On slope collisions

[uphillklimber]

x

 

[dmc]

Pretty sure the uphill skier has to yield to the downhill skier.. If they are stopped and entering a trail they have to yield..

At the speed you were traveling - maybe you could just slow down a bit and not pass.. Thats what I do... I've never been hit of a traverse..

 

[drjeff]

Over the years, especially when passing snowboarders where they tend to have more of a "blindside" than 2 plankers do, I really, really try if I'm going to be passing them to do so on their front side, especially if it's a situation where there's not likely to be a large amount of trail width between them, me, and the woods.

The other thing that I'm more wary of when passing anyone these day (skier or boarder) is that with the prevelence of folks listening to music while on the hill, often the old standard "on your left/right" shout can go unheard, so more and more rather than go for the pass in what could be a tight spot, I'll slow down until I get to a spot/situation where I'm sure the person can see/hear me.

While the general "rules of the road" are unchanged, there's many more variables that come into play nowadays than in the past IMHO

 

[WWF-VT]

You answered your own question.

"Of course, everyone always remembers the first rule of skiing, the person downhill has the right of way"

 

[Brownsville Brooklyn]

lots of collisions this weekend....

my friend got taken out by a kid, not a very good skier, on the back of her skis. she was on skiers right hugging the tree line. she ejected & flipped 3x. sore back, neck & leg. she was at work at 6am today.

 

[Warp Daddy]

First i'm sorry you got whacked -- it sux , but most of us have been there
Second with audio helmets and low skill sliders of all varieties out there ESPECIALLY ON BLUBIRD days

 

[Warp Daddy]

OOPS hit the key to soon -- What i was also going to say is i make sure they either see me OR by really raising the level of my voice hear me . But frankly on narrow twisty stuff i'll slow up IF NECESSARY to let a what seems to be less skilled indiiiividual get thru or if the trail is wider just pick my spot and blow by them . BUT with the audio helmets and lack of attention by many this situation is becoming more common and is one of the reasons i really like and ski most of the time IN LOW DENSITY regional ski areas

 

[UVSHTSTRM]

I see this from time to time. It seems to be very frequent on the flat corssovers at Killington. I never understood why people find the need to make huge wide turns on a crossover. Being a boarder your all but screwed at K if you can't keep your speed up. I almost feel like there being d!cks, obviously I doubt they are, but a good shout "Right", "Left" usually works, and I also throw in a thanks as well.

 

[dmc]

a good shout "Right", "Left" usually works, and I also throw in a thanks as well.

I'm dyslexic... And I ski with someone who's deaf...

I'll probably turn into you and she'll just not hear you...

 

[campgottagopee]

Whenever I go to pass I make sure I zig when they zag-----if that's not possible i just slow down until it is.

 

[hammer]

Whenever I go to pass I make sure I zig when they zag-----if that's not possible i just slow down until it is.

This is what I try to do...not easy if the downhill skier/rider is unpredictable, though.

 

[jr05]

I always just slow down enough to basically match their speed, then when they turn one direction (snowboarders I pass so they are facing me) I just pass on the other. I am not in such a rush that I can't slow down. Also, if they are new enough that they are making full trail width turns, they probably aren't (shouldn't be) on the harder trails. And if they are on the beginner, you shouldn't be screaming down those anyway with all the novices on them.

Anyway, hope you aren't too banged up for the rest of the season! Keep an eye out for the snowboarders since they tend to like to sit down randomly all over the trail as well. I snowboard and this is one of the things that pisses me off about fellow snowboarders. Get out of the damn trail if you are going to sit down! I'm getting off topic, be careful out there and watch out for skiers in front of you, the can't see backwards as well as you can see forwards so give them plenty of room / slow down.

 

[oakapple]

I am never sure which one to shout. Will they take it to mean I coming on your right, scootch to the right so as to avoid an impending collision? Think about it, if someone hollers behind you "RIGHT!!" or all you hear is right, what would you do in the panic of the moment? If you are a grab the bull by the horns type, will you move right? If you are a more passive type, will you shy away from the right and let them have the right? Then what would you expect the person in front of you to do?

