5 Unpardonable ski sins

Yes this is in the ski technique section and since ski techniques are not just physical responces on ski runs I am introducing this topic.

There are some behaviors that are just not acceptable,,even sinful. I am not talking about minor forgetfull sins here, but the well planned, well thought behaviours that clearly are not accepted by the skiing community.

You can not plead innocent due to ignorance on these sins.
I hope you were never guilty of these five skiing sins!

1.Some sins have local, regional flavors. This first one is known world wide as the "European sin"! ( yes I know I will start a major discussion here)

We all have our personal space! That is the bubble around us in which we feel comfortable. Come too close and you "invade my space". In skiing we still have this space, but due to the skis it is extended.
In Europe walking on skis, crossing over skis, stepping on ski tails is common!
It is a major no, no to touch a persons skis while in line or while on slope!
I often see persons walking over 4-6 skis in order to get across ski lift lines!
Worst I have seen sinners ski over other skiers skis!
No amount of praying will help.
You know what you are doing is wrong, but still you pretend not to notice;comments, looks and swearing in at least 4 languages!
Respect others, skiing is fun. You are on holiday relax, enjoy the experiance!

2.This second sin, we all have witnessed. It is based on some sinners needs to feel "better" than another. It is based on a sinner wanting to "laugh" at others! Secretly the sinner has not matered skiing ( pretends to be "good" skier)but wants to think that at least this beginner is "lower" than me!

Here is the scene. Person comes first time to ski center. Lost yet excited to learn this new sport.What does sinner do?
If really sick sinner, ( usually male) he takes this innocent lamb to the very top , to the most difficult run!
Stupid and dangerous move!
Laughing all the way to bottom the sinner shows how easy it is , (now you know why I said "sick") and beginner is marked for life, afraid of speed, afraid of ice,afraid to skiing under chair runs!
It takes 5 years for beginner to accept the beauty of skiing. The grace and flowing motion of skiing. The freedom to fly while skiing!
That is why this second sin is unpardonable. It is dangerous more for psychological reasons than for physical ones!

3. This third ski sin is so silly and counter productive it should never happen, but it does. Often I have wanted to stop some sinners while they were in the process and find out if it is due to stupidity or just the desire to "appear" different! I have read much research on skiing sins and have not yet found one reasonable cause of this beaviour!
It might seem trivial, even perhaps a "minor ski sin" based on poor upbringing, poor role models, but it can have tragic results.

Here is the context. Family has just spend $800 per skis and now are going to ski center. Of course they got up late and are rushing to get to ski hill ( at 10:30) first, because they heard that the best skiing done early!
As they get to autobahn speeds, they wonder why cars are blinking their lights at them. They are wondering why people are pointing at them!
Even small children are waving at them while laughting!
Finally when the police force them to stop, they think that perhaps a serious sin has been done!
If you are new in a sport, look, pick out skiers that seem to know what to do and watch. Learn the easy way to do things!
Skis have a shape and this shape can act like a wing!
Now take 4 pair of skis and place tips up and forward on a ski rack!
Think!!!

How come you are smiling! How come you instantly understand the context and the danger!
Yet our ski sinner will drive 160 kms. and discover later that placing skis on car rack with tips forward may lift and ever tear off ski rack. Perhaps fly off and hit following car!
I can not accept this sin as a "sin based on ignorance"!!!
Look, learn and enjoy, but do not sin!!!!!

4. The fourth ski sin can be classified as a , "ignorance sin" if done once! If done twice doubt sets in and if done more than three times, then it is a very very major sin!
Again perhaps lack of observational skills, or perhaps lack of social maturity may be the cause of this fourth sin.

Let me set the stage!
Popular large ski resort. beautiful day after 3 days of snow and everyone is out to ski! Lift lines are like "hunter ant colonies" stretching past base lodge, round to second ticket booth and down to parking lot.
Waiting time is at least 45 munites!
Tempers are short! Snow is waiting at top, but.... You get picture!
After 45 minute wait you are next on the quad ski lift! Your heart beats faster as you think of the knee high snow, the secret runs you have found.
As you step forward to get to quad,,,, the one person sits in middle and does not allow you to get on!!!
A pause, a look at the attendant who is drinking his juice!

Too late!
Lift gone with one sinner on board!!!
Groans from lift line!

Sinner! Thou shalt not rise alone!
No matter what social disease you have, you may not stop others!
No matter what communication problems you have, thou shalt not reject others.

