Fatal Collision: It’s Time to Act
One week before the end of the ski season in Jackson Hole, a 71-yr old veteran ski instructor, was hit and killed by another skier. Both were skiing the intermediate trail, “Rendezvous”. This should never have happened, especially in mid-April when the season is all but over and crowds have thinned.
The Teton County coroner has ruled it a homicide, because the uphill skier did not “maneuver around” the victim, who was downhill.
When I heard about this, I was shocked and angry but not surprised. It’s getting worse and worse out there – even in mid-April when no one can complain about “the crowds”.
Several years ago, a rogue skier or snowboarder hit me while I was stopped on the edge of a trail at Stratton Mtn. I must have been hit hard, because I blacked out momentarily. When I regained consciousness, I was in a sitting position, just off the trail. The skiers standing on the trail’s edge said the guy who hit me never stopped. Something similar may have happened to you, too.
The incident was on one of my favorite black diamond trails in Vermont – a mostly very wide, well-groomed and perfect trail for cruising, practicing carved turns or any turns. I was between lessons, and wearing my instructor’s jacket, so I felt any fast skier would know to stay away from me, a resort employee! Stupid me.
Luckily, I was not hurt that day, but sadly the male skier hit at Jackson on April 14, 2023 by an uphill skier who did yield right of way is still dead.
Fellow senior skiers and snowboarders, enough is enough!
It’s time for us to complain to management: firmly, politely, and insistently. Our sons, daughters, and grandchildren are on the mountain now, and all of them are at risk, along with us seniors.
Pretending the “Skiers Responsibility Code” is doing enough is a joke.
Here’s what we can do about out-of-control skiers and snowboarders –
- Speak to ski area management and request “NO FAST SKIING” signs and ropes at key places on GREEN and BLUE runs. If you can force the high-speed dangerous skiers to slow down, it’s a start toward sanity and greater safety.
- If you personally witness a dangerous incident, volunteer your name to victims involved. Encourage victims to speak to management.
- If you experience danger personally, attempt to get a photo of the person who caused the danger. (Might come in handy down the road.)
ALL the waivers we are required to sign, either when purchasing season passes like IKON or EPIC, or simply by buying a day lift ticket, contain language, upheld by courts going back to 1978. The language says: YOU ACCEPT 100% RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING BAD THAT HAPPENS TO YOU WHILE MOVING AROUND AT OUR SKI RESORT: SKIING, WALKING THRU CAFETERIA LINE, WALKING TO RESTROOM, WALKING TO/FROM PARKING LOT. The resort is not responsible.
I believe ski resort management should do more to crack down on the super-fast, out-of-control skiers. The time is now for sensible, long-time skiers to begin making noise at ski areas we visit. There’s no alternative, except for you and me to insist that mountain operations must do more to educate their skiing/riding public, and make Green and Blue trails safer with signage. It’s just sensible.
John teaches kids, ages 6 to 13, plus women and men of all ability levels – “never-evers” to experts, and skiers 4-82 yrs old. He knows a lot about "fear" in skiing, having had more than his share during his learn-to-ski years, and loves helping his guests manage their fears on snow. His first lift was a rope tow at North Creek, the old name for what's now Gore Mtn. NY. He spent his "learn to ski" years skiing at Stratton and Stowe, caught the racing bug at 13, and raced through high school. He discovered the beauty, challenge and powder of Utah in his 20's and has returned there to ski every year since 1981.
When his two sons grew up and moved west, John began working part-time as a ski instructor. When he's not running his music business, you can find him at Stratton or Butternut. March is always Utah month.
He'll always reply to your questions! jtgelb54@gmail.com
- More Fun, or More Fear? How Kids Improve - December 18, 2025
- 64 Years of Skiing & the Consequences - December 2, 2025
- Fatal Collision: It’s Time to Act - May 23, 2024
ok
In 1970 I was struck by an out-of-control skier, which resulted in a double compound break. Three operations and bone grafting later my life went on, but the permanent injury has cause severe back problem now in my later life.
I still ski, but frankly, I’m scared and extraordinarily cautious. I always hope that those numerous skiers going too fast “are as good as they think they are.”
They probably don’t know how to make decent turns so they bomb the hill. . . stupid is as stupid does!
Hey Jim, thanks for your comment & reality check that these awful injuries happen. Glad you got back out there, despite a super-bad injury, but you’ve clearly paid a big price. Every skier needs to know, and appreciate what a fine line of safety we occupy. I’m more vigilant than ever, after getting wiped out on the slopes, while stopped in a safe place, 7-8 yrs ago.
It can happen to anyone, almost anywhere. JG
Wow. This is sad news. I have had a number of close calls including this year while standing in a lift line and a 20-something snowboarder came flying in at high speed, knocking over people in her path and colliding with the mesh fence, which inevitably saved me from being taken out. My friend had a similar experience, but unfortunately for her, had her ACL torn while standing in a lift line as an out-of control skier collided with her. I also think that many of these skiers are under the influence as well so we have to contend with that, too.
