Five Things You Should Know When a Skier Crashes
“Stop! Don’t do that. Don’t move him”, I screamed.
My husband had misjudged the slope, crashed, and landed in a heap in the middle of the trail. He was also out cold.
We were skiing with his good buddy Lars when it happened. Lars skied to him and dragged him by his right arm until his body flattened out. Meanwhile, I was screaming at Lars to stop. But he didn’t stop.
By the time I side-stepped up the hill to the scene, Lars said, “I had to straighten him out. He looked so uncomfortable.”
Unconscious skiers are not uncomfortable – they are unconscious, and anybody who moves them before Ski Patrol arrives can make an injury worse. That’s likely what happened to my husband.
X-rays showed his shoulder was broken. Surgery and hardware repaired the bone, but fragile nerves might have snapped when he was dragged by his arm. We’ll never know.
The bone healed, but the nerve damage was complete. My husband has never again had use of his right arm. It was dead.
If Lars had some basic knowledge about what to do, it might have turned out better.
I talked with Mark Pollish, a career patroller and 40 year veteran of the Alta Ski Patrol, for some guidelines that we recreational skiers should heed in case of an accident.
Do No Harm
First of all, he said, when you come upon an accident, “Do no harm.”
When somebody crashes, “Don’t rush into the situation and become part of the problem. Whether it’s a ski crash or an accident on the highway, think extreme safety. People are quick to want to help, but don’t do anything that might jeopardize their safety or yours.”
The next guideline logically follows “Do no harm.”
Do Not Move the Person
“Do not move the person. That includes do not remove their skis. You don’t know what the injuries might be. There could be spinal injuries and moving the person could make it worse,” he said.
It doesn’t matter whether the skier or snowboarder is awake or unconscious. Don’t move them.
Just last year, I listened to two skiers awarding themselves kudos because they thought they were heroes. They saw someone fall and not budge, so they rolled him around and propped him up because he looked “so uncomfortable” He was unconscious through it all, and he was still unconscious when Ski Patrol arrived. Moving him could have caused serious damage. We’ll never know.
The first two guidelines focus on what you should not do. These next three are what you should do, Pollish said.
Make an X with your skis.
Take off your own skis and drive the tails into the snow forming an X well above the accident. Or, if you ride, plant your board upright in the snow. It warns others to stay clear of the area and also marks the location of the incident.
Call the patrol and stay on the phone with them.
Whether you are at your home mountain or visiting a resort across the country, it’s a good idea to have the patrol’s emergency number in your phone so you can reach them quickly, Pollish said.
At some ski areas, the main number is the best way to get connected to the patrol. At others, the patrol might be reached through 911. It varies from resort to resort, so it’s best to find out before you need to call for help.
Then be sure to “stay on the phone with the patrol” Pollish said, and give them “as much information as possible: location, description of the person, and what you know about the.situation.”
Finally, stay with the downed skier until the patrol arrives. You might be able to provide additional information that they need, he said.
Think safety. Ski safely.
Now, are your ready for a pop quiz? What are the 5 things you should know and do when a skier crashes?
Cross Country Skiers: Do You Prefer Classic Skiing or Skate Skiing?
Cross Country Skiing at the Frisco Nordic Center, Frisco, Colorado by Todd Powell
Prospective cross country skiers often make a decision opting for either classic skiing or skate skiing. These two forms of cross country skiing are very different regarding where they can happen, what type of gear is used, the techniques employed, how fast the skiing is, and how much energy is necessary on an outing.
For a first time or inexperienced cross country skier, classic skiing may be the best choice because it is easier to learn and less physically demanding. As the classic skier advances (and gets left in the dust by good skate skiers) it may be less difficult to master skate skiing. In general, the skate skier should be more physically fit while classic skiers can ski at a casual pace if they so choose.
