Impact! Hit from behind.

[Tommy D]

Well, the title says it all.

I was ripping up Nitro at Mt Snow last weekend, and a skier ran into me from behind. Fortunately, I had just transitioned to toe side, so the base of my board took most of the impact. My right arm got wrenched nicely, but I'm okay otherwise; my helmet saved my head from the ground. A friend who witnessed the accident said my subsequent flip was quite impressive.

The skier looked like he was in shock from hitting me(He stayed on his feet.) Bonus for him; he stuck around to make sure I was okay. Watching him ski down after the fact, it became obvious he was going way too fast for his ability level.

The moral of the story is to check uphill as often as possible. I was on a really wide, straight trail riding between groups of light traffic. I guess I was lookin' so good, he couldn't keep his eyes off me!

[big mario]

I was on a really wide, straight trail riding between groups of light traffic. I guess I was lookin' so good, he couldn't keep his eyes off me!

target fixation?

mario

[cail]

A friend who witnessed the accident said my subsequent flip was quite impressive.

well good thing you're alright... i haven't been hit from behind yet (knock on wood)... but the first time i was out on my oxygen near the end of one run i was making a toeside turn when all of a sudden i went airborne and landed smack on my back... my friend who saw the whole thing was likewise impressed. he said i did a complete front flip, legs straight up in the air and landed on my back.

afterwards, i found out my back binding had come loose and turned so it was over the edge of the board.... guess that caused the nose to dig in... no injury though.

[Snowman]

Jerk off blasted me about 2 weeks ago at the Basin. Big dude and completely oblivious to the world in general. Watch out for the moron patrol, even at a place like the Basin where you would think you were relatively safe.

Think Snow

[csquared]

...with my fluorescent orange Coiler. However, I've been hit from behind three times by a snowblader, a ski patroller, and a skier. The moment of impact was almost always at the transition when I was moving almost perpedicular to the fall line.

I don't think there is any form of colour-blindness or light condition that renders fluorescent orange less visible. That's why its called safety orange. But still, I always seem to have been invisible to the skiers that hit me.

I think the psychology of skiing embraces the "I own the road in front of me" stance. Each skier mentally projects his or her own zone ahead down the hill and woe to anyone who encroaches on it because they are not prepared to slow down. Even though they can see us and can easily grasp the amplitude of the turns we make, they are frequently surprised when we show up on 'their' side of the hill suddenly and they are shocked that our velocity across the hill about equals their speed going down the hill.

I think we just have to accept that we move in ways that are incomprehensible to skiers. So look behind you and give way to overtaking skiers. Its just self-preservation.

[Guest Bamboo_Girl]

Sorry you got hit by a skier :(

Nonetheless, I'm glad you made it ok and right on about the helmet. I know mine has saved me many times.

I have to say, I've been hit by skiers, several weeks in a row. In each instance, I was downhill and they were bombing the run. Not once have I so much as gotten an apology or even an, "I'm sorry".

To add insult to injury, 2 weeks ago, (after being hit by a skier), I heard one of them say, in the base area, that he hated all snowboarders and how they have no idea how to ride.

I'm new to the sport but, at least in my experience, have found this disturbing double standard. No matter what is wrong, no matter what the problem is, many skiers will say it has to be because of snowboarders. Then the whole leash thing, I don't mind wearing one, but why don't skiers wear them? My I've seen like half a dozen skiers, lose their skis just getting on the lifts. Not to mention how ski's fly all over the place like missiles, when skiers fall and explode.

Way too many of them are flying down runs with little or no ability to turn. The margin for error is like nil!

Just a lot of hypocrisy I think...

[csquared]

This is one of my biggest fears while carving. Well this and going in to the trees but more this. Sometimes I get freaked out if I haven’t looked up hill in a few turns and it affects my riding.

I've sampled both and so far I'll take a hit from a skier over torpedoing a tree. Trees can do ugly things to you when you hit them at speed.

[skidad62]

Two weeks ago I got nailed from behind on a black diamond run... I had stopped to let the slow traffic clear - then checked uphill & saw only one rider and he was way back - so I set off and about six turns was ripping some wide low turns - just as I transitioned to a toe side turn I got blasted

!!&*^#*^$W@(Q! The snowboarder was running straight & out of control - major impact - sent me spinning for a 540.

