Fear behind me

[sandtan]

... Hi Ladies .. Love the skidiva site!! .. Anyway as a fairly recent (6 yrs) self taught very controlled casual skier i have come to fear and almost lose control of my own skiing upon hearing snowboards sliding up behind me. My fello skierd say im almost always looking up hill! Each time i have been wiped out has been by an out of control person to which i have now developed a paranoia ... Any feedback as to how to overcome this?

 

[Jilly]

I would suggest a lesson to get your technique down. "Self taught" doesn't mean you have the skills correct. A couple of lessons and wow there will be so much more confidence.

 

[marymack]

Welcome to SkiDiva.
Hmm... I don't know if you can fully protect yourself...generally keeping up with the flow of traffic and picking a "lane" and staying in it will help. The more predictable you are, the less likely others coming up behind you will need to react quickly to avoid you. Be aware when you are stopping that you aren't stopping in the middle of the trail or at the bottom of a roller where you can't be seen from above.
I know I get more nervous when I'm on the heel side of a boarder that they won't see me and will cut in front of me, but calling out "on your left" usually is enough to keep them aware.

 

[sandtan]

Jilly and marymack great words of advice and appreciated. It is the sound of sliding up behind me lol. I have developed a paranoia once bitten twice shy - maybe i am to unpredictable of a skiier so lessons will probably help for confidence again! Just wondered if i was all alone in this fear. Thank you so much ladies! (the biggest hills ive been on so far is Hidden Valley in Ellicotville)

 

[SkiBam]

I'm a longtime (very very longtime) skier and am also sometimes spooked by people (skiers, not just boarders) behind me. But as @Jilly says, the better your skills are, the more control you will feel - and therefore you'll have more confidence.

However those other people behind you are still going to be there, so it's best to take care. You probably drive defensively, so try and ski defensively too. Before you enter a trail, look above you. Whenever you're stopped, check above you before starting. If it's crowded, try to ski predictably - keep a steady turn radius and speed - don't suddenly shoot across the hill or come to a sudden stop in the middle of the run. Look for safe stopping places (on green runs, I like to stop right at the "Slow" signs on the trail). Don't, as you're skiing, look back over your shoulder - that will tend to throw you off balance.

And try to relax. If you're tensed up and worried, you won't ski as well or enjoy yourself as much. So, breathe, sing a little song to yourself - and take a lesson. (And hope that maybe, someday, someone will invent an eyes-in-the-back-of-the-head app!)

 

[sandtan]

Hahah! SkiBam Thankyou! ... Here is to future 'eyes-in-the-back -of-head' app. i will be the first volunteer

 

[veronicarella]

As both a skier and a snowboarder, I find it interesting that skiers associate snowboarders as being (more) out of control. I ski responsibly and I also snowboard responsibly. I don't just hop on a snowboard and decide to be reckless. The fact is a skier could be just as out of control as a snowboarder. It depends on the person, not the type of equipment.

I believe there's an element of unknown if you've never snowboarded before, and the unknown causes fear. As @marymack wisely pointed out, snowboarders' field of vision is limited to the side that they are facing. Knowing this, I wouldn't choose to ski around a snowboarder on his/her blind side without letting him/her that I'm coming up from behind by clicking my poles or making a sound (i.e. on your left/right). That being said, skiers are also limited in vision, like @SkiBam said, no eyes in the back of the head. It's just it's more intuitive to be facing down the hill vs to one side.

As a matter of fact, I actually like that I can hear the snowboarder coming up on me because knowing where the other users on the hill helps me pick my line and be as predictable as possible. Skiers who sneak up on me fast sometimes spook me more!

 

[sandtan]

veronicarella i certainly never meant to downtalk snowboarders i apologize if that is how i came across. Particularly just the sound but reading all these pov's i am already begining to gain a new perspective and awareness that i myself have to make myself accountable for. (they'd never hear me on a snowboard - because i would be face planting a slide all the way) there are good and bad in all of us. Just as their are on the road. Like it was pointed out beforehand learning these perspectives are eye opening - maybe i have no business being on the slopes without these views. But i am sure learning now and will be keeping these all in mind and maybe even go back to beginer slopes to get back on track.

 

[snow addict]

You only ever look uphill if you are to start on a run or if your run is crossing another one. In other situations looking uphill doesn't increase your safety at all, if anything it makes you less safe because you are distracted from looking where you are supposed to be looking. Being self-taught means you will benefit from a lesson or two: will be good for confidence and for technique and will also help you to keep your mind on other things rather than on what might be happening behind you. We have zero control over what is behind us - we cannot change this fact, but there are many things that we have control over so this is what we need to keep our focus on.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I realize this is not very helpful - but this is a major reason that once I became a stronger skier, I stuck to the harder slopes. Bumps, trees, ungroomed terrain - all of these are terrific at weeding out the crowds.

This season, I'm on an ACL time-out, so I don't have that option. But on some level, fundamentally, when there are people behind you, you run this risk. The harder the slope is, the fewer people there will be - and they will on average have a higher ski level.

 

[veronicarella]

@sandtan - you didn't come across as downtalking at all! I just wanted to provide a perspective from the other side that pure skiers may not see. Every time I see a skier goes around a snowboarder's backside, I just squirm (and be ready for rescue). I think it's great that you're learning lots both on and off the slope. I only wish I had this type of resources when I was learning!

 

[bounceswoosh]

Every time I see a skier goes around a snowboarder's backside, I just squirm (and be ready for rescue). I think it's great that you're learning lots both on and off the slope. I only wish I had this type of resources when I was learning!

I've been skiing for years, and somehow only in the last couple of years have realized that of COURSE it is smarter for everyone to pass on a boarder's toe side than their heel side.

 

[ski diva]

Welcome to the forum!

Everyone here is right. You need to build up your confidence and you need to ski defensively and look out for yourself. Also, my feeling is that I'd rather have someone who's out of control -- whether they're a skier or a boarder -- ahead of me than behind me. So if I'm concerned about someone, I let 'em pass. At least then you can keep an eye on them!

 

[veronicarella]

I've been skiing for years, and somehow only in the last couple of years have realized that of COURSE it is smarter for everyone to pass on a boarder's toe side than their heel side.

I've been snowboarding for years, and only when I started skiing in the last few years, I realized that of course it is smarter for everyone to pass on boarder's toe side than their heel side.

Glad we can spread the word!

 

[sandtan]

Well i am just so grateful i posted the thread i did. I was afraid to. But this has proven to be the greatest and most informative (and no bashing one another - love that!) forum i could ever have encountered. Thanks to EVERYONE as EVERY bit of advice is HEARD happy person right here ! (i 1/4 mile drag race and i whimp out over a few 'oopsies') .. P.s. i only dream of being able to handle half the slopes yous all do! I guess for now i stick with the intermmediate slopes (need to work to build alot more skill to handle black diamonds - but it does sound relaxing that they are less heavily travelled) ..can't wait to get to that day!

 

[mustski]

To add one more voice-YES. I totally have that fear. I don't like anyone coming up behind me. Logic tells me that a competent skier or snowboarder knows enough to pick a different line. That suggests that the joker coming up behind me is either rude or new to the sport. In that situation, I like to step on the gas and ski away.

 

[bounceswoosh]

P.s. i only dream of being able to handle half the slopes yous all do! I guess for now i stick with the intermmediate slopes (need to work to build alot more skill to handle black diamonds - but it does sound relaxing that they are less heavily travelled) ..can't wait to get to that day!

Those ski lessons that a few people mentioned will get you there faster - and with less trauma!

 

[sandtan]

 

[newboots]

I read here somewhere that I should not ski on the very edge of the trail (as a beginner), because the fast skiers/boarders use the (tricky) edge to pass. I was stunned when it happened to me, but after reading this, it made sense.

I haven't had a collision from behind, but my decades of driving experience do make it feel necessary to look behind, especially if I hear someone. I'll try to remember not to do this.

The only trouble I had was a teenage boy grabbing my hand to keep his balance getting off the lift! I was startled; I figured he should have grabbed his Dad's hand (on his other side) rather than the second-time-ever gray-haired woman's! We did not fall.

 

[mustski]

The only trouble I had was a teenage boy grabbing my hand to keep his balance getting off the lift! I was startled; I figured he should have grabbed his Dad's hand (on his other side) rather than the second-time-ever gray-haired woman's! We did not fall.

Have you seen where men take their "never ever" friends and sons? Straight to the top of the mountain! Grabbing your hand made perfect sense!