Cross Country Ski Terrain
Whether classic or skating, cross country skiing on groomed trails (already packed and perhaps tracked, too) is easier than skiing on ungroomed terrain such as the golf course, existing ungroomed trails, or across the snow-covered landscape. The snow on a groomed trail is machine-maintained by a ski area operator or ski club groomer to be consistent and packed so the skier can use their gear and techniques to slide efficiently. While it may look like cross country skiers are simply walking on skis, the diagonal stride technique combined with the ski characteristics are intended to grip and glide when weight is applied on a single ski. But skiing on a golf course that is covered with snow and does not have maintained trails can be at times deep, wet, frozen or breakable ice, or other conditions that are difficult to ski.
Skate skiing requires packed terrain on a trail or hard packed area like a snow covered iced-over lake in the springtime. Additionally, skaters should have some flexibility and be somewhat physically fit. A skate skier moves from side-to-side in a V-shaped technique. Going up hills on the trail will require a skate skier to have good timing and some strength to maintain sliding momentum on the skis.
A cross country ski area trail will often have a tracked section along the right side of the trail for classic skiers and a wider flat lane that may be about 10-12 feet in width for skaters to deploy their V-technique. The tracks seem like parallel rails compressed in the snow and they make classic ski gliding easier by keeping the skis going in a straight line. Sometimes the snow is the right condition to allow “crust cruising” or skating across the terrain without a specified trail.
Galena skiers
Cross Country Ski Gear
Classic skiing uses longer skis, often with a waxless base which provides the ski grip. The long skis distribute the skier’s weight allowing glide when the skis are equally weighted and grip when all the skier’s weight is applied to one ski. When a skier switches their weight from one ski to the other, the first ski needs to hold (not slide) while you spring off of it on to the other ski. In the olden days that grip was provided by a wax that was applied to the base in correlation to the air and snow temperature but today ski bases have patterns (for example, mini teeth or skin-type material) that allows the ski to hold on the snow to provide that grip. Ski racers still use an array of wax or other compounds to get optimal grip and glide.
Skate skis are shorter and they rely on skier weight shifting and momentum, rather than employing a base grip. Skaters use longer ski poles (length reaching from the ground to between the skier’s bottom and bridge of the nose) providing more of a push forward in the V-technique movement and allows the skier to shift their weight from ski to ski while gliding in an angular direction (like a speed ice skater). The skate skier’s boot upper is higher up the leg with a plastic cuff and this provides more support to push off the ski for the weight shift. The skater’s weight must be shifted mostly to the sliding ski which is moving in an angle away from the center of the trail. The complete weight shift is one of the biggest challenges for the beginning skater as many of them tend to keep their weight in the center of the position rather than committing out over the sliding ski. The centered weight position minimizes the glide for the skate skier.
The classic ski boot enhances forward skiing with the skis parallel and are generally less stiff than skate ski boots. The ski boot stiffness is in the sole and can be felt by twisting the boot, thus the skating boot sole is much stiffer than the classic ski boot sole.
The classic skier’s ski pole length should be as high as the arm pit or shoulder. When used correctly, the classic skier’s poles can enhance forward momentum by comfortably swinging their arms to have some push off behind. This enhanced forward momentum associated with the ski poles is an even more important element of skate skiing.
Bindings on XC skis are built to provide support and a strong connection between boot and the ski. For example, the binding for skating is manufactured to withstand the pressure of the side to side application.
Other Factors
Equipment-wise, owners of a smaller car should know that the space in their vehicle will accommodate the skate skiing gear better than the longer classic skis. Additionally, the skater’s gear is generally more expensive compared to classic ski equipment. All ski equipment is available in a range of cost and like anything else, you get what you pay for.
It is important to be aware of the different types of equipment within any of the XC ski categories. For example, classic skis can be narrow, stiff and fast producing much more glide but perhaps less control, while a backcountry ski would preferably be softer and wider to float in the deeper snow. Classic skis may be versatile to be applicable on tracked trails and also for ungroomed snow conditions. For most skiers, skate skis are too short and narrow so it is difficult on anything but packed snow. With such issues in mind, skiers have to be careful when buying new or used equipment to be certain that their acquisition will fit their intended needs.