Hi Renee,
thanks for your comment, and reminder about the “skiing under the influence” factor. Makes every potential bad situation even worse.
John
So sorry to hear.. I was wounding when I might read about something like this. I have been skiing for over 60 years and was an instructor for over 30. I also was a ski patrolmen. We use to slow these people down and even take their tickets. Has ski area Management except the losses for the increased accident rate due to the cost of a lift ticket?
I have witnessed more people jumping off of everything throwing trash on the slopes etc. Also in my opinion more drinking and I am sure more drug users or as it’s known as recreational drugs? Maybe Ski Areas need to in force safety and common sense for everyone over profit and reputation.
Hi Ken,
Would be nice if ski areas enforced certain measures to reduce collisions in hi-density locations.
Renee,
Thanks for your important comment. You make an excellent point which I haven’t seen yet: liftlines are another “high danger” place.
I’ve been in plenty of big and small lines, but have never witnessed an out-of-control skier/boarder crash into people standing in lines – and that’s a particularly hi-risk situation, as the crowd will prevent plenty of people from protecting themselves…even if they see danger approaching.
This is sad news. At Sugarloaf in Maine we used to have a safety patrol. It no longer seems to be in place I’m not sure why. It helped keep crazy skiers under control. They were given a warning, then had to watch a safety movie then lost their ticket. As you know if you’ve worked with kids 3 warnings is too many. Reckless skiing should be immediate loss of ticket and retraining mandatory to return to the slopes. We need to bring the safety patrols.
We used to have a “Courtesy Patrol” that did gentle work on the hill to slow down the crazies. It’s been gone for a long time, I think the result of some budget ax.
Agree! In 2012 on 1/30 early afternoon with almost no one on the mountain I was literally run over by a snow board rider from behind who had just come around the corner at high speed and said he “took the jump” and he never saw me. This was on a lower mountain blue to green trail at Waterville that leads to the main lift. That area had a turn with a lip at the fork of two trails that people are fond of jumping (signage said Slow Area) and he jumped it and then turned and crashed into me. He broke my leg and I was out of work over a month. The ski patrol took great care of getting me down but when they were putting me in the sled they looked at the guy and just said you can go. They heard the circumstances and he was semi hysterical but unhurt. I skiied WV most of my life and there are lots of prepared jumps for riders and skiiers as well as parks but the ski patrol did not even blink at someone riding out of control on a easy trail who caused serious injury. I was pretty angry.
Hi Marie,
thanks for your comment – another true story in a long line of sad true stories…I think a community like ours needs to begin (and never cease) requesting/demanding/insisting that ski area management take steps to control those who cannot control themselves. Dangers are too great, especially to the smallest and youngest.
John
I too was knocked unconscious in the winter of 16’. The guy that hit me had the balls to sue me for 1.5 million dollars. Long story short ,18 months later it was thrown out of NYS court, but many sleepless nites. The following year while I was working at a vail resort my wife was hit by a skier and tore her ACL. While she was in surgery I wrote a lengthy article about what I believe was the causes of these accidents and a possible solution to this problem. Alas “no one” would print it for fear of retaliation by the people and organizations I mentioned in my article. Send me the newsletter email and I’ll send it to you.
I an a now a 75 year old Level 3 Certified Instructor, 50+ years of experience and still on the hill almost everyday, but, I now ski with my head on a swivel.
Chic,
Haha! There’s so little to laugh about regarding this nightmarish problem of fast, out-of-control skiers. But I did get a chuckle reading your final comment about skiing “with my head on a swivel”. Heard that comment from one of our ski school directors and it changed my entire approach while on the hill. I’m always thinking about my head being on a swivel…only way to keep mostly safe!! Thanks for your comment!
John shoot me an email. Ill send article a bit dated but still valid. Feel free to post on the site. Chic
JTGELB54@gmail.com
thanks
Chic’s comment about having his head on a swivel is spot on.
At 78 and a Skier for 62 years, I’ve seen too much recklessness by both skiers and snowboarders, and it’s only gotten worse over the years.
Most areas are hiding behind the Responsibility Code. Their lack of enforcement needs wholesale correction, period.
Hi DJ,
Almost no mention is ever made of the Skier’s Responsibility Code! Thanks for bringing it up. And I agree, resorts definitely can hold up a copy of the RC and say “See! It’s all right here”.
Somewhere else I recently read that the Responsibility Code has been clogged up with a bunch of far lesser important points.
The first two rules in the RC are the ones that, if followed, would prevent 99% of collisions and accidents:
1.Always stay in control. You must be able to stop or avoid people or objects.
2.People ahead or downhill of you have the right-of-way. You must avoid them.
Thanks,
John
John, I hear you. I have been skiing for 60 years and teaching for 34 years (including a previous stint at Stratton – Hi John!). My partner (also an instructor) and I have witnessed an increase in speed on the green and blue trails over the past few years. Resort management does have a role to play in keeping us safe while we play and work.