His defense was that I was so low he didn't see me until the last second and he couldn't stop at the speed he was going.

He hit me right in the tail of my Coiler and delaminated the top sheet for about 2 inches.

Resisted the urge to introduce him to the world of martial arts... didn't think I could claim self defense...

Epoxied my deck and it looks good & is holding well.

Gawd I hate straight runners!!!!

[Gleb]

On the bigger mountains around here, i usually wear a backpack because it goes along way in protecting you from impacts. Also, I don't trust my stuff in the lodge because with my luck, it will get stolen, so why not just bring it with me.

[queequeg]

I've only been hit from behind once (at Temple, NH), and it took me by surprise. I got hit by a straightliner on rental skis. He hit me while I was just about ready to start exiting a pretty locked-in, toeside carve (goofy, so head was uphill). I was still pretty low, so I think my head probably hit him in the crotch or something, he went somersaulting over me and his bindings actually ripped out of his skis (!!). He ende up with a severely bruised chest and I got a broken nose over the affair. I've never been hit by a snowboarder. Ever since then, I'm terrified of getting hit from behind again.

[AaronG]

Me too, at my local hill the straight liners, turnaphobes are everywhere. I try to look for a gap to start riding but whenever I hear edges scraping the snow behind me I go into instant sideslip. Hopefully paralleling the course that they are on so it won't hurt so bad if they hit me I have been clocked from behind on two occasions at Summit. Fortunatley, I have walked away from both of them with out serious injury, boards have been scratched up but that doesn't matter as long as I have my health.

Four years ago, I was riding at Vail, the day before SES started, while standing near a slow sign a lady came down and just drilled me from behind, the kidneys took a shot. I thought my whole week at SES was ruined, other than some slight pain when I took a deep breath I ended up okay.

[powell1.8]

I had a near miss the other day. In the past I have always come out on top in a collision, but if this impact had occured I think I would have been buying a new set of teeth. I lost my edge on a toeside, and was just pushing myself up when a snowboard zoomed past my face. If I had finished the turn there would have been an impact. Luckily for me the boarder realized what he had done and made a quick getaway. It kind of got me thinking though. Maybe all the pads and fullface helmets are a good idea. If I hurt myself that's one thing, but if someone else hurts me I don't know what I would do.

[Steve Prokopiw]

I was teaching a devo group of ten year olds about 12 years ago and was standing up looking downhill as they were kneeling.Suddenly, their eyes go wide but none of them makes a peep.I was inverted and sitting right down before I could even take a breath, The lady on skis was doing a highspeed powerplow according to the kids. She did not get hurt nor did I. I always wondered if it would had been worse if I had had a second's warning to tense up.

[Chubz]

Had body armor and full face helmet that keep me from major facial damage. I was sore for two days, and wont go out without it.

[kipstar]

I think it often happens in the transition, because we are the only riders going so far out of the fall line; people pass what they think is behind us as they expect us to stop, and then as they approach, we are suddenly (well not to us, but to them) turning and somehow changing direction without losing speed.

I've had multiple near misses, a few clonks and one concussion; all pretty much because of the surprise factor that, 'they didn't expect me to turn, they thought I was traversing!'

So now...tend to wait until the run is clear, then do the piece top to bottom. And find empty runs is good too ;-) Mind you, it has been 14 months since my last run....how much longer to wait until my next one ?? ;-(

[D-Sub]

toeside carve (goofy, so head was uphill).

sorry...chuckled at this...goofy or regular one's head would always be uphill on a toeside

and...wouldnt that mean you got hit from "the front"?

I hate people that run into people. someone should write a law.

[Gleb]

Mind you, it has been 14 months since my last run....how much longer to wait until my next one ?? ;-(

how do you live!!!??!?!?

[SEJ]

Got smacked last week. Nobody in front of me, just set into a hard toe edge and wham! I skid to a stop on my face and there's a boarder sitting above me with three more in the trees. (It was about a ten foot drop from the trees to the run.) He landed ON my back. I never saw him. The other three popped out and all four rode away without even checking on me. F***king snowboarders! It's idiots like this that give our sport a bad name.

[queequeg]

sorry...chuckled at this...goofy or regular one's head would always be uphill on a toeside

and...wouldnt that mean you got hit from "the front"?

