Two cases of irresponsible behavior

[segacs]

It took and hour and a half to get "Kathy" down to the base. She was a hefty girl, and the biggest problem was that the rental shop had set her bindings so light that every time she fell (every time she turned) her bindings released. This wasn't a matter of anyone pulling a "dirty trick" on a beginner, but of a rental shop doing her a real disfavor! I'm sure she "under reported" her weight, but these guys have to be on to that, and they have eyes, don't they? Those bindings have to have been set for someone forty pounds lighter than she was! Sheesh!! (Or - are they required to take the customer's word for it? )

That sounds like an extreme case, but I think most rental shops err on the side of caution when setting bindings for a beginner. They'd prefer them to release too easily than not easily enough, and I'm sure there are lawsuit concerns too.

 

[SkiNana]

Divas Rock

Sometimes it takes a mom!

I have to pay tribute to "moms", "Divas" and women everywhere: I saw something the other day that reminded me of just how impressive we, as women, are.

UConn Women's Basketball team had, up to the point of the other day's broadcast, been unbeaten at home. St. John's, however, won the game, beating UConn at home, their first at home loss in 99 games. Afterward the St John's coach was being interviewed on camera. Now DH is a college sports fan, and we had just watched some other college game, but nowhere did you see a men's basketball coach stand before a camera, flushed with success, having just coached his team to a brilliant win and speak on camera with a baby on his hip!!!

Women are amazing! Not only do we do the same things men do, and do them well, but we do them with one hand, minding homes and babies with the other!
Divas Rock!

 

[litterbug]

That was me, SkiNana! I'm not extremely 'hefty,' but for my first several ski days 2 years ago I guess my bindings were set for a much lighter person or something. I was completely honest about my weight and thought they'd gone by the standard DIN chart, but even just a sitting-down sort of fall made at least one ski come off. Add to that the fact that they hadn't shown me how to re-set the binding and that I didn't realize I should put the downhill ski on first and you can see why those were some hard days!

 

[mustski]

My DH always has to reset his DIN. Because of his advanced age of 51 (gasp!) the shops won't set them as high as he needs them. It happens with every new pair of skis. They just don't believe that he is as aggressive as he claims. He turns and his ski comes off! Last time the problem occurred after falling on a steep. The ski stayed on and then released as he tried to stand up! He has learned to adjust them himself.

 

[AltaEgo]

Cudos to you... you may have saved her life

Even a small hill like the one I ski at has its dangerous side. We had a similar situation many years ago where a teen was left at the top of a steep drop by her friends. She turned up missing when they went to the bus at the end of the evening. She must have changed her mind and went down alone. No one saw her ski off the trail and hit a tree. Ski Patrol found her in the woods, airlifted her out, but she died later at the hospital.

Keep up the good work... whether they appreciate it or not!

 

[veggielasagna]

Wow...I feel sorry for both of those kids. Glad you two were there to help them out, but it is pretty bad that you were put in the situation in the first place. It makes me realize how lucky I was to have understanding people to ski with when I started out. Probably one of the reasons I like it so much. Can't imagine I would ever want to venture out again though if I had been left to fend for myself without the proper skills....pretty scary.

-veggielasagna

 

[snow addict]

My DH always has to reset his DIN. Because of his advanced age of 51 (gasp!) the shops won't set them as high as he needs them. It happens with every new pair of skis. They just don't believe that he is as aggressive as he claims. He turns and his ski comes off! Last time the problem occurred after falling on a steep. The ski stayed on and then released as he tried to stand up! He has learned to adjust them himself.

Can he just tell that he's 49?

 

[SkiNana]

That was me, SkiNana! I'm not extremely 'hefty,' but for my first several ski days 2 years ago I guess my bindings were set for a much lighter person or something. I was completely honest about my weight and thought they'd gone by the standard DIN chart, but even just a sitting-down sort of fall made at least one ski come off. Add to that the fact that they hadn't shown me how to re-set the binding and that I didn't realize I should put the downhill ski on first and you can see why those were some hard days!

Then that wasn't you, sweet Litterbug! I was being kind with "hefty"!!

 

[marge]

I still have nightmares about the crash I witnessed a couple of years ago while on the lift. In this case it was an inexperienced skier who got onto the wrong run by taking a left instead of a right. :( I don't know that I will ever forget that. In that case, it was no one's fault. His friends went down the easy hill and he just missed the cutoff (snowing pretty hard). :( Yes, most kids are resilient but I just don't see why some parents let inexperienced kids loose on the ski areas. :( We see it all the time. I wish there was SOME way to regulate and at least make them pass a minimal test before setting them loose. We absolutely will NOT go to ski club as it's just a bunch of kids set loose with no chaperones and it's dangerous. :(

 

[litterbug]

Can he just tell that he's 49?

It's not fair being a tich over 50! By the end of last season they'd just kind of leave a screwdriver on the counter and mess around somewhere else for a bit (I won't say where 'cause I don't want to get them in trouble). OTOH, I was going to the same shop frequently so they knew what I was up to.