I suggest we all start reporting obvious speeders to management using a very simple process sans confrontation. When a skier/rider is going too fast, or is not skiing/riding in control, whatever, follow that person to the next lift. Remove your skis/board and walk to the RFID gate immediately behind the offender. Do not engage the person. Scan your pass immediately after the offender passes through. Send an email/letter to the resort with the time, gate and your pass number and “the person just before me was…”. If warranted, the resort can then prevent their pass from being scanned. This process has worked for me in the past – the offender did receive a “cautionary” communication from the resort (and was later banned).
Your Responsibility Code, which was six simple items, has grown to a long document of 141 words which could now be viewed as blah, blah, blah… The Code may need to be 10 points, but simplified. Imagine a stop sign which reads “Stop before you reach the white line so you have a clear view of oncoming traffic before you continue to your destination…”
Can the resorts station an Ambassador/person at the bottom of trails known to have this problem? They could use the same reporting procedure as outlined above.
Does anyone want to know how many times I have been taken out from behind? Can anyone spell TBI?
Hello Ed,
Thanks for your comment – I know one or two guys named Ed at Stratton…will look for whom I think you might be when I’m there next, though not sure whether I’ll be on the schedule this coming winter.
I LIKE your comment about how one could report “speeders” to management…only glitch is around the issue of where the “speeding offense” is witnessed…if it’s too high up the mountain, then that’s a LONG FAST RUN behind someone who’s too fast to begin with. But could work if it happens much further down the hill!
Best,
john
John, is this private?
Ed
Ed, not sure what you mean…our back and forth comments? These are NOT private, these are “public” in the sense that anyone who’s logged into SeniorsSkiing.com will receive the posts, and then if the person replies to a post his/her comment will be viewable by anyone logged into ss.com
On a broader basis, I would suppose that the comments in here may be searchable/findable online thru Google. Just about everything online is findable, unless you’re in a walled-off domain or subscriber only setting.
hope that helps!
The death (murder?) of the JH ski instructor is a horrible tragic story. Something we all should be concerned about. I hope they find the culprit and punish him/her. Alas, I am not hopeful. I just want say a couple of things. First, I am 64. I agree that ski area management needs to do more. Much more. BUT, if that message appears to be coming *only* from us older skiers, we risk simply being dismissed as a bunch of cranky old people saying, in effect, “get offa my lawn.” This serious safety concern *should* be shared by everyone who skis–ESPECIALLY parents of young kids. I’m an old dad (16 year old son). And when I started him skiing at age 4, he suffered many close calls. I always skied closely behind him to offer blocking. But it did not always work. Once, an out-of control rider sideswiped him. I caught up to that rider and tried to explain about his dangerous riding, I was met only with hostility, no apology, nothing–and was accused of being an “old man.” I told him one of the advantages of being an old man was that I no longer cared whether or not people thought I was old. Anyway, I digress. Back when I was a kid, ski patrol used to actively patrol my local resort and they were tough with people skiing out of control. At some point in history my resort also had employees who wore jackets labelled “Courtesy Patrol.” Neither thing happens any longer. Well, except maybe at some Vail resorts who have the “yellow jackets” who take infractions seriously. I think, more than signage, which is all too easily ignored, the answer may lie in having more staff on the slopes doing “courtesy patrols” and pulling passes of people who commit infractions. There may be other solutions as well–education and trail design that reduces dangerous intersections are two more that come to mind. Anyway, the article is right, we should be speaking up and demanding that resorts take safety MUCH more seriously. But we absolutely need to get a larger segment of the skiing demographic to also speak up about it.
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your good comment. I remember providing uphill blocking for my own kids back in the day. I agree that the volume needs to be raised by more demographics, so it’s young singles, young parents, etc. But there’s plenty of skiers in the 50+ category. It’s not an easy problem to solve, but I’ve been doing a little, and I’m going to do more. It’s worth it, even if it only prevents one collision per ski area per season. best, John
Cameras could be installed on slopes (as they are on roads) and monitored by the ski management at resort. Agree that the rogue skiers are very dangerous. Near misses happen all the time now…
Recently saw two snow boarders skiing (left and right) on a big open slope at Banff , and for 100 yards they did not see each other descending , came to the point of meeting, crashed back to back and both were knocked to the ground and stunned. Luckily they were young..and got up from the ground a minute later.
Each skier should physically sign a disclosure for the said resort stating they have read the rules of behavior. AND perhaps, we need a permit (as you do for scuba diving) where you cannot ski without getting a permit and going thru safety and slope behavior lessons. If you can afford a lift ticket you can pay to take a permitting lesson.
As bad as car driving is these days with video games such as “Death race 2000” and “grand theft auto” !. Is anyone really surprised that the bad examples for the last 40 years have transferred to behavior for our youth ? Hollywood and Rockstar Games (maker of grand theft auto) have their clutches on our youth culture . It boils down to lack of concern for others.
Long past time to speak up- but always better late than never!!
As I think about ways to have an impact on ski area management, I believe more and more that the only solutions will be the ones management can implement at the lowest out-of-pocket cost. The fact remains that skiing is an expensive sport to operate, and so management budgets for discretionary items which are purely costs, with no associated revenues, is a tough one for resorts to swallow. But I’m going to talk with management whenever I witness something truly dangerous.
