Speed kills - collisions #RideAnotherDay

[jonesy]

Oh you don't have to be good to do 50 on SL. Just have balls & no brains.

[PNW_Skier206]

50mph on SL skis isn't that fast? WTF? We have some ex-World Cup speed specialists in this thread?

This always cracks me up. It’s like when you ask someone the angle of the slope they skied and they always overestimate by at least 5 degrees, usually more.

If you think you’re doing 50+ on a crowded groomer you’re either kidding yourself or on the off chance you actually are going 50+, you’re an asshole. Your margin for error to avoid a beginner going over 50+ is so small. Save the bombing groomer days for when the crowds are gone.


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[jonesy]

There it is assuming. No one said crowed groomers, maybe were you slide. Some of the contents here it's obvious not much time in the gates or training. I'm out.

[PNW_Skier206]

There it is assuming. No one said crowed groomers, maybe were you slide. Some of the contents here it's obvious not much time in the gates or training. I'm out.

? Much of this discussion has been around skiing fast on crowded trails which is where basically every collision I have seen is a result of...


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[Danno]

50 mph on skis is fucking fast. I suspect most of y'all saying it isn't either have a serious racing background or have no fucking clue.

[Djongo Unchained]

If I had a child, I suspect I would feel it incumbent upon me to keep them away from as many things going 50mph as I could. At least until they are old enough to actually comprehend the dangers around them. Never had kids so don't rake me over that one.

When I first saw these signs it begged the question, ' would you let your 5 year old kid recreate by the highway?'

Obviously many variables involved with where we each ski. My mt. is fast. Arguably abnormally. Some places are tight and hypercrowded. etc. ...

I read a Reuters account of this and it mentioned that the accident happened at the base of an advanced run. So maybe the boarder was in the general zone for a little speed but, well he wrecked and took someone out at a junction. Just spitballin, here, go easy.

If one cannot ski in control or at least save their shit 50% of the time, once OOC, I am not sympathetic. People do indeed overestimate their skills at speed. I see it daily. Like today. Not a big crowd, but dumber than a box of rocks. abrupt stops, acute turns, wall o'peeps across the run, choking the maze, yadayada.

I just make adjustments.

And yeah, for a good skier, 50 is cake. You guys might be surprised at how fast you're going. Get ahold of a radar gun thingamajig. Our race crew/ski patrol share one and occasionally they'll shoot us. You're all fast anyway, so...

[wickstad]

50 mph on skis is fucking fast. I suspect most of y'all saying it isn't either have a serious racing background or have no fucking clue.

How to spot a flat lander.

[The Suit]

ya well after the first 30 yards or so you're past everyone on that run, everyone near the top making delicate turns

You just illustrated the problem with that marketing campaign. The people who need to get the message don't think it applies to them.

The fatal collision in Laramie Bowl was near the bottom, around the runout from Alta 3. You made me cringe again.

[54-46]

Yeah, I’ve seen people buzz within 2’ by my kid when she was little at 30mph. They got a piece of my mind...

[Jethro]

I have to say, reading the story about the Johnsons was heartbreaking. My little boy turned 5 on March 8, and when skiing we alternate with him following me, and me following him. Mom is usually the tail gunner. One of the scariest things is when he is in the lead and I see fast intermediate level skiers/boarders coming down above us. I am physically the blocker of them, but I don’t know which way my boy might go. They have no possible way of judging his turns, and questionable skills for avoiding him/us. This story just ups my awareness

[Danno]

How to spot a flat lander.

whatever dude, no doubt you are the fastest vegan on the mountain. I've been on bikes with bike computers, I know how fast 50mph is. And I watch alpine skiing where they have fucking speedometers telling you on screen how fast they're going.

But yeah, 50mph is just cruising speed, sure, and I bet you routinely ski 50 degree slopes at your local hill, right?

[Djongo Unchained]

You just illustrated the problem with that marketing campaign. The people who need to get the message don't think it applies to them.

The fatal collision in Laramie Bowl was near the bottom, around the runout from Alta 3. You made me cringe again.

^^^^This is kind of where I'm at. The point of the marketing remedies a symptom, not the problem. Lack of control vs. rate of speed.

consider this: I ski at a big western mountain known for speed, Teton village, Wy. Your experience will likely differ.