It seems to be accepted protocal that "Right" means "I am passing on your right," not "Please move to the right." Except on beginner hills (where you shouldn't be going fast anyway), I think skiers can be expected to know this. Most people say "On your right," unless it is so sudden that they can't get out the first two words.

When passing, I try to give the widest berth I can, so that even if the skier makes an unexpected turn we would not be likely to collide. If the trail is so narrow at that point that this is not possible, then frankly the passing skier ought to be going more slowly. When someone passes me that close, it is often an excuse for not bothering to slow down.

Yesterday, I came within a few feet of colliding with a boarder who was sitting on the hill. Totally my fault, as I caught an edge, but managed to recover in time.

 

[deadheadskier]

training for SuperG in high school, I had a horrific collision with another teammate. Essentially it was 'open training' without gates. We were training GS lower down the mountain and were supposed to be working on SuperG turns / speed up top. He was coming to the left, me to the right and smacked right into one another. From witnesses that saw it, he was more at fault as I was slightly downhill.

Season over. Fractured C7, separated shoulder, pinched nerves, concussion.

Since that day, I only pass if I've got a WIDE berth. More often, I just stop and wait for the trail to clear until I have enough room to ski at the speed and turn radius I desire.

Glad you weren't hurt. I know the unpredictable downhill skiers and the edge to edgers that can be quite frustrating. Always a risk to pass. I wouldn't assume fault on yourself or blame on the kid, just be glad neither of you was severely hurt and use it as a lesson to avoid a similar situation in the future. I recognize sometimes collisions are unavoidable.

 

[dbking]

The Skier's Res. Code doesn't say anything about coming close. I find that if I am going faster than everyone else, then they can't hit me. And if I'm going pretty fast I have the control not to hit them. Sorta like a motorcycle's speed can get it out of trouble ( although that usually isn't the case ). More speed means you can ski away from dangers. But I usually try to click my poles loud enough to get people's attention.

 

[deadheadskier]

I find that if I am going faster than everyone else, then they can't hit me. .

depends on the angle. angle matters just as much as speed

 

[vonski]

I always try to set them up so that they are turning away when I go by. But I really do like the trees better! They don't move. Trails are just dangerous compared to the woods in my opinion on busy days. The best is when the young kid comes flying out of the woods at you. I had this happen at Jay one time. All I could do was lower my shoulder and blast the kid which I did. He took the brunt of it!

Also off the topic but on the Topic. There needs to be some talk about looking up hill before starting. I am finding this more and more annoying lately. And not just from kids, and nothing worse than a family and the parents not identifying this. I have screamed to look up hill more times than I can remember this year. Again, one of my reasons for trying to be in the trees during peak hours.

 

[jaywbigred]

I always click the hell out of my polls, that works most of the time.

The other thing to do is to just slow down a TOUCH, and try to see the timing of their turns. Then, make the pass RIGHT after they turn. This type of skier/boarder is usually not capable of making 2 turns in rapid succession, so if you time your pass to be RIGHT after their last turn, you should be safe. It is dangerous to try to pass on either side of their cross-trail traverse because you have no idea (and they probably don't either) when they are going to throw the next turn in there.

 

[neil]

I tend to keep my gaze far down the hill and get an eye for possible problem people. I'll slow down, keeping fairly close to them, but directly behind them, then when they turn I'm immediately going the other direction, picking up speed, and getting past them. If it's a tighter trail then I'm yelling "ON YOUR...".

This seems to work for me.

vonski: I agree with you. Recently, I had a pack, like 5/6 people who were stopped at edge of a trail just ALL start downhill and NONE of them looked. Myself and 2 others had to slam on the brakes.

 

[Cannonball]

I've had several of the exact same instances you describe (people making an unpredictable change in direction while I'm passing). I've never had an actual collision but I've come very close. Here's thing....in that scenario it was absolutely my fault. And in the 2 that you describe.... absolutely your fault. If I was the snowboarder's dad I would have been all over YOU. Then later I would have talked to my kid about being more cautious about sudden changes in direction.