How can the instructor NOT know when his entire class had gone missing? How fast was he skiing to not hear the commotion happening to the guy that's right behind him?
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I'm still shaken up. Be careful out there.
- Thread starter bounceswoosh
- Start date
I got skied into twice. Both times it's on my feet. Fortunately, my boot took the brunt of the hit.
Too bad I can't wear a helmet on my legs
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Are you serious? We are an advanced class, and we've all skied with him tens of times ourselves, and with each other a lot, too. We were separated by a few seconds each, but that's still hundreds of feet. Of COURSE he knew something was up when he got to the lift and we weren't right behind him, but that isn't reason to panic right away. We're talking seconds. Maybe 15 seconds between this incident and the lift line, which is around a corner. He waited for us at the lift, which is standard protocol when one of us gets separated from the rest. It's not uncommon not to hear a crash right behind you.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Sadly, I am not aware of any mogul fields that extend all the way to the lift line. At some point, you have to encounter other skiers, especially on a day when it's crazy windy and it's basically impossible to see on the upper part of the mountain. Also, I have been hit on a mogul field.
Little Lightning
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Glad your friend is ok. I hope you're not sitting in the stopped traffic I'm seeing up to the tunnel right now. Nothing is moving.
When I first moved here I got hit by a runaway snowboard at Copper. The board came from the top of the run and hit my on the side of my foot. It knocked me off my feet. The guy claimed he was working on the board and it got away from him. His friends said it wasn't his fault and tried to blame me. Told me I was "over reacting" because I was upset. Ski patrol wasn't called because I wasn't hurt. A mountain safety guy caught the board and held it until the owner retrieved it. Unfortunately the MS guy was a newbie and let the boarder go. I went to Ski Patrol and filed a report. MS takes things a lot more seriously now. I'm constantly looking around me watchful for others.
You know there was a skier death at Keystone this weekend.
When I first moved here I got hit by a runaway snowboard at Copper. The board came from the top of the run and hit my on the side of my foot. It knocked me off my feet. The guy claimed he was working on the board and it got away from him. His friends said it wasn't his fault and tried to blame me. Told me I was "over reacting" because I was upset. Ski patrol wasn't called because I wasn't hurt. A mountain safety guy caught the board and held it until the owner retrieved it. Unfortunately the MS guy was a newbie and let the boarder go. I went to Ski Patrol and filed a report. MS takes things a lot more seriously now. I'm constantly looking around me watchful for others.
You know there was a skier death at Keystone this weekend.
Tammy
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yikes!!!! I hope that your friend is okay. That had to be terrible for you to watch! Did he mention that he'd see a doctor at all? I hope he does for his sake and for those who care about him. That had to be terrible for the instructor to experience all of that as well. I'm so sorry that all of you had to go through that :(.
Speaking as someone who likely would have taken the role of your other friend who cussed out the piece of @#$%^&* snowboarder/employee, it was good for me to be reminded that losing your temper and screaming obscenities (even if you're in the right) doesn't help. That being said though, there's a special place in hell with this guy's name on it!!!!
Actually, that's what I like about Copper a lot. A lot of the moguls fields goes the entire length of the run, almost all the ways to the lift.
Regardless, I'm not skiing the coming weekend. It's the President's Day weekend, it'll be nuts on the mountain. But I'll be happily dragging little kiddies up the magic carpet. No one will run into me... well, except my own (and my fellow instructor's) classes of 40 lb little buddles going at 5 mph.
KatyPerrey
PSIA 3 Children's Specialist 2 Keystone Resort
Little Lightning
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Actually, that's what I like about Copper a lot. A lot of the moguls fields goes the entire length of the run, almost all the ways to the lift.
Regardless, I'm not skiing the coming weekend. It's the President's Day weekend, it'll be nuts on the mountain. But I'll be happily dragging little kiddies up the magic carpet. No one will run into me... well, except my own (and my fellow instructor's) classes of 40 lb little buddles going at 5 mph.
I'm not skiing either. I avoid all holidays. Will come back when things quiet down. Until spring breakers show up, then it gets nuts.
BitchHound
Certified Ski Diva
I got a helmet back in 2007 when I started racing. I don't go all that fast, but figured it would be stupid to kill myself blundering through the gates and hitting my head on something. What I found was that helmets are WARM! Won't ever ski without one again.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
No, fortunately I'm in my condo. I'm going to stay here overnight and evaluate my options in the morning.
I've had some really crazy incidents in which people blamed me. And by people I mean snowboarders, so far =/ I'm sorry, but it's true. I did not know there was a skier death. Sad.
I don't think he's planning to go to the doctor. Ultimately I can't babysit him. He does have a gf who will watch over him.
I'm pretty sure the guy was careless, not malicious. It happens to all of us. And he might not have gotten so defensive if ... well. Water under the bridge.
pinto
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
uh, yeah.
litterbug
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I hope you'll forgive me when I say that doesn't sound like a lot of consolation. I'm glad you came out of it OK, because it sounds scary enough to me!
He was probably trying to figure out his next move now that he'd lost his job. I understand that boarders get into collisions with skiers (and probably other boarders too, right?) because they don't check their blind side, but I'm tired of making excuses for them. They have the same responsibility to avoid downhill traffic as anyone else.
I agree with everyone about the concussion. He's definitely concussed if he blacked out, and it sounds like he was disoriented for a while afterward. He's likely to have symptoms tomorrow, possibly for a while, and he needs to rest and reduce all risk of another bump until his brain has recovered. You might give his girlfriend a call so maybe she'll force him to see a doc if he won't cooperate.
jellyflake
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Phew, what a story - I cross fingers for your friend to be ok!
Yes, scary. Thanks for sharing.
For me, when skiing other people are the biggest risk. I am often surprised that there are not even more accidents with people crashing into someone else - I seem to see a lot of situations that due to pure luck do not lead to a real bad scenario (like that day a few weeks back in Kitzbühel - icy groomers, lots of people, my DH and I waiting for friends at the very side of the slope (well visible!) when a skier WAY too fast for his abilities caught an edge and fell over just 10 m above us. It was pure luck that he did not slide into DH - and I am SURE that this guy did not realize how close he was to not only a bad injury but also to violating someone else!)
I guess that some of the reactions (swearing and also the threat to pull the pass) are just due to the shock?
Yes, scary. Thanks for sharing.
For me, when skiing other people are the biggest risk. I am often surprised that there are not even more accidents with people crashing into someone else - I seem to see a lot of situations that due to pure luck do not lead to a real bad scenario (like that day a few weeks back in Kitzbühel - icy groomers, lots of people, my DH and I waiting for friends at the very side of the slope (well visible!) when a skier WAY too fast for his abilities caught an edge and fell over just 10 m above us. It was pure luck that he did not slide into DH - and I am SURE that this guy did not realize how close he was to not only a bad injury but also to violating someone else!)
I guess that some of the reactions (swearing and also the threat to pull the pass) are just due to the shock?
