Windham Mountain sued over skier's death

tnt · Oct 3, 2013

dmc said:
I think sometimes ski areas settle out of court and tell people to stay away as part of the "out of court" deal...

I don't press people to understand how Hunter handles this kind of thing...

He's not even remotely my "buddy" anymore... He's shunned by all of us...

I could see how the mountain wouldn't want some one bragging about a settlement on their property.

And really, if you believe that the company did you wrong, why would you want to patronize them....

That's a drag though.

C-Rex · Oct 3, 2013

tnt said:
Honestly, the people I think that should get sued now and then are the reckless skiers.

I was standing in the middle of an intermediate trail about ten years ago, just standing there. Here a scream, look uphill. A kid going dead straight, right at me, nailed me chest to chest, his arms wide open, kind of bear hugging me. Knocked me clean out of my skis - skis literally didn't move! - and we tumbled down about 30 feet.

Crazy.

But I suppose that is part of the risk too, right?

Not to derail but this bothered me. Not that it removes responsibility from the out of control skier, but you shouldn't have been standing in the middle of a trail. I mean, you wouldn't stand in the middle of the street and not expect to get hit by a car. Just because it is the responsibility of those uphill to yield to those downhill doesn't mean those downhill are free to create an unsafe situation. Use your head.

skiNEwhere · Oct 3, 2013

C-Rex · Oct 3, 2013

skiNEwhere said:

Indeed.

Smellytele · Oct 3, 2013

As long as we are :stirpot:

better than sitting in the middle of a trail like a snowboarder :-D

dlague · Oct 3, 2013

There are a number of dangerous scenarios that occur everyday due to skiers and snowboarders making bad choices. Sitting in the middle of a trail does piss me off, but what gets me more are those who decide to go down advanced terrain and have no business there and either snow plow all over the place or side slip down on their edges (both skiers and snowboarders). You shoot down a trail like this and if there is any traffic bad things can unfold!

Unfortunately many beginners who do that, do not know the code of responsibility - my guess!

Edd · Oct 3, 2013

C-Rex said:
Not to derail but this bothered me. Not that it removes responsibility from the out of control skier, but you shouldn't have been standing in the middle of a trail. I mean, you wouldn't stand in the middle of the street and not expect to get hit by a car. Just because it is the responsibility of those uphill to yield to those downhill doesn't mean those downhill are free to create an unsafe situation. Use your head.

Old debate. As long as you're visible from a good distance uphill I think it's fine to stop. Granted, you might get hit by an out of control skier but that's one of the many risks you assume.

dmc · Oct 3, 2013

Fact is - there's people of all abilities out there.. And some try tougher trails... If I'm standing anywhere that i feel someone may hit me... I just stand facing uphill...
Take some responsibility for yourself and understand that gravity can get the best of people sometimes... So don't make yourself a target...
It's really easy... i've only been hit once... And i had my back to uphill...

St. Bear · Oct 3, 2013

Something about the phrase "wrongful death" just bothers me.

steamboat1 · Oct 3, 2013

#3 Skier Responsibily Code:

"You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above."

I my humble opinion stopping in the middle of a trail is obstructing a trail. It's just common courtesy.

dmc · Oct 3, 2013

steamboat1 said:
#3 Skier Responsibily Code:

"You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above."

I my humble opinion stopping in the middle of a trail is obstructing a trail. It's just common courtesy.

But #1 is "Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects."

I've always had issues with the grey area...

steamboat1 · Oct 3, 2013

dmc said:
But #1 is "Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects."

I've always had issues with the grey area...

Being under control & obstructing a trail have nothing to do with eachother.

Edd · Oct 3, 2013

steamboat1 said:
#3 Skier Responsibily Code:

"You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above."

I my humble opinion stopping in the middle of a trail is obstructing a trail. It's just common courtesy.

If a can of beer is sitting in the middle of a hallway, is it obstructing it? Or is it easily bypassed? Most of my scenarios involve cans of beer.

dmc · Oct 3, 2013

steamboat1 said:
Being under control & obstructing a trail have nothing to do with eachother.

I respectfully disagree.. i think it's blurry..

If you're blasting down a trail out of control and hit someone in the middle of the trail it's #1 for the person hitting and #3 for the person standing in the way.

C-Rex · Oct 3, 2013

I just meant that a lot of people take rule #1 (Stay in control, etc.) to mean that they can stop wherever they want since others must always be in control and therefore have the ability to go around them. It's just a self-centered, d-bag mentality. Just because you're not at fault, doesn't mean you're not an asshole. Have some common courtesy and get out of the way.

tnt · Oct 3, 2013

FWIW, the incident I mentioned was on a trail about as wide as two football fields and about as steep as the top of my desk where I was standing - near the top of the trail. I was with my family, letting my kids get ahead of me. I didn't stop in the middle of Goat to take a selfy.

Getting plowed over is completely part of the risk of skiing, and thought must be given to where you stop, I agree. But likewise, the up hill skier must be ready to stop or move and avoid obstacles and other skiers. People do in fact stop, fall, or check speed, all over the trail - on the sides and in the middle.

Hard pressed to find fault IMO with someone stopping ANYWHERE on the trail in order to remain in control, or to avoid a skier further down hill.

Anyway...YMMV and pray for snow.

Edd · Oct 3, 2013

C-Rex said:
I just meant that a lot of people take rule #1 (Stay in control, etc.) to mean that they can stop wherever they want since others must always be in control and therefore have the ability to go around them. It's just a self-centered, d-bag mentality. Just because you're not at fault, doesn't mean you're not an asshole. Have some common courtesy and get out of the way.

When you say get out of the way do you mean to the sides of the trail?

Now, a KEG of beer in the middle of my hypothetical hallway, that's just frat boys being rude. Very obstructive.

tnt · Oct 3, 2013

C-Rex said:
I just meant that a lot of people take rule #1 (Stay in control, etc.) to mean that they can stop wherever they want since others must always be in control and therefore have the ability to go around them. It's just a self-centered, d-bag mentality. Just because you're not at fault, doesn't mean you're not an asshole. Have some common courtesy and get out of the way.

Well, I don't really mind if people stop on a trail. I mean, sometimes you have to stop. Sometimes you just want to. Particularly with groups and families.

And again, it depends an awful lot on the trail IMO. Big ole wide groomed thing with plenty of room everywhere, it really doesn't matter as long as you are clearly visible IMO.

And hell, I'm pretty sure I can't ski outer limits top to bottom at this point in my life, so I'm gonna have to stop at some point....

tnt · Oct 3, 2013

Edd said:
When you say get out of the way do you mean to the sides of the trail?

Now, a KEG of beer in the middle of my hypothetical hallway, that's just frat boys being rude. Very obstructive.

No. The only problem with a keg is, if tipped on it's side, it rolls. Now THAT is a problem....

dmc · Oct 3, 2013

I actually prefer people stop in the middle of the trail.. I find the best snow in bounds is usually on the sides...

Windham Mountain sued over skier's death

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