If you’re a snowboarder about to fall over, please keep your hands to yourself rather than reaching for the nearest skier (frankly, you should not be close enough to a skier to grab them in an effort to keep yourself from falling). Trust me—unless the skier is your parent or partner, they probably don’t want you grabbing at them. Fall over—don’t grab the skier and risk injuring someone other than yourself.
What’s happened to on-hill etiquette? Poor etiquette isn’t just about politeness, it’s about safety. I take great pride in being a Level 6 skier and senior citizen, still out there. I’ve noticed all my injuries are taking longer to heal, and more and more they result from a lack of on-hill etiquette. I’m just back after three weeks off from being hit by another skier.
If a skier or snowboarder is in front of you, it is your responsibility to avoid them. There are no exceptions to this rule. You should never be skiing or riding so close to someone that you can easily touch them. You should be aware of what’s going on downhill from you (and merge points, all around), try to anticipate the trajectory of those ahead, and travel in control and at a speed that allows you to correct if needed without hitting someone if you’ve mis-judged the skier/rider’s line.
Today I had a snowboarder grab me to avoid falling, and another snowboarder travelling at an extremely high speed (where there was tons of room) would’ve hit me from behind had I not intentionally fallen to stop. He was straight-lining at a high speed, and I was turning on what had been an empty slope. He came out of nowhere from behind me and in spite of an open slope showed no sign of turning to avoid me.
Especially when the snow is good, skiers and snowboarders alike look for hits and jumps. Whatever happened to checking and making sure no one was down in the landing area? In deep snow you should always be skiing or riding with a buddy for safety. For the safety of others, it would be prudent to send your buddy ahead to make sure your landing is clear and you don’t land on someone else. I don’t really understand the appeal of straight-lining as fast as you can in deep snow, but if you insist on doing this at high speed, for the sake of others, please try to turn to avoid people below you, rather than heading straight for them. If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be straight-lining.
I’m hoping to ski until I’m at least 80… I seldom fall and I’ve learned to ski in control at a slower speed as I’ve aged, so if I do fall, damage will be limited. Increasingly though, this is not enough. If I’m going to ski until I’m 80, I need a bit of help as far as mountain safety etiquette goes.
Please do your part. You’re not the only person on the hill. Please pay attention to those around you, learn the basics of mountain safety. It’s your business if you put yourself at risk, but please spare those around you.