I'm less concerned with speedy people than Out-of-control people,(OOC).
I wish our speed wranglers were called the Outta-control patrol instead. Look for the chronic line steppers. Can't go skiing without endangering somebody every run.
Often fair to advanced skiers too. Beginning experts should maintain their shit at least 85% of the time by my standards so...

Getting tangential here, for your consideration. High level terrain should be limited to upper level skiers. Not everyone should ski a run just because they can. If you are dramatically slower than those around you, or are overmatched on that terrain, then it's time to go.

It's like going 45 mph on a big metro Beltway 5 laner and everyone else is rocking 65-85. You become the root of other skiers problems.

Not saying everyone's gotta be killing it together like a ballet, just maybe a little more focus on Flow Dynamics.

Is that a thing? Like putting a cork in a bottle engineering.

I call it ' Impedimentia ' - when they put slow signs or some shit in your way, at the worst pinchiest spot, to check your speed.

Back on topic. Plainly I like to ski fast but I'm big on spatial awareness in my skiing. I look around incessantly. My neck hurts right now dammit.

('Cuz I augured like a biotch today. 3 times. Going about 2mph. Lazy. I can only hurt myself then. Baked. goofin with buds in the sunshine. )

Laramie Bowl - we embrace that skiing is risky so if DD can get that run with No One in front of him, I would encourage him to hammer it.( I can arrange this just to see it...will report back.)(( with the radar gun!!))
- IF,IF,IF there's the thing and as it narrows you must adjust for incoming from the sides. And the snow should be flawless and carvy, responsive, etc.

-as an aside: from the reuters report on the Hogadon accident - parties pointed out how amazingly uncommon this type of scenario was. So maybe a bit of a reaction to a tragic but uncommon occurrence. Blanket safety marketing for a rare moment?

I thought the Donahue lady was killed right at the transition below Mouse face rock but your prolly right; either way he collided with her from his heelside IIRC. Blind explosion. Ugly witnessing. We do not embrace that.

I always felt he shoulda been pressed harder on that. Worked in the deli at the aspens for one winter, then bolted to Mendo, rasta kid.

Wickstad - I feel ya on the cringe thing, don't get me wrong. Agreed on the funny flatlander thing. if not that then the "Y'all".

Just playing now...ski safe. But mostly, Ski Hard.


Edit. I don't buzz no kids. And I'll flip out on your kids behalf when needed.


Ok, now for the Ibuprofen and some Epsoms.

[The Suit]

consider this: I ski at a big western mountain known for speed, Teton village, Wy. Your experience will likely differ.

...

Getting tangential here, for your consideration. High level terrain should be limited to upper level skiers. Not everyone should ski a run just because they can. If you are dramatically slower than those around you, or are overmatched on that terrain, then it's time to go.

I ski the same place. Lived there for 12 years before moving to CA. My daughters grew up skiing the Village.

In my experience, it's not the high-level terrain that's a problem. My wife & I took our kids down Insomnia when they were single digit ages, and I didn't spend a second worrying that someone might hit them. But I worried on Apres Vous, or Amphitheater, or the bottom of Laramie Bowl.

For sure, if there's no one on the slope ahead of you, just fuckin' go. If you're Tommy or Megan Moe, just fuckin' go. But if you're a top-tier Internet shit-talker like DD, at least take a second before you go, and try to imagine what it would feel like to accidentally kill someone because you thought you were a badass.

[snojones]

I read some where that the demographic of most fatal ski crashes involves... An experienced, male, skier in their 40s skiing on a blue run. Sound familiar?

[08-15]

I ski at Bridger Bowl and sometimes at Big Sky, often with GPS. I don't think I have ever hit 50 mph at Bridger, and the only times I went that fast at Big Sky (which has really long steep and wide groomers used for Downhill and Super-G races) was in perfect conditions (freshly groomed, good visibility) with almost no other people. Even then 50 mph is scary fast, and little rollers can easily send you airborne. I know some racers probably hit speeds like this and faster more often, even on smaller hills, but 99% of "fast skiers" (at least on the hills I know) ski somewhere around 40 mph or a little faster. That being said, collisions at 40 mph can easily kill you, whether you hit a tree or another skier or snowboarder.