I too have had numerous encounters with fast skiers and riders passing me within a few feet and scaring the hell out of me. Thankfully I have not been hit. Here is a link to a recent article about a hit and run at Aspen this past winter. Social media and cameras at the mountain helped identify the culprit. I believe every state with ski areas should have a law similar to Colorados law.
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/05/21/social-media-identifies-snowboarder/
Hi Bob,
thanks for your comments and for sending link.
regards,
John
John, You are so right to bring the. Issue of ski collisions up. Its reckless skiers who are to blame. The resorts definitely need to do much more to control this dangerous and potentially lethal problem. Have employees eg Patrol pull tickets! Richard Kavey
Hi Richard,
If only it were that easy. The problem is that resorts don’t do much to clamp down. And it’s only in the most fortuitous and lucky situation where an incident is so grievous and the witness happens to be someone employed by resort in a significant enough position that revoking ticket actually happens.
Regards,
John
It’s very sad but unfortunately just like when you are driving on the roads, the law can’t do much when so many people ignore the laws until there is a collision. Speed limits are posted that nobody follows, traffic lights that people blow through after the light turns red, crosswalks that drivers ignore, and many other laws in our society that people don’t think apply to them because we have become so narcissistic. Ski resorts are the epitome of this now that lift tickets and equipment has become so expensive, filled with self-entitled people who think rules don’t apply to them.
I work as a mountain host at the Park City Canyons resort. We see it all day long every day. Some people just don’t care about anyone but themselves and completely disregard the safety rules. I have been holding a rope to close off a trail for a snowmobile crossing and have had many people try to go under it or around me WHILE I’M STANDING THERE HOLDING THE ROPE! And it isn’t just young people or the snowboarders, everyone is doing it. Last season I had to literally grab a 60-70-year-old man trying to ski right past me while I’m standing there, holding a rope waving my hands, and yelling at him to stop. On another occasion, I was assisting ski patrol with an injured teenage girl. We had 3 people around this girl and our skis all planted as X’s in the snow just above us signalling a situation. Some adult middle-aged male skier came so close to the girl laying on the ground he almost hit her and the ski patrol officer, on a very wide groomed run with so much space on either side of us. If the patrol hadn’t already been working on the girl he told me he would have pulled that guy’s pass, but he’s not going to leave her and chase the moron down. We just don’t have enough resources to stop all these idiots.
I have had many conversations with our mountain safety team about these things. They are just as frustrated as everyone else because of the limitations of what they can do. I see them warning people constantly and sometimes suspending passes, but there are just way too many people disregarding the rules than they can stop. We have so many signs on the slopes for slow areas, trail merging signs, and safety rules posted everywhere but it won’t stop someone who just doesn’t care.
Honestly, I would say that the majority of people on the mountain I experience do their best to ski/board safely and are courteous. It is a smaller percentage that don’t follow the rules. But when you have tens of thousands of people on the hill on any given day, a small percentage is enough to be a problem.
The fact is that making more rules and putting up more signs won’t change anything if people don’t care. Just like the example of reckless drivers I see on the road, people do what they want because what are the chances they’ll be the ones the police stop? The only solution is that people have to start thinking of other people instead of only themselves. Whether they were raised wrong or need to spend some years in prison, it has to come internally. No sign is going to stop the narcissism.
Hey Scott,
Your comment is super thoughtful and detailed…and I can’t really disagree with anything you’ve said. I see exactly what you’ve reported, at the resort where I ski and give lessons, and it often just feels like there’s nothing that will solve the problem. But I’m going to keep on trying!
Best,
John
This is an interesting article at several levels. First, if you were knocked out after being struck by a skier/rider, then you were injured. You had a concussion. As such you should have had a medical evaluation, you probably should not have skied the rest of the day, and YOU had a responsibility under the Skier’s Code to report the incident to the ski area or ski patrol. maybe all of that happened, but your article does not mention any of this.
That being said, I have to agree with Rob that ski areas need to have more active patrols. At the areas where I ski, I occasionally see patrols out adjusting ropes and the padding on lift towers, but I never see them out patrolling and intercepting out of control skiers/riders. At times there are a few Ambassadors/Hosts, but I don’t believe they have any true enforcement
capabilities.
Relying on individual resort customers to enforce the Skier’s Code and other regulations is problematic. People who are skiing aggressively can be hostile when challenged about their behavior. I was involved in such an incident a few years back. I was not struck, but I heard a loud “thump” behind me and turned to see a boarder unconscious in the snow, and shortly thereafter having some seizure activity. Fortunately he was already on his back. He had some friends with him and I think one of them went to get patrol. I stayed and cradled his head between my legs in case he had a neck injury. He started to wake up and became argumentative and a little combative. His other friends were encouraging him to get up and leave so that his pass would not be pulled. By that time, ski patrol arrived at the scene and took over what was becoming an ugly situation. I am glad I was not put in the position of further having to enforce the rules as a resort skier.