I hate people that run into people. someone should write a law.

Oh yeah ... guess you're right about that. I prolly should have said "from uphill" rather than "from behind"

I'm with you about people who run into people, there's no bloody excuse for hitting anyone, ever. I've always believed that people should need to take a brief certification course to be able to ski/ride on the major (non-beginner) part of the mountain. So that once you take the course, you get a license, on which you can have points deducted for reckless riding/skiing. I'm not a big fan of excessive regulation, but I wouldn't mind a system like that. Most people never bother to take lessons, or ski in control.

[Buell]

I started snowboarding last year and am incredibly frustrated by the fact that so few people even know the couple of rules that govern riders on the hill. Let alone, how few people even bother to be aware of what is around them or care. Most ski areas do nothing to ensure that people will see the rules in anything other than the fine print. Worthless.

Hey D-sub, Timinor mentioned the other day that you got to help defend him from a woman that ran into him, and then started yelling at him.

Does anyone ever turn these people in to patrol? Especially the ones that take off?

[D-Sub]

oh man that was CRAZY what happened.

we were cutting from Pine Marten to Skyliner, across the hill, and she is above tim, and suddenly just cranks a heelside without even lookin once. Im behind both of them, watching. Tim says WHOA HEY LOOK OUT, and she clips him and wrecks. Then gets up and takes off. I pull even with him and we chuckle about it cuz it wasnt that bad but then she comes back around a corner and lights into him. I !@#!@# snapped. She starts babbling about how she'll get my pass pulled and ****...

odd thing was...this was a chick that I had talked to a few times "off hill" and was actually kinda interested in. Until this incident, obviously.

people are stupid. more often than not. sad.

[Allee]

Sometimes accidents happen.

I nailed someone pretty good at Sun Peaks, coming down off the left of the hill and heading across to the lift line to the right. The base area was pretty crowded so I was concentrating on picking a line that wouldn't collect anyone walking around the bottom, and didn't even see the skier crossing from the right of the hill and heading to the left chair. She was doing the same thing, trying to avoid all the kids and people walking around. We both looked up in the second before we hit, and collided pretty good.

Nice thing was, we both realised we were at fault, nobody was hurt, and after lots of apologies we went on our way.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm the anomaly on the hill and ride accordingly. I'll stop and wait out traffic, slow and look over rollers before I go over, and dial it right back in any area where there's kids and beginners. Even if you're in the right it doesn't make a blind bit of difference if you collect a kid, or someone who can barely stand up. Like oldvolvos, if I hear edges above me, I'll pull out of the carve and go into preservation mode.

I bought a spine protector a few weeks ago, one because I've taken a few back slammers, and two, because if I do get nailed from above by a skier, I'd rather wreck a set of armor than have dents in my internal organs...

[pebu]

I go along with the skids above me mantra, but one of the problems is straightliners don't really skid. They're pretty hard to hear lots of the times.

Luckily no connections for me. Some near misses. I was locked into a carve and headed for the woods so I was workin on bailing and was just about stopped I guess about 4 feet from the edge of the trail when ZOOOOM!!! goes my brothers girlfriend. She just started skiing this year. She's gotten alot better since then..

Other than that, my brother and I will ski/board right close to each other. On my soft board we'd often knock planks and we were totally comfortable doing it. That's what years and years of skiing together does to ya. Now I don't get so close to him on my hard board, but he'll still follow me close. No collisions to date I don't think.

[djtrussny]

Glad everyone is ok and might be able to make it out again soon. That being said, no reason to hate on "skiers". There are plenty of self sufficient safe two plankers that are very capable on the mountain. Fact is that there are more skiers on the mountain and therefore chances are your accidents will more than likely include one. Another thing to consider is that the majority of snowboarders are too busy straightlining the 60 footer in the park to be on trails rideable by the general public. The only way to ensure your own safety is to look out for yourself on the mountain. No one else is going to do it. I agree, there are a LOT of stupid people out there and encourage you to use your own intelligence to ensure you don't become a meat gate for the Nastar hungry amateurs. So please stop trying to blame "the skiers" who I assure you are not TRYING to to ruin your day.

Note: Not trying to create an issue or a 13 page post, but more so point out a different take on the subject some might not have considered.

[pebu]

Skier much? :)

Just kiddin.