The essence of skiing is not only sliding down a ski run, it is the meeting of "different"people, with strange ideologies that you can discuss in 3-5 minutes. You can solve the world's problem with four people on the lift.
Why limit yourself! Shame!!!



5. I have kept the most serious sin last because it is shocking. I did not want you to stop reading this text at one sin!

Some social ski social scientists suggest that the sinners that do this sin are not reall skiers. Rather they are frustrated family ski drivers! Video analysis indicates that this is a sin undertaken by both sexes but most alarming it is done in fron of the children!!!

Here is the context.
Most ski resorts have a "pick up area" where drivers can drop off skiers and skis in the morning and pick up skiers at end of day. Typically it is in the front of ski lodge and allows 2-5 cars to remain for 5 minutes.
It is clearly indicated and a sign clearly indicates a 5 minute grace period!

I see that smile again on your face! I can see that you are aware of the sin!!!!
Yes there are still some sinners ( I will not say skiers, because true skiers do not do such sins) who will "temporarily" park in this zone and come bacl at 5 PM.
A sin of ignorance! No
A sin of pleasure! No

I say a sin,, no THE skiing sin that should not be tolerated!

Let me tell you sinners of number 5 what might happen to you if.....

Last year a rugby team was skiing at a ski center and yes sin was 5 clearly happening! It also caused the team bus to be blocked, thus they could not leave parking!

No problem. The 30 rather fit rugby players, lifted the sinners car, placed sleds under each wheel and pushed the car to an undisclosed location where it was covered with snow!

Everyone witnessed this and clapped! I had to stay to see the sinners face and heard his/her story! 45 minutes later a sinner shows up. looks around and begins to shout, "my car, my car, stolen"
It took 2 hours to find car ( no one remembered where car was), another 45 minutes to get tow truck!
The best was watching the wife and kids trying to hide while man was explaining how he was parked for 5 minutes!!!!


Hope you enjoyed knowing the above sins.
Hope you have never ski sinned yourself.
Let us enjoy skiing and keep our sinful behaviours at home!
Cheers

Hey Pav

You always make me smile!!! Best one yet....However is that lone person hogging the lift , just a beginner who is terrified of taking 3 other people out on descent at the top, so prefer to fly solo?? If so, I confess that when I started skiing, bear in mind we always go when it`s quiet, I would hope and pray that experienced skieers would back off and let me and Macks have a quad to ourselves....For their own benefit obviously!! Not an issue now, of course, but you have to begin somewhere!!

...excellent post...

But here's another one... the best way to get your head cut off... standing (or, worse still, sitting) just below the crest of a ridge so you can't be seen from above.

Powderhound

pavelski wrote:

I often see persons walking over 4-6 skis in order to get across ski lift lines!
Worst I have seen sinners ski over other skiers skis 

Actually sounds like the most convincing argument I've heard for lugging ski poles around - to defend your skis.

There are many uncivilised things about living in North America, but the lift line is not one of them. Cutting in (pushing in) could cost a person thier lift ticket.

Trencher

As for the solo lift riders, some are very crafty. They tend to be younger teenagers who don't want to suffer to embarassment of riding the lift with other people. They come in through the single line and join a group of three. as the three move forward to be ready for the chair, they will stay still. This causes total confusion, especially to the four behind and in that confusion they then slide forward to take the next chair for themslves. I've seen some kids do it over and always make it look like an accident. One confused (or maybe not) group behind the kid, went forward anyway and the kid had a very crowded ride up (luckily not a quad chair with a center pole).

Trencher

I've been rather busy the past few days and not had a chance to add my repsonse to this thread.

The above entries are all entirely valid 'top sins' and unfortunately, it's true that there are a lot of sinners around......

Here are a few more.

1. Running into the back of a ski left queue/line where children, adults and the sinner all topple over like a line of dominoes. Actually, for the sinner themselves, the 'looks' of disgust they get combined with mouthed curses are usually sufficient to ensure that they never make the same mistake.

2. Whilst travelling up in an enclsoed mountain transport system such as a funicular, cable car or - worst of all - a gondala - somebody chooses to break wind. Conversation dwindles to a murmur as everybody attempts to put on an innocent face with the end result that everybody looks the same and everybody is blaming everybody else.