James,
Interesting comment, particularly about my collision incident six/seven years ago. I don’t actually know whether or not I was in an unconscious state…if I was, it was no more than a second or two, because not a single person who saw the collision (and there were about three adults who witnessed it), said anything at all to me like: “Are you ok?” or “You were out cold”, nothing at all. And immediately after the collision, I was fully awake and asking the group of three in a loud voice if they saw the person who hit me, etc. So I was fully in control of my actions immediately afterward, and suffered no lingering effects whatsoever.
On a lighter note I was told once in Sun Valley that a skier had recently unbalanced another while pasing him. Worried he might have caused an injury he sidestepped back up. The other skier, sitting in the snow, whipped off his shades, extended a hand and said “Hi – I’m Arnie”.
: )
Sadly, I don’t think the Jackson Hole homicide will be prosecuted.
We’ve all seen the slopes get more dangerous over the years, and while we all believe that resorts need to better monitor the slopes and that skiers/riders need to better follow the rules, the fact is, there will always be people who flout the rules. More people, more flouting.
I ski two mountains in Maine, one since 1971. And this year, one of the two opened an igloo so that people can drink next to their new high-speed Doppelmayr bubble lift. Drinking used to be après-ski. Now, it’s officially during skiing-time. I was shocked at how many times I rode up the lift and people had carried their beers with them from the igloo. Not to mention more people were taking “nips” off their flasks, etc. It annoys me that the resort is encouraging this behavior, so there’s no point in complaining.
It’s hard enough to ski/ride with all of your mental faculties, but trying to ski/ride with impaired mental faculties is a recipe for disaster. I don’t get that ski culture at all.
I’ve decided my only choice is to cut back on my days at the resort with the drinking igloo. I skied 16days there this past season. Next year, I’ll cut that in half, and only ski non-holiday midweek, to avoid as much of the holidaymaker-type of skiers/riders I can.
For max protection, I make sure my helmet is well-fitted and strapped on tight. Loose helmets don’t protect as well. I also wear a ski vest or backpack that has good padding on the back. It might protect me a bit from collisions. I hate having to ski so defensively but better safe than sorry. I’ve skied for 57yrs, and I’d like to ski for a few more decades.
Oh, I did ride up with a young ski patroller on White Heat, their uber-steep bump slope, and asked him how many sleds do they have to bring down a day? He told me, over 30 a day on weekends!!! I was shocked. I hadn’t seen a single sled all season, and I’ve skied 54days, there and elsewhere. That told me I was at least skiing slopes that weren’t injury and collision magnets.
Ken, I agree with you about on-mountain consumption of adult beverages. Where I ski in VT, there’s a full-fledged, mid-mountain bar that sees activity almost all day long.
In 1970 I was struck by an out-of-control skier, which resulted in a double compound break. Three operations and bone grafting later my life went on, but the permanent injury has cause severe back problem now in my later life.
I still ski, but frankly, I’m scared and extraordinarily cautious. I always hope that those numerous skiers going too fast “are as good as they think they are.”
They probably don’t know how to make decent turns so they bomb the hill. . . stupid is as stupid does!
Jim
glad you’re still skiing! I’m more cautious than ever, cause I’d like to ski for many more years
John
I always thought that anyone who straps on skis or a board before getting on a slope should have a “license”. Just like you need before you operate a motorized vehicle on the open road.
Hi Stephen,
Well, in a perfect world maybe that would exist. But I probably won’t live long enough to ski in that world!!
john
i was a patroller for 26 years and still teach since 1973
when we encountered out of bounds skiers or out of control skiers we punched their day pass or season pass with our ski pole
if stopped a second time their pass was pulled, period and if they were on the back of the they got to walk out
my wife have both been hit by out of control boarders
there a blue runs we will not ski at our home resort because of the straight liners going to the terrain park
wish more resorts did this. word would get around very quickly among those demographic groups that are the offenders
thanks Douglas
John: Thank you for this call to action. I agree with you and all responses that enforcement seems to have deteriorated badly over the decades. I’m age 83, fortunately in good health and active, and enjoy trips with fellow 70+ Ski Club members. Two seasons ago, one of our octogenarian stalwarts was knocked down from behind. While we watched, he patiently helped the bad actor up, retrieved his skis, made sure he was O.K., and rejoined our group. I asked my friend, “Did he apologize?” “No.” Did he say, “Thank you?” No. Sigh. Sign of the times, perhaps, but the consequences can be devastating, as you and others make clear. I hope management takes heed, listens to its faithful patrons, and acts to protect everyone.
This season I was knocked down from behind, on an open slope, by a ‘good guy,’ who was unfortunately inattentive to the skier in front of him. Tough to navigate through the remaining days of the ski safari, resulting in having to cancel another trip, but fortunately, nothing broken. So, it behoves all of us, including me, to be attentive at all times. Best wishes to all for safe skiing.
Les
Hey Les,
Thanks for your comment.
One thought I had, after my (so far) only incident of being knocked over from behind while skiing…is to take a picture of the offender if it’s possible. In my case, the person who hit me never stopped, just kept on going, and I never got any info from the eye witnesses at the scene. BUT, if I had a photo, you never know when that might come in handy down the road.