 

[mustski]

Can he just tell that he's 49?

I am not sure that would make a big difference to the "young bucks" doing the adjusting. They look at us like we are ancient!

 

[SkiNana]

I am not sure that would make a big difference to the "young bucks" doing the adjusting. They look at us like we are ancient!

It's so unfair! They set your DIN too low if you have grey hair, but the front office keeps raising the age for "senior" free/reduced tickets every year or so! When we reached 60, we skied for half price for about a minute before they moved it to 65. We got to 65: they made it 70. DH will be 68 this week, and you can bet when he gets to that magic "70", they will have moved "free ticket land" to 75!

 

[mustski]

It's so unfair! DH will be 68 this week, and you can bet when he gets to that magic "70", they will have moved "free ticket land" to 75!

Please don't say that! We have set a goal of the 70 plus free ski club! It motivates us to guard our knees!

 

[litterbug]

I am not sure that would make a big difference to the "young bucks" doing the adjusting. They look at us like we are ancient!

They use a standardized chart which has a cutoff of 50 for lowering the DIN. :mad: They're required to use the chart for liability reasons and would get into deep doodoo if they varied from it, but they won't stop you from doing it yourself. Just carry a compact screwdriver and don't get any crazy ideas about raising your DIN beyond your ability/weight/etc.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

They use a standardized chart which has a cutoff of 50 for lowering the DIN. :mad: They're required to use the chart for liability reasons and would get into deep doodoo if they varied from it...

Not necessarily true. I request a specific DIN all the time, in the "notes" section. I'm not sure if all shops will do this, but mine certainly does - I have to sign/"sign off" when I pick them up (which releases them from liability, per the request). I know and occasionally ski with the shop owners, they know darn well that the chart is semi-BS where some individuals are concerned and that the age cut-off date is also pretty arbitrary. Example: I've skied more in the years since turning you-know than double the years prior, on a tougher mountain, and they know how I ski.

But the screwdriver tip is also good. DH and I switch skis all the time (same BSL), but we have different DINS, so we just dial up/down as needed if we're going to be on the other's skis for the day. (A run or 2 doesn't require it, just some caution when skiing.)

 

[MaineSkiLady]

It's so unfair! They set your DIN too low if you have grey hair, but the front office keeps raising the age for "senior" free/reduced tickets every year or so! When we reached 60, we skied for half price for about a minute before they moved it to 65. We got to 65: they made it 70. DH will be 68 this week, and you can bet when he gets to that magic "70", they will have moved "free ticket land" to 75!

I *think* it's 80 here! (AND>>it DOES get taken advantage of, which is awesome)

 

[EnglishSnowflake]

I have rescued more "men/boys" over the years whose friends took them to the top to learn and then left them when they couldn't keep up.

A few years ago we heard a story in resort that earlier that season a guy had come on his first ever ski trip with friends who were much more experienced and had proceeded to take him straight to the top of the glacier on his very first morning where he promptly fell and broke his leg. The only way to get him down from up there was to send the helicopter which then flew him straight to hospital further down the valley as the little clinic in the mountain village wasn't equipped for that serious an injury. Apparently his travel insurance company had refused to pay up because he was so far outside his ability level and they said on that basis he had invalidated his policy.

Reckon that the helicopter trip alone would have been thousands.......

 

[mustski]

I *think* it's 80 here! (AND>>it DOES get taken advantage of, which is awesome)

That is awesome! What are you folks eating in Maine?! I need to change my diet. By the by, I grew up in Montreal and we took our summer vacations in Maine. My favorite was camping at "Hermit's Island" near Bath/Brunswick!

 

[Rosie Facer]

Sometimes kids seem to do it to themselves. A friend of mine is a teacher and she was on a ski trip with some of her kids. She is not a ski instructor and from what I understand, the kids all did a lesson with instructors and the teachers got to ski a little until they pick the kids up from their lessons. Much to her shock and surprise she came across one of her kids, who'd never skied before, near the top of a black run. He'd cut his class. It took her most of the afternoon to get him down safely!

As for that Dad (#2 in OP), what an @ss. Hope he's got a good enough pension to pay for his own senior care!

 

[mustski]

Sometimes kids seem to do it to themselves. A friend of mine is a teacher and she was on a ski trip with some of her kids. She is not a ski instructor and from what I understand, the kids all did a lesson with instructors and the teachers got to ski a little until they pick the kids up from their lessons. Much to her shock and surprise she came across one of her kids, who'd never skied before, near the top of a black run. He'd cut his class. It took her most of the afternoon to get him down safely!

I used to run a middle school ski club and we would take a group to SLC every Christmas break. Testosterone is one scary hormone. My boys so often headed for runs beyond their ability level that I hired a 20 yr old college kid (super advanced skier) and had him take the boys up. They were going to go there anyway and I figured better supervised than unsupervised! The best outcome was that when I said "no" it was seen as a challenge to them. When he said "no", it was cool!