Your Worst and Funniest Wipeout

[Zand]

My worst was in February, 2004 at Wachusett. I was cruising down Smith at opening from night grooming at something like Mach 1. Felt perfect the whole way down making nice GS turns. About halfway down Lower Smith, I caught an edge in a rut left by the groomers and totally yardsaled. I had a headache for 3 days and a sore hip. Everyone coming down behind me saw it. Some yelled for ski patrol, but I got right up. I did the same thing next run on 10th, but I was going slow enough to save it before I went down.

My funniest was December 20th, 2004 in Wachusett's lodge. I was walking to the bathroom and slipped on the tile floor and went right down. It was pretty crowded and everyone around saw me and laughed.

 

[teachski]

Worst- at Stowe in Dec. 2003. I had just finished a bump run (bumps scare me) and had done fairly well. I let my guard down. There was flat light and I did not have the right glasses on. At the bottom of the trail there was a run out, cross over trail. There was also a large rut from the snow cat crossing.

I had come down the other side of the trail and I was the last of the group. Not seeing the rut, I turned to traverse the hill over to where my friends were. My right ski dropped down about a foot and I was thrown out of balance. I was using new (short) skis and they flew right out from under me. I whacked my head hard and tweaked my knee. I got up very slowly, but on my own power. Things were blury and fuzzy, but I did not tell the others as this was our first of a three day trip and I didn't want anyone to stop skiing because of me.

We were breaking for lunch. I went in thinking I'd fee better, but I didn't. I told my friends that I'd have to quit for the day because of my knee (never mentioned the head). I went back to the hotel (and fell asleep...which I shouldn't have done).

The next morning I told them my knee hurt too much and I was going home. I drove home, 4 hours normally, stopping and resting and taking non-highway routes. It took me almost 7 hours to get home.

Later, when I finally went to the doctor I found out I had a concussion and a pinched nerve in my neck.

The funniest- The first year I was a patroller, lots of times we would sit at the top on the bench talking. One run, when I got to the bench there was only a spot on the very end. It was fine though, my boot needed tightening. As I bent over to tighten it. the three guys got up and the bench went in the air like a see-saw. I went right over and to the ground.

 

[riverc0il]

my funniest fall was deep in powder this year somewheres off cannon's north flank in a tight chute. near the bottom, went deep unexpectedly and blew out landing on my back, face up, with a mouth full of pow. after a second or two of staring blankly up at branches of snowy white, i realized i couldn't breath and started coughing up the white stuff. i couldn't stop laughing for a full minute over the circumstance of having just been chocking on powder!

 

[Zand]

Reminds me of the video they had on FirstTracks. He was headed down a trail at Jiminy after the storm in December, 2003. He was flying and he hit a huge drift. He double ejected and couldn't find his skis afterward. LOL.

 

[dmc]

http://www.powderhound.org/VIDEO/2004/Hunter_12-18-04_Doug_lower_crossover_flatspin.AVI (8mb best to "save as" then run)

Not a bad wipe out but a funny one... Sorry this was shot at crowded Hunter Mountain on the Lower Crossover trail... I hope you can see me through the pack of obnoixious New Yorkers..

 

[awf170]

at snowbird i straightlined some little drop/chute thing and got up to probably 40+ mph because i was heading toward a groomed trail with no one on it, so once i got on the trail i got cocky and jumped a did a 180, then final after skiing a while backwards i tryed to jump forward and got an edge did a few rolls and wacked my head.(my dad just looked at me and was like ur an idiot)
Also at sunapee i came out of glade lost a ski but still countinued go across the trail then finally hit a tree on the other side of the trail i didnt get hurt because i hit the tree with my poll, which bent it really bad.

 

[ALLSKIING]

http://www.powderhound.org/VIDEO/2004/Hunter_12-18-04_Doug_lower_crossover_flatspin.AVI (8mb best to "save as" then run)

Not a bad wipe out but a funny one... Sorry this was shot at crowded Hunter Mountain on the Lower Crossover trail... I hope you can see me through the pack of obnoixious New Yorkers..

Love those type falls..just catch edge and down you go.

 

[loafer89]

I hit a waterbar at the bottom of the sorcerer trail at Magic in January that was covered with a thin layer of snow. Both of my ski got their tips stuck, and I kept on going while my ski's did not,Fortunately both bindings released.

In February I skied into a 3-4 foot deep drift Winters Way at Sugarloaf and I had to "swim" out of it. The worst part about sking in the really deep snow at Sugarloaf was the fear of losing a ski if you fell. I saw alot of poeple looking for lost ski's

 

[awf170]

I hit a waterbar at the bottom of the sorcerer trail at Magic in January that was covered with a thin layer of snow. Both of my ski got their tips stuck, and I kept on going while my ski's did not,Fortunately both bindings released.

In February I skied into a 3-4 foot deep drift Winters Way at Sugarloaf and I had to "swim" out of it. The worst part about sking in the really deep snow at Sugarloaf was the fear of losing a ski if you fell. I saw alot of poeple looking for lost ski's

at whistler my dad lost his ski and looked for about a half an hour, also happen to me at a local sledding hill after i fell

 

[loafer89]

A skier was doing that on the headwall of Haulback at Sugarloaf, I think the guy spent at least a half hour looking for his ski, I don't know if he found it.