Another smart suggestion is to rent equipment and get a lesson at the outset. An instructor will provide technique tips for either classic or skate skiing and the initial outing may make the choice obvious for a first timer or beginner. Experienced skiers may seek out a “try before you buy” demo available at some ski areas to actually test different pairs of skis and boots.
Regardless of whether classic or skate skiing is the preference, cross country skiing is the greatest winter on-snow activity combining fitness and wellness with the natural outdoor winter environment while moving under your own power.
The Skiing Weatherman January 13, 2023
Happy New Year to one and all! I hope you got some packed powder turns in during the holiday week because dry surfaces have been hard to come by during the first half of this month. The January thaw typically comes along in the late 10’s/20’s of this month, which you can actually see in the historical data as a modest bump in observed temperatures. This year the thaw came very early, which was unusual but not unprecedented. An upper ridge was dominant over the East during the first week of the month, which led to a cessation in snowmaking operations as well as a pause in opportunities for meaningful natural snow. A pattern change of sorts got underway last weekend, and mountain crews took advantage of colder temps this week to rehab terrain as we head into the MLK weekend. A messy storm is taking an unfavorable track as we close out this week, but it will be turning colder over the weekend, so if you are skiing or riding during the holiday, you can plan on sliding through some snowmaking plumes on open terrain.
While the East has been running lean in the fresh snow department, you no doubt have been hearing about the parade of storms that have been plastering the West with fresh snow…especially the coastal ranges that get first dibs on the incoming moisture. Those moisture laden upper troughs have been working their way out onto the Plains and then fighting with the upper ridge that has been over the East much of this month. Most of the troughs have been deflected to the northeast, running through the Great Lakes and into Canada, and that is a track that draws moisture and mild air northward, bringing rain or mixed precip along the full length of the Appalachians. Occasionally, one of the troughs fights its way straight east, weakening and dislodging the ridge in its path. This scenario is what played out last weekend, leading to a colder week. That cold air has helped to produce some snow on the front end of the system moving through the East late this week, but the track is inland, as illustrated by this slide from Friday a.m.
A low center over Albany allows milder air to reach all the way into southern Quebec, so much of the front-end snow has been washed away. The backside of the low will bring some snow to northern New York and northern New England, and the air mass for the weekend will be seasonably cold, allowing a resumption of snowmaking. Next week will turn somewhat milder again, but there are strong signs that a major pattern change will get underway later next week. It won’t be a “light switch” to a cold and snowy regime, but in the transition, there is the potential for a significant snowfall on the 20th/21st that would benefit area primarily north of I-90. South of there it will likely be a mixed precip event, with a nice shot of snowmaking temps following the passage of the low center. Here is a look at a surface map for next Friday afternoon…
Once again, the low center will cross central New England, but there will be enough cold air around to the north of the low for a healthy snowfall.
Longer term, there are changes in the southwest Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean with respect to where thunderstorms are clustered that point to a colder than normal regime developing during the final week of January and continuing right on into February. This season has been uneven at best and a downright dud in some parts of the East, but that thunderstorm correlation (also known as the MJO, or Madden Julian Oscillation) is an excellent winter forecast tool and I am leaning on it heavily. Right now, I am very bullish on the second half of the season here in the East. Here is a look at the 5,000 foot temp anomalies for the 27th, showing that the coldest air poised to dominate the East by month’s end.
For the most part, conditions are epically outstanding out west, but pummeling of storms will end in about ten days, with the northern Rockies becoming the typically La Nina favored region for continued snows…the southern Rockies resorts could still use some snow. The northern Great Lakes are looking good, but the thaw has impacted the rest of the Midwest. The central and southern Appalachians need some snow as they are anxiously awaiting the pattern change that I believe is on the horizon.
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