venture down a crowded trail.

In all fairness to other skiers it is very difficult to navigate past a ski school group on the crowded trails.  They do the follow behing thing and form a train(owe the college days).  Sometimes it goes side to side.   I am a little better than average so can slow down and figure it out but for an intermediate having fun not thinking there are speed bumps in the way it can present challanges.   That is part of skiing.  Close calls happen all the time it just the way it is.  

mattchuck2 wrote

One good thing about Gore is that I'm almost always able to find a place away from crowds to teach. Trail design at other mountains is not as favorable to getting away. At Gore, Jamboree, Pete Gay, and the town slope down at the ski bowl are perfect slopes to teach learning kids on. Dark Side, Burnt Ridge, and Ski Bowl upper slopes are fine for upper level.

I try to avoid the crazy busy/dangerous trails (Sunway, Wild Air, bottom of Hawkeye, Pine Knot, etc.) on weekends and holidays, but sometimes I have no other choice but to go down one of these routes. In those spots, I try not to teach anything, I just say something like "let's get past this crowded section, and work on something further down". When I have kids in one of those parts, I'm seriously not messing around. I try to make myself as big as possible (arms and sometimes poles out) to shield the kids from idiots. You can never avoid every moron, but I try to make it as safe as possible on the few times I venture down a crowded trail.

That's good work. Nice to see someone using their brains and exercising common concern for others. Well done MC2!

Snowballs wrote

IMO, the things mentioned here are a manifestation of the self-center nature of our society. Many people have become more selfish and have come to disregard common manners/respect/concern for others. I do think it's markedly worse than before. President's week seems to be very replete with it to the point of " OMG!".

Yo bro, I agree whole-heartedly!!

Spent the last three days away from my home mtn skiing mostly untracked!  Man, I feel relaxed and quite satisfied.  I appreciate the economic impact from tourism, but appreicate more the option to avoid that scene!  

Having slackcountry available for Pres Weekend was key...