What's Up with Aggressive Young Men?

[JaneB]

The only times I’ve ever been clipped were:

1. By teen boys and
2. At Okemo on way to the bubble lift.

Both times occurred during sessions with the women’s program. Once the perpetrator got away. The second time, the teacher saw it and went after the kid. When ski instructors go all “mama bear”, they can ski pretty darn fast!

I find Okemo a tough mountain to navigate on the best of days. Crap like these experiences keeps me from wanting to go back.

I was taken out at Okemo a few years ago.

The man who hit me was apologetic. He'd been skiing with his head turned back toward a kid. The slope was wide open. The man's wife was completely obnoxious. I was lying there, dazed, and she kept asking whether or not I was going to get up. She was in a hurry to go to lunch.

I ended up going down on a sled.

 

[contesstant]

That actually struck me as comical but I know you weren't trying to be funny.

It's always good to find humor in all situations

 

[DesiAnn]

Oh, I am so glad you made a post about this. As someone returning to skiing after a hiatus of a few years (but have been skiing since I was a little kid and am now in my 40s), I have been overwhelmed at times. I do not remember ever feeling worried about getting clipped or hit by someone from behind before. This year, I watched an overconfident, out of control young teenager plow right into the back of my daughter. I saw red! Once I ascertained that she was ok, I gave him a solid lecture about slowing down, being in control, and giving the downhill skier right of way. I don't think it got through but at least he can't honestly claim ignorance of proper ski behavior.

But I'm also finding a problem with beginners where they're not spending enough time learning and are taking on terrain that's way too advanced for them. Because right after the incident of my daughter getting run over by the young teen, we were out of the way to the side of the run and within the span of 2 minutes, multiple beginners ran into us. It was more comical because they were going very very slow and their eyes would get wide as saucers as they realized the flat hill (it was a flat portion of a green run) wasn't going to arrest their momentum on its own and they knew my daughter and I were going to be what stopped them. But it was clear they had no idea how to actually control their direction or how to stop. It was good in that moment that they were going slow on the flat portion of green hill, but not great once the hill started declining again because then they'd turn into the out of control skier who couldn't stop and be a danger to themselves and others. The first lesson I taught my kids was how to stop. I spent hours on the bunny hills until I was confident they could stop on demand if needed because if you can't stop, you shouldn't be going.

 

[Aerlind]

But I'm also finding a problem with beginners where they're not spending enough time learning and are taking on terrain that's way too advanced for them. Because right after the incident of my daughter getting run over by the young teen, we were out of the way to the side of the run and within the span of 2 minutes, multiple beginners ran into us. It was more comical because they were going very very slow and their eyes would get wide as saucers as they realized the flat hill (it was a flat portion of a green run) wasn't going to arrest their momentum on its own and they knew my daughter and I were going to be what stopped them. But it was clear they had no idea how to actually control their direction or how to stop. It was good in that moment that they were going slow on the flat portion of green hill, but not great once the hill started declining again because then they'd turn into the out of control skier who couldn't stop and be a danger to themselves and others. The first lesson I taught my kids was how to stop. I spent hours on the bunny hills until I was confident they could stop on demand if needed because if you can't stop, you shouldn't be going.

We saw A LOT of this skiing Jackson Hole yesterday.

 

[liquidfeet]

I was taken out at Okemo a few years ago.

The man who hit me was apologetic. He'd been skiing with his head turned back toward a kid. The slope was wide open. The man's wife was completely obnoxious. I was lying there, dazed, and she kept asking whether or not I was going to get up. She was in a hurry to go to lunch.

I ended up going down on a sled.

@JaneB, how are you after the fall with your horse?

 

[JaneB]

@JaneB, how are you after the fall with your horse?

It's a very slow recovery. I'm still in PT twice a week. I'm far from my baseline. Thanks for asking.

 

[Tvan]

This seems like a good time to resurrect this thread. Always a sobering read with a miraculous outcome.

we all need to read this, I think...

This is from TGF... and its a super inspiring story about how we should live, and forgive.. and it gives me a little faith in this crazy world we live in... Read all four links! https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/150352-Mini-Maggot-s-Season-Over...?highlight=...

www.theskidiva.com

 

[liquidfeet]

It's a very slow recovery. I'm still in PT twice a week. I'm far from my baseline. Thanks for asking.

You'll get there.

 

[HuntersEmma57]

I do believe that the social media/influencer/video everything culture contributes to this a lot, perhaps more than anything. Once in awhile, my IG feed in particular gets hammered with bros who brag about either how fast they are going on skis or a board, or how funny it is to slalom around people and/or scare them. And, the tracking apps don't help, either. In fact, I know a few more "mature" men (60s and older) who should know better, but are always chasing faster Strava times. I also know of more than one of them who have collided with another skier and seriously injured them. I have had more than one near miss with them, usually on the Strawberry side at Snowbasin, where there are endlessly long blue groomers where you can maintain speed for long stretches. I also witnessed one of these men hit a lift tower doing this who later died. It's why I avoid Strawberry if I can't go off piste as much as possible.

It's always the males. I guess that's why we have our own forum. I am so grateful for that. I obviously do not believe all males are like this (my own husband sure isn't.) But I literally have never had a close call with a woman who was bombing the hill chasing a record or harassing people.

That's awful and sad. With such limited terrain, I've abandoned lift service skiing for now. I'm x-ctry skiing over at Ogden Nordic They've actually closed yesterday because the snow is too thin to groom, but we are season passers and got the green light to ski the ungroomed stuff. Happy to report I haven't had a single ripper over there. Rare encounters with other skiers. Plenty of sighs of pleasure and random pauses to listen to the creeks running.

 

[ceestan]

A couple people have mentioned Jackson Hole as examples of it being really bad this season and I have to wonder if low snow and being stuck on groomers is contributing. If it's been cold and the groomers are firm and fast, that definitely doesn't help the situation of people being concentrated on less terrain because conditions off piste are bad. Jackson Hole tends to be steep too.

Ultimately though, I think the answer to what's up with aggressive young men is actually pretty simple: They don't know how to turn. LOL. It's funny because they think they're hot ####, but truly I think a lot of it comes down to being #### skiers.

I suspect we're all suffering from near misses on slopes because they can't actually turn or respond on demand. I wish there was a way to do a large-scale reframing of skiing fast as being a #### low-skill skier in order to shame these dudes into learning how to actually turn and manage speed.

 

[SkiBam]

Yikes, @SkiBam . 4 times!

Yeah, crazy! i have to admit though that one of the times it wasn't a guy, but a very nice young woman. I was surprised by that, but I think she just didn't have control. She was most apologetic. That year I had a pale blue jacket and decided maybe that was a problem - too soothing, or people couldn't see me. Bought a red one and it's been better - so far!

 

[marzNC]

These stories made me think of the Ski Guardian. The idea is adding a short flag stick to each ski pole. They fold back onto the pole when not actively needed. Anyone heard of them?

Posted January 9, 2026, filmed at Mammoth

 

[Jenny]

Seems to me that if they don’t see a person a little flag on the pole isn’t going to do much. Especially if they're the ones who are bombing close to people for the thrill of it. Unless the flag shoots out a dart or something as they pass by - that would be kind of fun.

 

[HuntersEmma57]

A couple people have mentioned Jackson Hole as examples of it being really bad this season and I have to wonder if low snow and being stuck on groomers is contributing. If it's been cold and the groomers are firm and fast, that definitely doesn't help the situation of people being concentrated on less terrain because conditions off piste are bad. Jackson Hole tends to be steep too.

Ultimately though, I think the answer to what's up with aggressive young men is actually pretty simple: They don't know how to turn. LOL. It's funny because they think they're hot ####, but truly I think a lot of it comes down to being #### skiers.

I suspect we're all suffering from near misses on slopes because they can't actually turn or respond on demand. I wish there was a way to do a large-scale reframing of skiing fast as being a #### low-skill skier in order to shame these dudes into learning how to actually turn and manage speed.

Reading all this confirms that I won't be going back on lift service terrain unless real winter returns. Things are extra super mellow cross-country skiing. I highly recommend expanding your ski portfolios.

 

[Aerlind]

Reading all this confirms that I won't be going back on lift service terrain unless real winter returns. Things are extra super mellow cross-country skiing. I highly recommend expanding your ski portfolios.

I have a goal to learn to XC ski. Problem is, we don’t have enough snow for THAT right now either….most years, I could literally do that out my back door: there’s a groomed trail right in town. But we haven’t had snow, so it’s not a groomed trail right now, just a dirt road….

 

[MrsPlow]

Seems to me that if they don’t see a person a little flag on the pole isn’t going to do much. Especially if they're the ones who are bombing close to people for the thrill of it. Unless the flag shoots out a dart or something as they pass by - that would be kind of fun.

My thought was that you're going to get people trying to grab the flags off you as they ski past...

 

[Tvan]

Seems to me that if they don’t see a person a little flag on the pole isn’t going to do much. Especially if they're the ones who are bombing close to people for the thrill of it. Unless the flag shoots out a dart or something as they pass by - that would be kind of fun.

@Jenny 's comment reminded me about our former neighbors when we lived on a speed restricted section of a lake. They had a potato cannon that they would occasionally use when speedboats did not obey the speed limit. Nothing like getting pelted with potatoes when you're zipping up the lake...

 

[Bookworm]

This is a BIG problem at Bridger in Bozeman. Less so at other local ski areas. I strongly suspect it’s because Bridger is where all the young college-aged men ski, because they can’t afford Big Sky (heck I have a corporate big girl job and *I* can’t afford Big Sky on the regular) and don’t want to travel farther. Basically we just avoid them by going to ski the hard stuff. My SO’s theory is it’s a “trend” with the younger folks and they learn to ski just enough to balance at speed, but don’t *actually* know how to do anything but bomb down a groomer. They’re mysteriously absent from any terrain that requires any skill at all, so we go ski that. It doesn’t help the runouts to the lifts, unfortunately.

I agree that it’s also a sense of invincibility, combined with a lack of accountability for their actions, that’s never been instilled into them.

Fortunately, they tend to disappear at the beginning of March and not return until next season…maybe they realize they need to actually study?

This is my theory as well. Its skiers as well as boarders and they are dangerous.

 

[RachelV]

@Jenny 's comment reminded me about our former neighbors when we lived on a speed restricted section of a lake. They had a potato cannon that they would occasionally use when speedboats did not obey the speed limit. Nothing like getting pelted with potatoes when you're zipping up the lake...

I love this. Not to go completely off topic here but this reminds of when I was a kid and we had a neighbor with two big pigeon coops. Pigeons aren't so bad in a vacuum but these things would just fly around pooping on everything in the neighborhood, including us, our swing sets, our sandboxes, etc. One day our other neighbor kind of lost it at the pigeons and started shooting at them with a BB gun (no pigeons were actually harmed in this story). When the cops showed up the neighbor said the pigeons were violating his no fly zone. I am fairy sure there were no consequences for anyone.

tl;dr: I kind of love local vigilante justice as long as it's mostly funny and nobody gets hurt.

 

[skibum4ever]

Love the big voice, @HuntersEmma57 , the Bene Gesserit voice as I call it (Dune reference), that works good things on dogs and callow youth.

My DH calls it my "schoolteacher voice".