[Speedfreak]

Makes perfect sense in the context of this thread. Slowing people down.

No, it doesn't. Skis under 90mm in width are going to be the FASTER skis on a groomer. My fastest skis are all race boards or cheaters all in the 65-80mm range.

Want to slow people down by playing with waist width? Make them all ski Moment Comis on the groomers.

[PNW_Skier206]

Want to slow people down by playing with waist width? Make them all ski Moment Comis on the groomers.

This would be incredible to watch


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[zion zig zag]

No, it doesn't. Skis under 90mm in width are going to be the FASTER skis on a groomer. My fastest skis are all race boards or cheaters all in the 65-80mm range.

Want to slow people down by playing with waist width? Make them all ski Moment Comis on the groomers.

Reading comprehension not your strong suit? I'll give you a hint, the discussion was no groomers, and skis less than 90 mm width.

[abraham]

No, it doesn't. Skis under 90mm in width are going to be the FASTER skis on a groomer. My fastest skis are all race boards or cheaters all in the 65-80mm range.

Want to slow people down by playing with waist width? Make them all ski Moment Comis on the groomers.

They weren't so bad. But I was on the extra stiff blems

[Gcooker]

This is a stupid argument. Skiing in inherently dangerous. You have 2 - 4 knives strapped to your feet hurtling down a hill with a fucking hard shell on your head. If you run into someone it's gonna hurt. Stop grooming? Ban fat skis? All stupid. A real solution, that will never happen, is quit making 6-8-10 person high speed lifts that get way too many fucking people to the top of the runs.

I skied Whistler/BC last Friday, lines were painful. As an example of the issue, the new high speed lift at Crystal combined with the massive number of Vail gaper tourists made skiing anywhere but in the trees pointless. With plans to increase uphill capacity by 25% it's only going to get worse. I can't comment on the mole hills and WROD back east but it seems sending too many people up at one time doesn't help reduce collisions... at any speed.

[goldengatestinx]

I read some where that the demographic of most fatal ski crashes involves... An experienced, male, skier in their 40s skiing on a blue run. Sound familiar?

Who's defining 'experienced'? Experienced only means a person's skied. It doesn't define a level of expertise.

That's part of the problem here, some people think because they're experienced that they have expertise.

Two completely different things.

[ncskier]

I was on the summit chair last friday and saw a Helo Evac come over guardsman around mid-morning - noon time frame. Was bombing corduroy all morning. Needless to say the Helo Evac was for a fatality at DV with a senior level racer. Slid on the course and he died.
I have said for a long time that conditions and grooming are my worst enemy. Put me on a technical steep line lined by rocks and I'm alone and I'm probably safer then taking 3 turns down the middle of sunshine bowl surrounded by other skiers.
Congested runs are the worst. The runs off Moonbeam can be more life threatening that Honeycomb.

[DeepHelmet]

Money is a big problem too. A resort ends up getting known for kicking too many people out for speeding and it'll lose business. They'd maybe gain some family business from doing that, but my guess is places like Snowbird that attract the Bro Brah dudes would lose more than they'd gain. It's a tough line for them to walk. I've been known to bomb Regulator Johnson and even Big Emma on the way back to the car, but only on weekdays when the hill is empty and you can pretty much see the entire run from top to bottom. People bombing through crowded groomed runs need to be removed. Total disregard for their fellow man.
50-60 Mph is fast. It's WAY faster on a bike. 50 mph on my road bike scares me, but I hit at least 50 on skis most days I ski. I checked my GPS against Endlesswinter's radar gun and it was off about 5mph in either direction. 80 mph on skis is very fast, and I'll probably never do that again. Scared the shit outta me.

[goldengatestinx]

As long as there are stupid people making stupid decisions there will be crashes. And they're not accidents.

[Mofro261]

Who's defining 'experienced'? Experienced only means a person's skied. It doesn't define a level of expertise.

That's part of the problem here, some people think because they're experienced that they have expertise.

Two completely different things.

Have you ever been Experienced?



I have.