I don’t want to get hit again. And I am much more of a “swivel-head” while skiing than ever before!
Ski areas are at least partially at fault because they cut these very wide and boring cruiser trails that mostly go in a straight line. There is nothing to do there but to crank up the speed.
Ski areas could do at least a couple of things about it:
1. Avoid straight lines. Make trails that meander around, thus making them mo re interesting.
2. Leave a few trees standing in the middle of trails. Not only does this slow down traffic, it makes the trail more interesting, and it keeps skiers more attentive.
3. Ski areas should make these boring straight-line trails more interesting by providing a “terrain park for turning” (instead of jumping). Put down some bamboo poles for a practice race course. Even better, make a whole forest made of bamboo poles or orange traffic cones to simulate tree skiing. This would definitely give skiers something interesting to do on the slopes, and it would slow traffic down. And the more time people spend on the trails, the shorter the lift lines will be.
Strangely, ski areas don’t seem to care about any of this. Instead, they throw caution to the wind and build enormous life-threatening jumps that cost time and money and special equipment to build. It would be a lot cheaper for ski areas to simply provide a “forest” full of obstacles to turn around. A bunch of orange traffic cones costs very little and can be reused year after year.
Hey Emilio,
Your comment is very thought-provoking and I like it! I agree 100% about the boring nature of the very wide green and blue runs. Fortunately there aren’t too many of these at Stratton…but you’re absolutely correct about the boredom of the “super-wides”…along with everyone else, I find myself speeding up. Whereas the curvy trails, which are never too straight, force skiers to ski more slowly. But the inexorable uphill transportation of hundreds of skiers/boarders on high-speed quad/six-pack & more chairlifts, means the resorts need some of the super-wide trails simply to accommodate the downhill traffic, otherwise the fun, narrow trails will just get clogged up, and more dangerous.
One thing that’s good: with Covid and the move to more remote workers, and flex time schedules, it’s more possible for skiers to get out on the hill during slower days: Tues/Wed/Thur/Fri
From what I’ve seen, those days are dreamy compared to Sat/Sun in terms of small numbers of skiers.
Here’s an idea for ski resorts: “SKI Tuesday-Thursday & SAVE”. Resorts might find amazing receptivity from the skiing public if people were able to get away for one or more mid-week ski trips: no lines at the lifts, no lines in the base lodge, no crowds on the hill. Who knows?
As a solidly blue skier in my 70’s, this tragic death is a stark reminder of the dangers of a sport I have enjoyed since childhood. Like most of the writers, I too have had many close calls, with much greater frequency the past decade. Although it seems an intrusion into our privacy, perhaps it is time for judiciously placed cameras to allow for enforcement of sensible safety rules?
Marie,
thanks for your thoughtful comment. You know, I kinda agree with you – I’m also a skier of a certain age, whose age will begin with a “7” before this year is over!
It will take a courageous ski resort to be the pioneer on the camera idea, but who knows it might achieve the aim of causing skiers/riders to slow down.
I wish we could get the folks from “Ride Another Day” to think about this approach. They have the ear of resort management’s more than most folks, due to the family’s enormous tragedy.
This is indeed sad news. However, at our local areas, safety has taken a major step – backwards. Liberty Mountain Resort, Ski Roundtop, and Whitetail in South Central Pa, all had a well trained Mountain Safety staff in place for 25 years. These three resorts often deal with huge crowds on very limited acreage. We patrolled diligently attempting to keep the carnage to a minimum. When Vail Inc bought the resorts, they immediately came in and scrapped the entire program with total disregard for mountain safety and the untiring volunteer efforts of many dedicated professional people. It may sound negative, but don’t expect corporate skiing to do a thing about this issue.
This also happened where I ski in VT. What’s left of it only exists around large trail merges at bottom of lifts, and one or two spots higher up on the hill where funnels of skiers are dispersed between green & blue runs.
I tend to not associate skiing with confrontation but a fun recreation. Forgive me, but I believe in my comment, but it is being said with ideas that will be needed to bring these dangerous acts that matters to fruition. Expecting to create a “speed patrol” will be a very confrontational role if the mtn. administration deems it is time. Flashing Blue lights need to be developed into the Speed Patrol member’s helmet. When a dangerous action is seen, the patrol throws on the flashing blue lights and pulls the violator over on the trail. The patrol needs to have a cellular device that will delete the RFID code without demanding the RFID lift ticket be shown by the violator. Verbal explanations are optional. The body camera worn by the member of the Speed Patrol will record the dangerous act and will download with the RFID code deleter device’s chop directly to the mtn. administration. All we need is for a engineer to create an affordable smart device. Stun phasers add-on would be an option for those who are caught and are “SWI” (skiing or sboard while intoxicated or influenced)
The gentile term of skiers/sboard “responsibility code” needs to be dropped and a new term more powerful needs to be used, like the word commandments. There should only be 6 Snowsport Commandments. Speed Patrol who witness the dangerous act can always say to the victim(s) a borrowed cleche, “I’ve got your six.”
