Skiing Etiquette

Earlier this week in Soll, I was shocked at the behaviour of a few people. We were making our way back to the resort late in the afternoon when we came upon a woman alone on the hill, clearly hurt. We stopped to check with her and she told us her friends (plural) had gone down to call for help but she was worried that somebody would come over the ridge and crash into her. We put her poles up the hill as a warning sign and waited with her for about 15 minutes until a piste basher came to rescue her. Meanwhile, we could see her "friends" at the next lift about 200m below us.

What I found extraordinary was that they were experienced skiers and that not one of them thought to stay with her. Even if they were all below her when she fell, they could easily have taken the lift back up ans skied down to her within a few minutes.

It made me think about skiing etiquette and about how we behave towards others on the mountain. THe above case is, in my view, an extreme example of people failing to take care of a friend :evil: . Other less serious examples would be people who lead off down runs without waiting to see if every member of their group is comfortable taking it on, people not checking regularly to make everybody is keeping up/has not fallen, etc. I'm sure lots of you have your pet hates. On the positive side, it is the usual friendly acts of helping people who are lost or have strayed onto a run that is above them, sharing information on favourite runs or powder stashes, etc.

Perhaps Pavel should compile one of his famous lists of good behaviours and helpm us all reflect on how we behave towards others on the mountain?

Any thoughts?

Outside of my sis causing an accident and leaving me stranded on piste. I have seen a lot of messy stuff at work. I don't understand why people don't help out other folks that are clearly in need. :cry: In February I had a "Head Vs. Snow Cannon". It was awful I was riding up to my lift shack and saw it but for at least 2 minutes no one did anything.

I jut mind my own business and enjoy it, but if I see something go down or drop stuff I'm not going to be rude and not help. It doesn't take much effort to pick up poles, snap off bindings or make a call.

Every time I go skiing it never fails to amaze the lack of etiquette people show on the slopes perhaps it is something that should be taught as part of ski school :cry:

Piste-Rules

The FIS piste rules at a glance. For greater safety and greater winter sports pleasure.

Consideration for others
Skiers and snowboarders must constantly behave in a manner, which can neither endanger or injure others.

Control of speed and style
Skiers and snowboarders must adjust their speed and style to their abilities, the terrain and the weather conditions.

Choice of line
Skiers and snowboarders coming from behind must select a line, which does not endanger those in front.

Overtaking
Overtaking is allowed from above or below and from right or left, but must always be at a distance which allows full freedom of movement to the person being overtaken.

Obligations of the lower or traversing skier or snowboarder
Those skiers or snowboarders wishing to enter the run, or cross the piste, must ensure that this is possible without endangering themselves or others, by checking both above and below. The same applies after every stop.

Stopping on the slopes
Skiers and snowboarders must avoid non-emergency stops at narrow or blind spots on a run. Fallers must clear such spots as quickly as possible.

Ascents
Ascending skiers and snowboarders must keep to the edge of the run and leave in bad visibility. The same applies to those ascending on foot.

Observing the signs
Skiers and snowboarders must observe the markings and signs on the slopes.

Behaviour in the case of accidents
All skiers and snowboarders are obliged to help in the case of an accident.

Obligatory identification in the case of accidents/Accident reporting
All persons, whether witnesses or those involved, whether responsible or not, must identify themselves in the case of an accident.

When reporting an accident, prepare answers to the following questions:

Who is reporting the accident?
Where did the accident happen and from where is it being reported?
What has happened and when? Short description, number of persons injured, type of injury
Can a helicopter land and where?
What is the weather like in the accident area ? Bright or cloudy, cloud height, wind direction and strength, visibility in metres, snow type, ...
» www.fis-ski.com

I have been helped a few times by very kind strangers, on the piste.

My first morning in Obergurgl, going down a narrow blue run, I unexpectedly found myself with my chin in the snow, face down, and I was quite dazed with the shock of it and totally unable to get up. My elder daughter had skied on ahead, and she didn't know I'd fallen over. But an Austrian samaritan came along and handed my the end of his ski pole and pulled me up, and he didn't laugh at me, and he even waited to make sure I could continue ski-ing. It was quite a crash - my chin was bleeding. And I don't know how it happened except that it was the year when there was hardly any snow anywhere and even Obergurgl was icy.

And, my first morning in Val Thorens last year, I fell on a green run, in a lesson, because one of my skis went into deep powder and came off. And my instructor didn't wait, even though he knew I'd fallen, but another instructor came up from behind me and helped me to find my lost ski and get it on.

So, actually, all in all, I have found other skiers to be very polite and helpful. I have been accidentally hit by skiers out of control, which is very frightening when it happens, but it's usually because the piste is too crowded.

What I don't get about the rules of the road/piste, is how you overtake slow skiers on a very narrow blue run. I usually tell them, in English and French, that I wish to overtake and on which side, so that they don't suddently swerve into me. But I know you're not really supposed to do this. And, something else I've noticed lately, is that people indicate with their sticks if they're going to swerve to the right or the left - the instructors do this particularly.

Thanks for bringing up the subject,

Ally

Ian Wickham wrote:Every time I go skiing it never fails to amaze the lack of etiquette people show on the slopes perhaps it is something that should be taught as part of ski school :cry:

They do, one of the problems is that the slopes are full of people who've had one week of lessons and decided they've nothing left to learn and now think themselves intermediates as they can get enough speed up to really hurt someone.

There's no excuse really; the skier's code is often included on piste maps and many resorts have posters reminding people of their responsibilities.

My insurance explicitly states that cover is subject to my abiding by the "Ski Federation Code".

Would be interesting to see how that panned out if you were involved in an accident that was later deemed to have been your fault (thought you were covered for that helicopter rescue and being sued by your victims family? Think again... ouch).

In Les Arcs my eldest lost control and so mr a and my youngest followed him down to sort him out. Unfortunately, this is when I had my accident and they were 100m or so ahead of me. It was a bad fall, I was sliding on my back, head first down the slope for what seemed like forever, trying to stop myself with my poles.

From the time of the fall to when I managed to get on my feet must've been about 5 mins and only one person stopped to ask if I was ok. Bearing in mind it was 30th December and, therefore, rather busy, I think it's quite disappointing.

caron-a wrote:In Les Arcs my eldest lost control and so mr a and my youngest followed him down to sort him out. Unfortunately, this is when I had my accident and they were 100m or so ahead of me. It was a bad fall, I was sliding on my back, head first down the slope for what seemed like forever, trying to stop myself with my poles.

From the time of the fall to when I managed to get on my feet must've been about 5 mins and only one person stopped to ask if I was ok. Bearing in mind it was 30th December and, therefore, rather busy, I think it's quite disappointing.

I think Caron disappointing is an understatement, I think it more of a disgrace, but I do think it reflects society today unfortunately :cry: :cry: