Taking Risks while Skiing

[loafasaur]

PLEASE don't let alcohol affect your risk assessment when skiing. I learned this lesson as a shockingly young teenager back in the Jurassic doing a tremendous spread eagle probably 50 feet. It should have been 45. Jeezus, I landed hard. Alcohol affects both your judgment and your reaction time. Save it to savor AFTER you're off the slopes.

End of preach/rant. The only subject I preach on: skiing and booze don't mix.

I limited rant to alcohol.

 

[riverc0il]

There is a major difference between "taking risks" and "there being risks". If your skill level is sufficient that you ski in complete control in a given terrain short of a freak event tripping you up, then "there are risks" but you are not "taking risks".

To me, risk represents a certain likelihood of failure that causes you second thoughts. That moment of pause when you say to yourself, "if I try this and screw up, something really bad is going to happen to me". I can't think of many things I've done on skis that would fall into that category and I skied some pretty hairy stuff.

 

[kingslug]

The problem is...when I go to my favorite place on earth..Alta, the people I ski with just love to get into the hairy stuff which is right on the edge of my ability..and I like it...so I just follow along and see what happens...then look back at what we did and go...OMG...

 

[Abubob]

The biggest risk I take these days is taking my gloves off while riding the lift.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I don't feel like I ever "take risks".

 

[St. Bear]

Anyone else getting an error message when they comment?

 

[St. Bear]

Hmm, I guess it shows up when I refresh, but initially, I get a "database error."

 

[St. Bear]

Also, my New Posts and Activity Stream are not being updated.

 

[from_the_NEK]

Ok, I'm not the only one

 

[abc]

The problem is...when I go to my favorite place on earth..Alta, the people I ski with just love to get into the hairy stuff which is right on the edge of my ability..and I like it...so I just follow along and see what happens...then look back at what we did and go...OMG...

Well, you're still here. So it clearly had worked out so far.

 

[Mpdsnowman]

Its a comfort level that everyone develops. We start a process and are in fact in a learning stage. At that point its low risk because our comfort level is or can be low or even non existent. As we get better at that process our comfort level improves to where we can push a little further. At that point we are willing to make mistakes yet the impact be at low level. Depending on what the learning curve of the process is will determine the time frame it takes to get to the advanced level of the process. At that point and depending on our comfort level we are more willing to make mistakes, impulsive and judgmental decisions which could include extreme consequences...

My key has always been "think before you act"....

 

[kingslug]

Well, you're still here. So it clearly had worked out so far.

Yes ..they have been trying to kill me for years now...a screwy story: We climbed Baldy to ski Little Chute..a hairball narrow 50 degree thing...well one of our party lost a ski and slid down head first...didn't get killed but hurt..very lucky..her last words to me before the climb..looks like we will try to kill you again on this one...

 

[bdfreetuna]

PLEASE don't let alcohol affect your risk assessment when skiing. I learned this lesson as a shockingly young teenager back in the Jurassic doing a tremendous spread eagle probably 50 feet. It should have been 45. Jeezus, I landed hard.

So you draw the line for risk taking at a 45 foot spread eagle? :-o

 

[TropicTundR]

I believe controlled risks are a temporary illusion we create for meaning to our evolving individual worldviews.

Man-made drug inducing behavior aside (doping), the human body has physical limits, the only REAL risk is the effect on questioning what your "comfort zone" is.

?

 

[bootladder]

My risk taking has been a bit curtailed since breaking my shoulder on a tree (glad it wasn't my head). Skiing, mountain biking, etc is fine fun without pushing it too far.

But, I do like uncrowded Mondays so I can let them rip. Crowded slopes creep me out.

 

[conwayeast]

The biggest risks are people who don't pay attention and crowded slopes.

 

[abovetreeline]

I feel if you are going to progress you need to take risks and push your limits. I find that most people way underestimate what they are truly capable of doing. If you don't push to find your limits, you will never know what you are capable of and will always underachieve. Having said that, not everyone needs to push their limits and take "risks." For example my mom... I'm just happy she is out there, and for her, getting off the mountain injury free while having fun is the most important thing.

 

[Cheese]

Many of us will be risking our skin to damaging frost bite this weekend. Others will remain safe in their toasty homes.

 

[abc]

I feel if you are going to progress you need to take risks and push your limits. I find that most people way underestimate what they are truly capable of doing. If you don't push to find your limits, you will never know what you are capable of and will always underachieve. Having said that, not everyone needs to push their limits and take "risks." For example my mom... I'm just happy she is out there, and for her, getting off the mountain injury free while having fun is the most important thing.

Well, why can't you be happy the rest of us do what your mom does, "getting off the mountain injury free while having fun"?

What does it matter that we don't "push to find our limits, never know what we are capable of and will always underachieve"? Skiing isn't a job, it's only a pass time after all.

 

[abc]

Its a comfort level that everyone develops. We start a process and are in fact in a learning stage. At that point its low risk because our comfort level is or can be low or even non existent. As we get better at that process our comfort level improves to where we can push a little further. At that point we are willing to make mistakes yet the impact be at low level. Depending on what the learning curve of the process is will determine the time frame it takes to get to the advanced level of the process. At that point and depending on our comfort level we are more willing to make mistakes, impulsive and judgmental decisions which could include extreme consequences...

I think this is the best answer!

(I was thinking along the same line but didn't reach that level of clarity)

As a natural progression of skill improvement, our comfort level increase, as does the 'risk' as well. We ski faster, we come closer to the edge of the run, we ski sketchier lines... because we have the control (usually anyway) to be so fast and so close to the trees & rocks. 99% of the time, we're perfectly in control and we're comfortable with that.

Then one days, a thought came to our head..."if I lost my edge, I'd be slamming into the trees at 40 mile per hours, and it wouldn't be pretty at this speed!"

So I dial it back. My comfort level come back down to the level where risk is tolerable. This time, I know my 'comfort level' is inline with the risk.