Speed kills - collisions #RideAnotherDay

**Core Shot** · 03-07-2018, 08:58 AM

My wife was disturbed by these posters at the base of every lift at JH.
I thought it was brilliant marketing, but yes, sad to see every run.

It came to mind after reading the other collision thread.

**Core Shot** · 03-07-2018, 09:04 AM

I never got around to researching the back story until today.
600 vert hill. Mt Hogadon in WY.

Snowboarder and kid killed instantly. Mom knocked out and paralyzed.

http://www.nsaa.org/media/304373/Rid...yS17lo_res.pdf

TG · 03-07-2018, 11:16 AM

Hogadon? Why look that far?

You were probably looking at one of those disturbing signs from real close to where this happened
2005 :

Teen charged in ski death

By Jim Stanford
JACKSON HOLE DAILY

A 16-year-old Maryland snowboarder was charged with manslaughter Friday following a fatal collision at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

The teen, whose name was not released, was charged in the death of skier Heather Donahue, 28, of Massachusetts, who died Friday of head injuries.

Capt. Jim Whalen of the Teton County Sheriff's Office issued a press release that gave the following account of the incident:

The crash occurred just after 11 a.m. Thursday near the bottom of Laramie Bowl, an intermediate run on the upper part of Rendezvous Mountain.

The snowboarder descended the bowl at an extremely high rate of speed and hit Donahue, who was skiing slowly, witnesses said. He did not alter his direction to avoid Donahue, even though there was ample room to do so, witnesses said.

The force of the collision broke the snowboard in two and sent both people sliding up to 30 feet down the mountain. Donahue, who was not wearing a helmet, immediately lost consciousness.

Ski patrol responded and quickly transported Donahue to the Teton Village Clinic at the base of the resort. From there she was taken to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson; that night, she was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

Donahue suffered numerous internal injuries and a significant head injury, Whalen said. The snowboarder, who was wearing a helmet, had only minor injuries.

Donahue died at the Idaho hospital. A preliminary examination indicated she died of the head injury. An autopsy was to have been performed over the weekend, but results were unavailable.

**Core Shot** · 03-07-2018, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by TG

Hogadon? Why look that far?

You were probably looking at one of those disturbing signs from real close to where this happened
2005 :

I remember that.
Also the one in lower teewinot gulley years before that. I recall that was a JH employee?

I think they both happened during safety week.

But the Hogadon origin is interesting. It’s not just big mountains where kooks can kill.

**gramboh** · 03-07-2018, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by Core Shot

I never got around to researching the back story until today.
600 vert hill. Mt Hogadon in WY.

Snowboarder and kid killed instantly. Mom knocked out and paralyzed.

http://www.nsaa.org/media/304373/Rid...yS17lo_res.pdf

Damn. Should be required reading for stupid assholes that bomb groomers around kids.

**wyeaster** · 03-07-2018, 04:15 PM

got through page 1

**BobMc** · 03-07-2018, 04:16 PM

They have those same signs at Snowbird as well.

**old goat** · 03-07-2018, 06:11 PM

I think it's well established that in traffic big speed differences are an important cause of bad accidents. Add to that the inability of most people skiing fast to realize that they are not capable of avoidance maneuvers or of accurately judging closing speed and you have a recipe for disaster. The solution is obvious--stop grooming anything. Signs aren't going to change anybody's behavior because to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld--most people don't know what they don't know on skis or snowboards. They see the sign, they think they're in control until they find out they're not.

**The Suit** · 03-07-2018, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by TG

Hogadon? Why look that far?

You were probably looking at one of those disturbing signs from real close to where this happened
2005 :

My wife saw that happen from the Sublette chair. She came home that afternoon and said "I think I saw someone die today."

I cringe every time DigitalDeath posts about straightlining Laramie bowl.

**californiagrown** · 03-07-2018, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by old goat

The solution is obvious--stop grooming anything. .

