[Closed] Breath Tests for Skiers

All skiers should have number plates, insurance, tax, helmet, lights and High vis, just like cyclists.

It is interesting reading this some of the parallels you get on the cyclists on the road debate.

Passing too close, who's actually to blame etc. etc.

Yes, hopefully it won't be too long before we have some tedious head-cam footage posted on YouTube of someone's close-shave, numerous 'Skier Down' and 'why are all people with <insert brand here> ski's utter morons' threads appearing on the forum ... or maybe this is actually what it's like on skiingtrackworld.com

Not especially having a go at you chrispo, more that the comments tend to be (as so often on STW) frustratingly black/white. I've got 50+ weeks on skis, I know what I'm doing, and to have the "you were overtaking, it's all your fault" line is a bit galling.

I absolutely know that's the rule, and I was trying to point out that you can do all of that and STILL be involved in a shunt, because a lot of skiiers don't bother to look around before just stopping wherever they fancy. OK, as more experienced skiiers we need to note where people are, but people do unpredictable things!

In the case I mentioned, it was probably a bit of fault on both sides. She didn't see me, I should have stayed a couple of meters further away from her even once alongside. Live and learn, I guess.

Me? I'll stick with having one big crash per week of skiing and mostly avoiding other people.

Are you trolling or are you really that selfish, Nickf?

If I want to ski flat out I either skin up when the lifts stop or get on the first chair of the day. The rest of the time it's the other skiers that dictate my pace and line.

So you think she should have eyes in the back of here head, Nickf?

50+ weeks on skis, most people learn the most basic rule of all and the only really important one on their first day.

If I am overtaking someone it is my responsibility to ensure its safe. I have got it wrong in the past and I have been mortified and apologised. We all make errors of judgement sometimes sometimes we get away with it and sometimes we don't, but we should always own up to the fact we made a mistake.

But we should remember, like mountain biking it is an adventure sport 🙂

And that is exactly the "frustratingly black/white" STW opinion that nickf was complaining about Edukator.

In my (white) opinion it is perfectly possible to be overtaking someone carefully and reasonably, but still get taken out by them doing something unexpected.

The only option is to not overtake, but that is often a terrible option, especially if it means I'm going to be spending the next 20 minutes hiking and causing a hazard to everyone else. 😀

NickF

Anyone can make a mistake and usually it's no big deal and I'm not jumping in with the usual STW 'burn him' over-reaction. Accidents happen 😉

Live and learn, I guess.

Absolutely

Nickf, my only point was that you appeared to blame the person in front for changing direction, and suggested that the person overtaking at speed was being hit by a poor skier (in your first example of poor skiers causing problems)

And that is 100% not the way it is.

It's the uphill skiers responsibility to avoid the downhill skier, there isn't any grey area I'm afraid.

And if you ski alongside someone, at the same pace, and you collide then it could be either person at fault, or 50-50. Which is why that's best avoided.

(if we are counting, I probably have somewhere over 400+ weeks skiing, and a fair amount of those I was teaching. And it the first and most fundamental rule that would be taught)

neal I suspect you (or I) misread nickf's initial post there, he said:

Poor skiing generally is far more of an issue (stopping in the middle of the piste, sudden movements left/right when there could be someone to your side, overtaking at high speed on narrow sections)

I read that as a list of three examples of poor skiing:

• stopping in the middle of the piste
• sudden movements left/right when there could be someone to your side
• overtaking at high speed on narrow sections

I [i]think[/i] you read the second and third item as one offence: [i]"sudden movements left/right when there could be someone to your side overtaking at high speed on narrow sections"[/i]

I blame the punctuation 😀

400+ weeks skiing

WOW - I've just done some quick calculations and I'll be happy if I can tot up that many DAYS in my lifetime!

[b]It's the uphill skiers responsibility to avoid the downhill skier[/b], there isn't any grey area I'm afraid.

100% - if everyone remembered that ski areas would be happier places. We all read it at the bottom of the lifts/on ski passes, so no excuse for ignoring it.

somewhere over 400+ weeks skiing

The's a shed-load of time on skis. I'm hugely jealous!

GrahamS has correctly divined what I was trying (poorly) to say. I try on here with my punctuation, I really do. My apologies for not making myself clearer.

Over 7 years of skiing? Really?

I think you read the second and third item as one offence: "sudden movements left/right when there could be someone to your side overtaking at high speed on narrow sections"

That could well be the case ? reading it again I see how I may have mis read it.

If that's the case, fair enough. My mistake 😳

I was lucky enough to work and play on skis for more than ten years pretty much all year round.

Plus lots of trips before and after that.

It was a happy time, but my knees and lower back are now 75 years old despite the fact that I'm not quite 40

[i]*adds "conflict resolution" to CV*[/i] 😀

Just shows that you CAN have a proper discussion here, where all those concerned can listen to other POV and offer an opinion without it descending into a bitchfest.

Must be all those bloody mtb'ers 😉

Just depends who's involved woody 😉

Woody, have you seen the big ski/snowboard thread? It's one of the finest examples of a "good" thread on here!

I've seen it all, and it's bunk:

1. Collisions can happen when folks pass too close to each other and this is more likely when going at different speeds. That's why if you are a fast skier you rarely have collisions, unless you cause them.

2. The uphill skier has some clue at divining the path of the downhill skier, but not much; whilst the downhill skier has no idea and may not even be aware the other skier is there. The responsibility is [u]always[/u] on the uphill skier to lower their speed and give the downhill skier a very wide berth. See FIS rule #3: [url= http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/insidefis/fisgeneralrules/10fisrules.html ]FIS Rules[/url]

3. It's not a risk-free activity and even the most aware skiers will have an incident eventually.

4. A small amount of booze worsens judgement about ability, slows responses, and is likely to contribute to collisions, just as it does driving. However, I doubt an alcohol ban is enforceable.

nealglover - Member
Just depends who's involved woody

😉 100% again!!!

Woody, have you seen the big ski/snowboard thread?

Obviously need to up my game 😳