Sounds like a truly dystopian world! No one’s more outspoken about the dangers of fast, out-of-control skiers than me…but your idea for “stun phasers” is truly science-fiction that will not occur, at least not in my lifetime! Appreciate your creativity for sure: best idea is a device which could cancel anyone’s RFID…would add an “auto push email” that follows incident by 8-10 hours, with brief explanation to the culprit.
However, not holding my breath for these measures to be taken!
I used to teach at Jackson Hole and knew Peter. Every where we skied this past season, both large and small resorts, we see many skiing and riding faster than their ability level.
Yes, complain at ALL ski areas to the management, patrol and instructors and even lifties whenever you see people going too fast.
And suggest that they allow ski instructors, as well as patrol to “punch” tickets and season passes of people that they ‘catch’ going too fast. If ski areas were to basically “deputize” more employees to issue warnings which would end up, after a few offenses, resulting in loosing the right to ski at that resort, more people might take skiing too fast seriously.
The other issue is the equipment – the fatter and bigger skis tend to promote faster skiing with fewer turns and allow for skiing with a lower skill level.
Cookie,
thanks for your comment…completely agree…we must make NOISE and complain to ski area managements about the fast, out-of-control skiers we witness on the hills.
However, I don’t believe any ski areas will “deputize” staff members to punish offenders who ski/ride too fast/too dangerously. But the more noise management hears from their “skiing/riding public”, the more I believe they will at least take minimal steps: more signage/banners on trails that force people to slow down, more use of “courtesy patrol” people who keep an eye on things.
Just had a chance to read this. I am 70, an expert skier, and have been an instructor for about 40 years.
My midwestern resort used to have warning stickers that patrol and instructors could apply to lift tickets when a dangerous skier was seen. That practice was stopped several years ago. Then we were told not to confront or yell at guests, but contact management. Now we have RFID cards, so stickers or punching tickets wouldn’t work.
We have many, many first-time skiers who tackle slopes way above their ability and they are a danger to themselves and everyone else.
I also have my head on a swivel at all times and ski behind my students, especially kids, to try to intercept out of control skiers and riders.
I still have been knocked down several times, but lucky not to have been seriously injured. Yet. I know others who can’t ski anymore because of being injured.
I’m a 71 year old woman who has been skiing nearly every season since edges were screwed on. Even taught a few.
I’ve had the slope side chats with those skateboarding people turn snowboarding slope ‘at the speed of heat’ terrorists, as I sometimes think of them. They are polite by geography, young by design. They believe they are in control. In fact, they are not. Here’s why.
Being in control on the slopes means being able to STOP ON A DIME. Snowboards are parabolic. My skis are now parabolic. If I ski with my NON parabolic skis, I can still stop on a dime.
If I ski with my new parabolic design shaped skis, I can’t.
I will admit I’m making a big leap here, but I’m thinking there must be some truth in it.
Snowboarders can certainly get out of the way well enough. More often than not they ride the high side crust of a groomed open slope for the speed and open corridor so if they DO have to get out of the way, guess where they will go?
My daughter never road a skateboard. She is a snowboarder, 31 and I hope knows to be polite on the slopes. She would never ski with me, just let me pay.
I love here just the same.
I’m a 71 year old woman who has been skiing nearly every season since edges were screwed on. Even taught a few.
I’ve had the slope side chats with those skateboarding people turn snowboarding slope ‘at the speed of heat’ terrorists, as I sometimes think of them. They are polite by geography, young by design. They believe they are in control. In fact, they are not. Here’s why.
Being in control on the slopes means being able to STOP ON A DIME. Snowboards are parabolic. My skis are now parabolic. If I ski with my NON parabolic skis, I can still stop on a dime.
If I ski with my new parabolic design shaped skis, I can’t.
I will admit I’m making a big leap here, but I’m thinking there must be some truth in it.
Snowboarders can certainly get out of the way well enough. More often than not they ride the high side crust of a groomed open slope for the speed and open corridor so if they DO have to get out of the way, guess where they go. ?
Hi Cathy,
You MUST protect yourself!!
It’s sad and very disappointing that ski areas don’t believe they have any duty whatsoever to help deter fast & out-of-control skiers & riders.
The “Ride Another Day” non-profit was started by the parents of a little 5-yr old girl named Elise, who was struck by an out-of-control snowboarder while she was skiing with her mom. Little Elise was killed, as was the snowboarder.
To me, it’s an abomination that ski areas do so little to curtail dangerous participants on the mountain.
“Head on a swivel” is mandatory for all of us.
Please be careful out there. I’m anxious whenever I’m skiing on trails in the east…a bit more relaxed when skiing in the Utah Wasatch where the density of people to terrain is usually much lower.
Happy trails, John
PS: My message for all of us is to report incidents to the highest level execs at the ski areas where we ski & ride.
