Yield to down hill rider/skier

[ThatSn1perGuy]

Yea. I have a similar experience.  On my first day hard booting a 10 year old kid ran over my board with his snowboard causing me to cartwheel into the woods.  I never did see that kid again, I guess it was a Hit & Run.

[bumpyride]

Look both ways before crossing the street.  Mom told me and I've never been hit.  Most of that I credit to not being on the street for any length of time if possible (off piste).

[bumpyride]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=902708979779662&fref=nf

 

Only half joking on this.  Nothing like a blinking light to get someone's attention.

[AcousticBoarder]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=902708979779662&fref=nf

 

Only half joking on this.  Nothing like a blinking light to get someone's attention.

Yes, we should have a turn signal for every carve!

[icebiker]

What we need is a form of "adult swim" for the slopes  :-) 

[stokely]

as for me one collision at very low speed (skiers fault and because of what queequeg pretty much already posted above that i agree with) one almost collision that could have ended in sudden death (skiing lunatics fault on last run I had waited enjoying the view it was 20 minutes after the lift had stopped slope deserted and I thought I could ride without having to look around much for crazies coming from above) and one cool incident too.

as for the last but not least incident that was on a short steep section I was riding it when I saw a skier appearing and coming fast over the top of the hill above and I stopped and in the same time she stopped above and we looked at each other over a distance briefly but what seemed like exactly knowingly and smiling at each other and at the fact that while overcautiousness just ruined enjoying that section for both of us when it would have been enough for one of us to stop we got and brought the right attitude to the slopes and if everyone else also did that everyone could make more out of a ride even in crowded conditions or so.

as for overtaking a safety distance is to be kept to also allow for unexpected moves and amount of distance depending on my speed and the speed of the obstacle and if i can't evaluate that so quickly im too fast in the first place that said i do look around much and often wait for a while for a section to clear up below and above me or if just continuously too crowded i dont do wide turns even though i know i could and should be able to do them without suffering potentially considerable injuries . . .

[Zone]

Ride as you drive, as if some idiot is going to blow a red light or a stop sign and hopefully you won't be the one getting t-boned.

[bigwavedave]

While I agree and do keep a lookout both behind (uphill) and ahead (downhill), I still have some close calls, especially on steeper runs where skiers come up fast from behind.  Of course avoiding any collision is always top priority. Still, some skiers seem indignant that they could possibly be the one who should yield right of way to a snowboarder!

I've "run" into too many folks that don't seem to know the rules for right-of-way. I would like to see ski areas post the code more prominently, like they used to, and maybe site the statute number, so it doesn't seem like just a suggestion. 

 

Minnesota statute, [184C.03] SKIER DUTIES, quotes the skier's code verbatim into the law.

 

 

On the subject of "yield to downhill skier/rider", here is a pertinent quote from a lawyerly website on the subject of fault, where they compare being hit by an uphill skier to being rear-ended in a car.

 

From SkiLaw.com :  

"Collision cases are determined on a per se basis, under the statute, which requires all skiers to ski in control, exercise caution, maintain a lookout, yield to skiers already on trails, and avoid collision with skiers below. In an action between skiers, the risk of a skier/skier collision is not an “inherent risk.” Thus, the “hittee” has a right of recovery against the negligent “hitter.” A rebuttable presumption arises against the uphill skier that is similar to the presumption against the following car in a rear-end car accident case."

 

If we are the only ones looking out and observing the code, we're only half as safe as we could be if only other skiers and riders were doing the same. I'm seriously thinking of printing up some cards citing the statute number and quoting the pertinent right-of-way rules from the code--end of discussion on the hill or on the lift.

Edited March 5, 2015 by bigwavedave

[monodude]

I've had my share of straightliner/out of control collisions. I tend to stop occasionaly and wait for "the gap" before proceding on. I also check both sides for the first few turns until I'm up to speed. I ALWAYS leave room between me and the trees, just in case. When stopping I raise an arm high and take my time stopping predictably. I often ride with a group and on some runs the first one to a "breakover" will stop. The places that we do this have an unrestricted view of uphill and downhill. As the rest come down, that first rider will signal, (raised arm), that it is clear downhill and that no one is coming up from behind. Or if someone is below or coming from above, (crossed arms). After a few turns you're on your own again. As far as the "skiers code", it doesn't help much, while laying in a hospital bed, that you were in the  right. As carvers we make wide, round, across the fall line turns. No other discipline makes turns like that @ speed. I truly feel that making turns like that has a responsibility of all it's own. If it's crowded back off. Just like coming to an intersection while driving, The person on your right has the "right of way" isn't really the law, Technically speaking the one who enters the intersection first has the "right of way". To further the car analogy, A certain amount of responsibility lies with accident avoidance, regardless of who is "right". So... to sum up what I'm trying to say...

We, as carvers, need to do all that we can to avoid getting hit, regardless of who is right or wrong.

Don

 

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