Has merit. Alpental is my home mountain and they dont groom anything, and everything is typically very steep and kinda tech. When i went to Whistler recently, i found myself actively avoiding groomers and skiing the bumps and trees between the groomers because all the people and speed just plain scared me. I had forgotten how scary it is to ski a crowded groomer.

that said, it sure is fucking fun to mach GS turns down some fresh edgeable corduroy....

**TheK12** · 03-07-2018, 07:01 PM

Interesting that this popped up today. Spent the last week in CO -Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek -and I was absolutely terrified at the amount of people speeding down groomers, even when the slopes were crawling with all levels of skiers. I can understand wanting to flash a groomer but it makes no sense to do it when it's crowed. All it takes is a simple catching of an edge and it would be disaster for all involved. Maybe the no grooming thing is the way to go...

**snojones** · 03-08-2018, 11:59 AM

Here is another vote for NO GROOMING! And now that I think about it....How about no skis wider than 90mm.

**old goat** · 03-08-2018, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by snojones

Here is another vote for NO GROOMING! And now that I think about it....How about no skis wider than 90mm.

You should have stopped writing before you thought about it. My most dangerous skis are cheater GS skis. I don't try and use them on weekends. Of course if there were no grooming I couldn't use them anyway.

**Bdog325** · 03-08-2018, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by snojones

Here is another vote for NO GROOMING! And now that I think about it....How about no skis wider than 90mm.

No grooming but you want skis that are less than 90mmm at waist. Makes sense...
Powder and chop at anything under 90 mm sucks.

Make money. Buy toys.

**zion zig zag** · 03-08-2018, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by Bdog325

No grooming but you want skis that are less than 90mmm at waist. Makes sense...
Powder and chop at anything under 90 mm sucks.

Make money. Buy toys.

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

**Bunion 2020** · 03-08-2018, 04:38 PM

The most wonderful thing about skiing (fast on corduroy/powder in the sunshine) is the sense of speed and freedom.

Mix crowded trails in and add a dash of lack of awareness and a smidgen of overconfidence and suddenly that freedom is terrifying.

**wickstad** · 03-09-2018, 10:02 PM

50mph is not that quick.

**Bdog325** · 03-09-2018, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by wickstad

50mph is not that quick.

But it's also not slow. There is a time and place such as big open groomers that aren't crowded. Also if you don't have the skill to maneuver or stop in order to avoid people or other obstacles than you shouldn't be going that fast

Make money. Buy toys.

**Viva** · 03-10-2018, 07:48 AM

My old Movement Thunders are about 86 underfoot, and those fuckers slay every form of fuck-chop in existence. Ban 90s? Okay!

Sent from my XT1650 using TGR Forums mobile app

**jonesy** · 03-10-2018, 08:49 AM

50 isn't that fast even on SL till you hit something. Simple solution, avoid interlopers.

**gramboh** · 03-13-2018, 10:14 AM

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

**Core Shot** · 03-13-2018, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by wickstad

50mph is not that quick.

Dude might have been going 65
No one had a radar gun on him

But 5 years old and 50mph is marketing genius
Not quite alliteration, but I’m sure there is another word for it.

The campaign is to make you think.
Apparently your thought was that slowboarder was slow.
You could ask him how fast he was going, but he’s dead

**doebedoe** · 03-13-2018, 10:30 AM

In other speed kills news, sometimes you kill yourself. This is a first-hand account from a fatal incident at Breck last week.

Originally Posted by gramboh

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

A bunch of people who think their GPS speed readouts are accurate.

50mph on SL skis would be no fun. 50mph is SG territory.

**digitaldeath** · 03-13-2018, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by The Suit

My wife saw that happen from the Sublette chair. She came home that afternoon and said "I think I saw someone die today."

I cringe every time DigitalDeath posts about straightlining Laramie bowl.

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

**TahoeJ** · 03-13-2018, 11:03 AM

I was riding a lift at Alpine Meadows last weekend and saw a snowboarder come flying into a trail merge and come within inches of killing this kid. I was yelling for them to both stop - could see it coming but neither of them had any idea. He literally went right over the tails of the kid's skis. The father lectured the kid on cutting over so close because some idiot might come flying through like that, but it was really the boarders fault.

High speed groomer gapers are the worst.