Having been teaching for many years, I have become used to being yelled at by guests when I comment on their out of ä control skiing. I have been hit and knocked out of my bindings a few times and had too many close calls… Either by party ‘kids’ or by middle age men on wide powder skis, barreling down green and blue groomers… (do you ever see these speed demons in the moguls or on black runs)??? The resort out west where I teach have now started to put up ‘Slow Zone” signs, some ‘check gates’ and even patrollers at times trying to slow down traffic. All this works ‘in the moment but as soon as patrollers are gone, the speeding picks up. Yes, I now also ski with my head on a swivel, always wear a back/spine vest and of course a brain bucket. But I worry about my students being hit, which unfortunately also happens.
As we know, these skiers do not read signs and the rules of the road really do not concern them, because they know what they are doing… It is scary out there…
Hey Ole,
We’re all seeing the same insanity out there on the hills.
1. Head on a swivel…YES
2. Report to management the most dangerous intersections, and ask for courtesy patrol involvement (speed mitigation)
3. I hadn’t thought of this before: messages sent by email to management NEVER DISAPPEAR – you can always retrieve from your own sent emails
regards, John
I gave up down hill skiing in 1998 because of out of control skiers and snowboarders. Several friends after that were run over by skiers and boarders. One friend was in a coma for over a month after being hit by a skier. He had been an instructor and was just standing still on an uncrowded run. Others have had knee injuries and shoulder injuries after being hit.
In my view, the apps, supported by Ticket purveyors such as Ikon and some resorts, are contributing to the recklessly high speed riders. The apps encourage competitive racing against the clock, via the app, by supplying prompts to the skier/boarder messages such as they just registered the 5th fastest speed on the Mtn today. Obviously, that only prompts the person to try harder on the next run, all the while screaming at those who might slow them down to get out of the way.
Not only do you have to look backwards, I found out you have to keep your eyes on the woods. I was skiing at Whitefish with my son (I was in my early 70’s) when skiing close to the edge of the trail watching the “traffic” in the center of the run when a skier came out of the woods (12-13 years old} and knocked me down like a bowling pin. My son chased him down and gave him a “talking-to”, but he and his friend never even slowed down to see if I might be injured! The impression my son got was that old farts like me should have eyes in the back and side of our heads! (And it wasn’t like I was snowplowing down the hill; I was trying to keep up with my 40 something kid, who had been skiing with me since he was 4!)
William, great observation. I’ve noticed the sneaky tree skiers at Stratton, and occasionally realize that they’ve gotta be paid attention to also! And I do pay attention, when a tree skier next to the trail I’m skiing is going faster than the “traffic” on the trail…That’s when I realize that that skier is a threat. But for the most part, I’m mostly focused on the fast skiers on “my” trail, whichever that one is. Because the nearest fast skier who appears to be taking “liberties” with safety is always the one that captures my attention until I’m clear of him. Sorry for the sexism! But I’d have to say 99%+ of “too fast, out-of-control skiers” are guys.
I’m looking forward to this ski season, starting to get in shape for my ski instructor duties up at Stratton, VT! If you’re going to be there feel free to text me 203-249-3008 if you’re new to the mountain, want any tips or advice. Best, John
POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
I’m 75, skiing for 70 years and hoping for another 20+, still out there 40+ days/year. It would ruin me to be crashed into a ski-ending injury or worse.
I worked a weekend gig for 10 years at Waterville Valley in the 90s — Safety Services, attached to Ski Patrol to help with things like traffic control on the weekends, with authority to stop and warn these clowns and, for serious/repeat violations, pull their ticket. That program is long gone as ski areas look to maximize profits, sometimes at the expense of skier safety.
This is my greatest fear as an older skier: getting clocked from behind by some out of control Joey, often traveling in packs, skiing above their actual ability and oblivious to any responsibility for other skiers. I’m tired of having to look over my shoulder for these idiots. I know this is a concern shared not only by senior skiers but also by people with families and the skiing public at large.
While it wouldn’t eliminate the problem, one idea that could put a serious dent in it would be to petition ALL of the members of the National Ski Area Association to post (signage) ONE of the 10 ITEMS FROM THE SKIERS’ RESPONSIBILITY CODE, RANDOMLY, ON EVERY LIFT TOWER ON EVERY LIFT IN THE COUNTRY. This is a relatively low-cost solution and would at least address half of the problem: awareness. If you’re reading these continuously, sub-consciously, monotonously but REPETITIVELY, then at least now you have no excuse for not knowing and hopefully it starts to affect how you share the hill with others.
Footnote: I did actually call NSAA with this idea a few years ago but was treated with a bland, non-commital reply, something about how all of their members are already committed to skier safety (blah blah blah). But, hey, I’m just one skier.
Hey Jeff,
Hope you get ALL 20 of those additional skiing years! I’d like that myself.
Your suggestion is a great one, but the resorts won’t do it. Why not?
The only specific answer I ever received to essentially the same question was this: MANAGEMENT IS CONCERNED THAT ANY PRO-ACTIVE STEPS MIGHT INTERFERE WITH THE EXISTING “ASSUMPTION OF RISK” WAIVER THAT WE ALL AFFIRMATIVELY AGREE TO AS A CONDITION OF BEING ALLOWED TO USE LIFTS AND SKI THE TRAILS.