The biggest mistake I new skier make is stopping in the middle of a run or stopping where they are invisible. Stop all the way to the side against the trees, don't lie down on the snow and don't stop right below a roll or other terrain where uphill skiers can't see you. I can't emphasize strongly enough how important this is.
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Where should the Newbie be positioned on the trail?
- Thread starter CrystalRose
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For sure on a certain width of terrain or beyond a certain traffic density it is impossible to give the most nervous all the margin they might need for piece of mind. You can still keep them safe though.
That is debatable, and the reason for this thread. It is probably safer to leave a narrow corridor between you and the trees.
Definitely debatable. Instructor last season called that "the idiot gap." Don't leave a gap - it's just way too tempting. Either get RIGHT up against something - RIGHT up - or lots of room. Although I still can't tell you how many times people have come so close to me that I could have stabbed them with my pole on the way through. And don't think I didn't consider it.
But unless the trees are literally too tight to walk through, assume someone's going to pop out of them and be shocked to find you there. So don't stop where the trees are wide enough to allow someone through.
Breck has big yellow "SLOW" banners and "REST AREA" and such on blues and greens - if you can find something like that, stand right beneath it, so someone would have to take out the banner to run into you.
@Monique @mdf I stop where I consider to be right against the trees. Three years ago, this was safe and acceptable. To @mdf's point, I think people see me there now and think, "Challenge accepted!".
Now I'm going to assume we are talking about beginner skiers skiing mid-season. White ribbon of death has different rules, and to ensure safety, you should offer a prayer each time when you go and stop, and burnt offerings on the hour.
Now I'm going to assume we are talking about beginner skiers skiing mid-season. White ribbon of death has different rules, and to ensure safety, you should offer a prayer each time when you go and stop, and burnt offerings on the hour.
Welcome to Squaw Valley.
I do know someone who took out one of those banners once. Meant to hockey stop just above it; failed to stop in time. This was many years ago, but I still remember the looks on the mountain safety people's faces.
Other than that, though, I really haven't ever seen it happen.
Seen the banner taken out on Mountain Run at Squaw many times during my season there.
Of all the places I've been to, have to say Squaw takes the cake in that respect. That is pretty impressive when one considers that I use to ski Killington on weekends for 9 seasons. .
Of all the places I've been to, have to say Squaw takes the cake in that respect. That is pretty impressive when one considers that I use to ski Killington on weekends for 9 seasons. .
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I like rest areas. I still look uphill when I'm stopped in one though.
Mountain Run is one of the worst ski runs in the world for traffic (along with any run that collects all or almost all traffic back to base from all over the resort).
I confess if I'm working the edge of a run people who are right up against the edge aren't the problem. Leave a couple of yards though and don't gripe if people try to use it.
Mountain Run is one of the worst ski runs in the world for traffic (along with any run that collects all or almost all traffic back to base from all over the resort).
I confess if I'm working the edge of a run people who are right up against the edge aren't the problem. Leave a couple of yards though and don't gripe if people try to use it.
I tend to tuck myself off to the side of a trail when I'm visible from above, and that usually works — but not always. One heavy-snow day a couple of seasons ago, my legs were burning up on Westside, a wide, wide, wide-open groomer at Sunapee. So I turned a little, stopped, and looked upslope, moving slowly toward the edge. There was a guy working the side of the trail way up, and I kept my eye on him as I traversed, sure he could see me because I was right in front of him and well down-slope. I arrived at the edge well in advance of him, still watching. He kept coming straight at me, and then, at the last second, he seemed to notice me and passed right close with a snarl of irritation. I was in his line, you see, a god-given line he'd inherited from his father and from his father before him.
I'm a newbie, but I'm sure glad we ski at DV as they limit the numbers on the mountain. Fewer people does help. But as a newbie slow skier I hate the sound of a fast skier barreling down on me
I think it's a beautiful thing when a skier or boarder is coming up behind me and calls out on your left or on your right so I know what they're doing. I wish more people would do this. I do this myself when passing someone. I know I appreciate it so hopefully others do as well.
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Can of worms - for everyone who believes that is sensible courtesy there is someone who believes it ( and/or the pole click) is a passive aggressive "get out of my way" signal. FWIW I'll do it when I think it will help.
Yeah, true. I'm hesitant to call out, and when I do, I try to sound as calm and un-irritated as possible. Which means not very loud. Which means often not effective.
I bang my poles sometimes, and that usually works; carbon poles are less strident than aluminum.
You have to be careful, in any case. Young newbies often turn toward any sound, and they're sometimes slow to pick up on left and right. In an Epic thread on this topic, somebody said he'd call out "beep-beep!" passing young kids. I've tried that a few times.
This is true for older newbies, as well as experienced folks. It's pretty common to turn toward the source of the sound before fully processing what the sound meant.
I've done the pole clacking, but that seems rude. "Beep beep" could be taken either way. I haven't encountered a perfect answer
I guess you can never tell how someone is going to interpret something. When I click my poles, it's only so someone knows I'm there and not to suddenly do something different. I'll also say "on your left/right" mostly for the noise. Our cat tracks are normally pretty quiet snow and for all I know they think they are alone on the trail. I know I have on occasion been totally taken by surprise by a silent rocket appearing out of nowhere like some ghost. Please, let me know you are there!!!!! I could have just been about to hang a left or whatever. Sure I glance back most times, but it'll be a better LOOK if I know there's traffic back there.
This raises an interesting point, with me anyway. Last season, I was skiing close to the trees, short turns over some small bumps with a fair amount of speed. I saw this guy below me making very large turns, almost back and forth across the entire width of the run. He was clearly working on his technique. So down the hill I come on a very straight line along the trees and he turns somewhat in front of me. I hit the brakes as he let out a huge yell as if he was about to die a gruesome death. I didn't come anywhere even close to hitting him. He starts yelling at me about skiing too fast and I yelled back at him about taking up the whole hill and that maybe he should be looking uphill if he's going to be making those slow big turns.
So, I'm curious. Do you think that I was skiing a "god-given" line or do I have a quasi "right" to maintain my line, knowing that I had him in my sights. To be honest and as I've gone over that incident, I really sort of think that maybe both of us had an argument.
The guy below you had the right of way. If you're so close he's freaking out, it's on you.
The uphill skier's line is never sacrosanct. The downhill skier's is.
Freaking out and yelling isn't gentlemanly, however, unless there's actual threat, and the other skier is acting recklessly, which is sometimes known to happen. Opinions on reckless differ, though, so it's always wise to act with discretion.
Freaking out and yelling isn't gentlemanly, however, unless there's actual threat, and the other skier is acting recklessly, which is sometimes known to happen. Opinions on reckless differ, though, so it's always wise to act with discretion.