 

[ctenidae]

The one powder day last season I was able to get out to, I went to Sunapee with a friend. Most of the mountain was on wind hold in the morning, only the Spruce Triple was open. After we got tired of hucking uphill to get to the Lower Flying Goose, we took a turn on Elliot Slope. Not, normally, a difficult trail. At all. 15 inches of powder, though, it's a little different. Not even moving hardly, waiting for some people to clear out a little, I sank in some deep snow, and went face first. At about 1 mph, I managed to fill my jacket with snow and crack the outer lens on my goggles.
Later, they opened the Sunbowl Quad, but you could only get ther by cat trailer from the top of the Spruce Triple. We waited about 10 minutes, then decided we could huck it along the access road. My buddy managed to drift off the side of the road, and his right foot sank in the deep snow in the ditch. He pivoted around his stuck right foot, which only served to plant his left foot in the deep stuff. Unfortunately, he had a bit of forward momentum, which allowed him to plant his head firmly in the snow on the other side, ass all up in the air. I couldn't even begin to help him out. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Neither had anyone else on the road. The rest of the day was pretty frickin awesome, though.

 

[Zand]

I have another semi-funny one at Wachusett: I was going into the woods on the side of Look Mom after the Blizzard and as soon as I got in, I fell into waist deep snow. I grabbed a branch to stop myself, but it pulled down 5 pine tree branches full of snow which all went down my back and almost completely covered me.

Another one from Okemo last March- I was heading down Plunge- a bump run in a good rhythm. I was never any good at bumps, but I was doing pretty good that run. I eventually got going too fast for my ability and caught an edge. I face planted face first into a nice soft bump, legs spead eagle and arms out like wings. I looked like someone got me with a giant flyswatter.

One more- I was going down the connector trail to Castlerock from Lincoln Peak last year. I couldn't get my eyes off the nice looking trails and wasn't watching where I was going (and the trail I was on was flat as a pancake, I think I was even polling) and hit something and went right down in front of all the experts on their way to CR. I felt like an idiot lol.

 

[bvibert]

My funniest was this year on the second to last day that Cannon was open. I was trying to carry some speed at the bottom of a trail to get across the short flat to the lift. As I was making the turn onto the flat my left ski caught an edge, I tried to pull out of it but it shot to the left while my other ski kept going straight. This, of course, causes the left ski to release and me to fall flat on my face. The snow at the bottom that day was pretty wet corn, so at least it was nice and soft. Since my ski buddy was already almost at the lift I got up quickly in an attempt to recover before anyone noticed. I quickly learned that moving through soft corn with only one ski on was easier than it looks, after about three steps my other ski got entangled in the corn and released causing me to fall on my face again. I got up and recovered my two skis, clicked in and skated to the lift without further incident. I mentioned to my buddy while getting on the lift that I took a spill and that’s why it took me so long thinking that I got away without anyone witnessing my embarrassing snow ballet... Until we got up to the line to load onto the lift the lifty loudly exclaims that my first fall was funny enough, and the second fall was even funnier. I was pretty embarrassed that someone had witnessed my stumbling through the snow like I was some sort of newbie...

 

[Greg]

I wiped out at Sugarloaf in April. Was heading back towards the King Pine Chair making a lot of quick snappy turns. Got caught up in the mush and faceplanted. Released out of both skis and found them 15 feet behind me vertically with their tips firmly planted in the slush. It must have been funny, but I had my bell rung pretty good. My goggles, nose and chin took the brunt of the impact. Must've been a funny site, but it didn't feel too good. I actually needed to take ten after that one.

 

[Vortex]

I wiped out at Sugarloaf in April. Was heading back towards the King Pine Chair making a lot of quick snappy turns. Got caught up in the mush and faceplanted. Released out of both skis and found them 15 feet behind me vertically with their tips firmly planted in the slush. It must have been funny, but I had my bell rung pretty good. My goggles, nose and chin took the brunt of the impact. Must've been a funny site, but it didn't feel too good. I actually needed to take ten after that one.

I think I met up with you right after that happened.

 

[JimG.]

Prima Cornice at Vail...we had skied the steep trees on the right and decided to go down the main chute of the run. Very steep but short, so I jumped right in not worrying too much about speed. After 2 turns I was traveling at about mach 3 which was way too fast. I tried to check up and wound up going backwards at mach 3. As I was trying to slow down by swimming with my arms, I suddenly lost both skis and started heading for a cliff; managed to redirect myself down a small chute and stopped at the bottom of the cliff. Sat up and then heard two distinct "whoomp" sounds behind me. My skis had hucked themselves off the cliff and both had stuck themselves tips first into the snow about 3 feet behind me. Both were wobbling back and forth. One of my worst and funniest.

 

[loafer89]

Greg, if you took a fall on Tohaul I can understand that one, because the trail has a southern exposure and turns to mush really quickly when it is warm.

 

[Rushski]

Worst and funniest was actually the same spill for me. At Waterville Valley, warmer than usual Feb. day in '87 or '88.

Just starting out that day going up the triple on the front face. Kind of flat run-off before it starts to steepen on North Side going to Tippecanoe. Well, it proves I hate flats as I try to take a couple slow linked turns at slow speeds and somehow catch an edge which leads to crossed tips. Face plant, poles off straps, hat off, skis off, and sunglasses broken at the right hinge (which leads to an egg-sixed and shaped lump on my face/head).

Bought new sunglasses at the base shop -Vuarnet's, which included a free corduroy hat. Good thing as the hat i was previously wearing was blood stained.

That was back when I had hair on my head, but the corduroy baseball hats were all the rage...

 

[Greg]

I wiped out at Sugarloaf in April. Was heading back towards the King Pine Chair making a lot of quick snappy turns. Got caught up in the mush and faceplanted. Released out of both skis and found them 15 feet behind me vertically with their tips firmly planted in the slush. It must have been funny, but I had my bell rung pretty good. My goggles, nose and chin took the brunt of the impact. Must've been a funny site, but it didn't feel too good. I actually needed to take ten after that one.

I think I met up with you right after that happened.

You are correct, sir. I was rather frazzled...

 

[Vortex]

Greg you got your composure back pretty quick.