Wipe-out etiquette

Ouch............

steverandomno wrote:
There is only one rule when it comes to responsibility on marked pistes. If you crash into somebody ahead of you it is your fault. Period. It does not matter if you are a beginner or a level 4 ski instructor, or whether the person you crash into is a beginner or a downhill champion. It does not matter if it's a green, blue, black, double or triple black diamond run. It is your responsibility to stay in control and leave plenty of room.

Being a good resort skier isn't about being able to ski a black mogle run at 50 mph. It is about being able to ski any run safely and in control no matter what speed you are travelling. To be aware of those around you and equally to ensure that you don't spook people out. That actually takes some skill.

What I don't understand is why people can't just wait. I know how I want to ski the run in front of me, and if I can't do it safely because there are people in the way, I just wait a few moments. If my planned course starts getting choked up, or I see someone where I can't predict their moves with certainty, I either stop or change the way I'm skiing. It's that simple. I do also check who's behind when starting off, and periodically as chance allows once I'm skiing, but that's just out of self preservation.

These days I think we are getting past the stage where old school skiers didn't understand modern turn shape, and so the people who pose a risk now tend to be just irresponsible.

Trencher wrote:

steverandomno wrote:
There is only one rule when it comes to responsibility on marked pistes. If you crash into somebody ahead of you it is your fault. Period. It does not matter if you are a beginner or a level 4 ski instructor, or whether the person you crash into is a beginner or a downhill champion. It does not matter if it's a green, blue, black, double or triple black diamond run. It is your responsibility to stay in control and leave plenty of room.

Being a good resort skier isn't about being able to ski a black mogle run at 50 mph. It is about being able to ski any run safely and in control no matter what speed you are travelling. To be aware of those around you and equally to ensure that you don't spook people out. That actually takes some skill.

What I don't understand is why people can't just wait. I know how I want to ski the run in front of me, and if I can't do it safely because there are people in the way, I just wait a few moments. If my planned course starts getting choked up, or I see someone where I can't predict their moves with certainty, I either stop or change the way I'm skiing. It's that simple. I do also check who's behind when starting off, and periodically as chance allows once I'm skiing, but that's just out of self preservation.

These days I think we are getting past the stage where old school skiers didn't understand modern turn shape, and so the people who pose a risk now tend to be just irresponsible.

I am 100% with you on this.

The two big things I noticed last week in St Anton which annoyed me were:

1. People stopping in the middle of pistes to wait for their mates. This is both against the recommended rules and basic etiquette. Its ok when you see them and can stop or go round them, but on busy slopes you often don't see them until late. Accidents happen, but why increase the chance?
I made a point every time of skiing close to the people in the middle and stopping short of them and showering them in a hockey stop, before informing them of what an irresponsible place it was to stop. Strangely enough, none of them understood English.

2. People who manage to stop at the edge, but then ski off without looking uphill first.
I had a number of incidents where I'd be skiing down and someone would just pull out in front of me nearly causing a collision. Again, a "polite" word as you pass them, or sometimes even a whack on the back with a pole is required to point out the error of their ways. Again, it contravenes the guidelines and is basically stupid.

Its a bit like the morons who drove this morning in thick fog without any lights on. Do you want to die or kill someone else????? :evil:

My road analogy is that people who ski with disregard for the people below them are like the people who miss their exit on the motorway, but still try to go for it. They just need to accept the situation and wait for the next exit, or slow down to pass slower skiers as the case might be.

Trencher wrote:My road analogy is that people who ski with disregard for the people below them are like the people who miss their exit on the motorway, but still try to go for it. They just need to accept the situation and wait for the next exit, or slow down to pass slower skiers as the case might be.

Thats why my sister in law will never ski