3. Skiing past somebody who is in dificulty is a 'no no'. You *always* stop if you see somebody who has fallen and is on their own and maybe struggling. Even if you stop a short distance away, this gives you time to see if they need help. In any case, giving help usually ends in a never ending exchange of pleasantries and leaves the helper feeling good about themselves and the helped feeling cared for. Excellent interaction!!! This rule can be dropped if it's a 'mass start' race. (I do know of somebody who stopped to help a faller at the start of a race. She ended up coming last - but she probably would've anyway..... However, she earned herself a free ticket to the right hand chair beside Him

4. Stealing somebody elses ski sticks. This happens a lot in France. You go into a restaurant only to come out to find that your ski sticks have been stolen. This often ends up with the victim moving on to steal another person's ski sticks/poles etc etc until the last person holds the dummy card. You can avoid this by mix n matching your skis/sticks with another skier in your party. This works a treat when you get up to 6 people - when - at 'reclaim time' you might as well throw the whole lot in a pile to work out who owns whos.

5. By far the worst though has to be a skier who skis too closely to a beginner who, in their panic to avoid a collision, opts to fall. Beginners find it far more dificult to 're-arrange' themselves following a fall and the deliberate actions of another competent skier who has the entire 200 metre width of the run, chooses to cut up the beginner. I have to say, that when this happens to my wife (2nd year skier) I chase after the sinner and cut them up something chronic. Justice!!!

There are probably other sins, but, also, there are many many pleasant exchanges which occur each day that outweigh the negatives. That could be what causes skiing to be so popular in addition to the obvious aspects.

another 'sin'

I've split up with my friends so go to quad lift on my own. As my turn to get on the quad arrives I shuffle forward but no one joins me because every one right behind me is not 'single' but with their friends or group so they don't want to share the lift with a 'stranger'. Result is I go on the quad be myself and I don't smell, look odd or have two heads.

The correct behavior if you are in a quad chair is to let others go by and get on next couple or trio.

Think of others waiting in line.

Most "thoughtful" skiers plan ahead and if you are alone look for a trio before the lift.

Try it!

pavelski wrote:

The correct behavior if you are in a quad chair is to let others go by and get on next couple or trio.
 

Sounds like a longish wait at busy times if I wait for an opening. If other 'singles' do the same it becomes a race to get the seat.

pavelski wrote:

Most "thoughtful" skiers plan ahead and if you are alone look for a trio before the lift.
 

Pavelski where I have been, people follow the 'every man for themselves queuing' system. There are not enough educated skiiers to make queuing an orderly event.


I agree with your point about people learning some skiing manners but people aren't taught it.

iLoveSkiing wrote:

Pavelski where I have been, people follow the 'every man for themselves queuing' system. There are not enough educated skiiers to make queuing an orderly event. 

Does anyone ever complain to the resort ?, as in "I'm not comming back untill you do something about the lift queue". Instead of just accepting it as a fact of life, start rating resorts on how the lift lines/queues are set up and managed.

This would certainly be a factor in my choice of destination.

Trencher

Pavelski - I always love all your posts and think they are well informed - however I have to agree with iloveskiing here. If you had witnessed what we saw in lift cues in La Plagne this february half term - the words bedlam come to mind and you simply just had to get into the lift whenever you got the opportunity. My wife, Daughter and I would always say we would not try to get the lift together and if spilt up would just wait for each other at the the top which often happened. I you are on your own and as you say let a quad go and try and join a trio - try that on the Arpette chair out of Plagne Bellecotte at 3pm during the feb holidays and you would have 20 very angry people right on your back pushing you forward regardless - it's the right idea I totally agree but the reality is completely different when I ski which unfortunately is always the peak periods - you just have to go for it or be left behind and if that means no one else gets on the lift with you then what can you do?. Manners and politeness are seriously lacking in french lift cues but you soon learn to just go with it and it is surprising how things move well when everyone does. Please rest assured I'm not condoning it but that's just the way it is.

Trencher wrote:

Does anyone ever complain to the resort ?, as in "I'm not comming back untill you do something about the lift queue". Instead of just accepting it as a fact of life, start rating resorts on how the lift lines/queues are set up and managed.

This would certainly be a factor in my choice of destination.

Trencher 

Trencher, it sounds like things might be different over the pond. In Europe I think people accept it as part of the skiing environment. I'm sure some people do complain but many of us in England only get to ski one week a year so the lack of queuing protocol is one negative I can overlook because I'm so keen to have the opportunity to ski.

I do actually agree with you and Pavelski about what should be done but the reality seems to work in the end.