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Ron LeMaster dies in on slope collision 1949-2021

fatbob

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And that is for all the arguments about right and wrong and the code providing about it. Without a heavy slate of unbiased witnesses no remedy. Protect yo'self.
 

tball

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Freaking Boulder. They could have given him a $1000 fine, but I guess that's too onerous, so it's just $500.
 

The weekender

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I’m a mess over this, still!
In an article linked above, Reece’s witness account of the collision happening 50 feet to the right of him would mean that there was space on the left (?), and the boarder’s claim of nowhere out on the left edge of the run is so bizarre. Should it not be clear if the boarder is lying if Reece was more or less 50 feet left of where the collision happened. Did I read that wrong? If there was space to the left, yelling left left left means he was uphill and had time to cut away since he could repeatedly say left, then he tried to steal Reece’s phone, fled the scene of the crash, and was found in a car in the parking lot already changed out of his boots and pants, and refused to test for intoxication and nobody is trying this person for manslaughter ???! I don’t understand. This is bananas!
Just last night my spouse brought up what you had to do to snowboard in the early 90s at our mountain - ride down a slope for patrol to assess your ability, and if you passed they provided a signed card or permit to snowboard that you wore in an arm band. While this sounds heavy handed and flawed, what it does speak to is the potential danger of an out of control person wearing a board that doesn’t release their boots in a collision. All I can hope for is that the word of this tragic event may prevent another one from happening.
RIP Ron. I couldn’t have gotten this far on snow without you.
 

James

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I’m a mess over this, still!
In an article linked above, Reece’s witness account of the collision happening 50 feet to the right of him would mean that there was space on the left (?), and the boarder’s claim of nowhere out on the left edge of the run is so bizarre. Should it not be clear if the boarder is lying if Reece was more or less 50 feet left of where the collision happened. Did I read that wrong? If there was space to the left, yelling left left left means he was uphill and had time to cut away since he could repeatedly say left, then he tried to steal Reece’s phone, fled the scene of the crash, and was found in a car in the parking lot already changed out of his boots and pants, and refused to test for intoxication and nobody is trying this person for manslaughter ???! I don’t understand. This is bananas!
Just last night my spouse brought up what you had to do to snowboard in the early 90s at our mountain - ride down a slope for patrol to assess your ability, and if you passed they provided a signed card or permit to snowboard that you wore in an arm band. While this sounds heavy handed and flawed, what it does speak to is the potential danger of an out of control person wearing a board that doesn’t release their boots in a collision. All I can hope for is that the word of this tragic event may prevent another one from happening.
RIP Ron. I couldn’t have gotten this far on snow without you.
I suspect Reece is talking looking uphill, so right is skier’s left. It’s both transcribed by the officer in the report, then taken from that by the Gazette reporter. So there’s lots of room for confusion.
 

tibfib

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It is really hard to pass (safely) someone doing big carving turns across the hill. Getting blocked like this can feel frustrating for an impatient person who can't also do the sweeping turns (either ability, doesn't want to do them, or crowds limit ability to do them). Misjudge the passing area and....

The description of the accident is exactly the kind of thing I fear most on the slopes... I have had at least two close calls like this myself and know someone who gave up skiing after getting hit like this (luckily the injuries were not severe).

Is there a dash-cam like gizmo for skiers? GoPro batteries are not good enough to operate all day. The camera should be low power and save battery on lifts. Basically something I can turn on in the morning and forget about it? Only save files for the +/-5 minutes before/after a collision.
Your post highlights a key point: carving hard across the hill is hard for following/passing skiers to anticipate. Wider margins are clearly necessary. Some collisions may be "unavoidable" when two good skiers cross paths. Ron's death doesn't appear to be that situation, snowboarder clearly going too fast to avoid the collision. A number of years ago (after Jackson Hole began grooming a lane down Laramie Bowl) a woman veterinarian was killed when a straight lining rider hit her while she was stationary and in full view. Culpability more obvious in that case.
 

Unpiste

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The only time a collision is ever truly unavoidable is when mutual visibility between two skiers is blocked by terrain until too late to do anything about it. And even those are really avoidable if people pay a little attention and don't ski into terrain they can't see faster than they can stop.

Short of a medical episode on the slopes, every collision is ultimately going to be preventable if one or more parties had given themselves a larger margin for safety.
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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Your post highlights a key point: carving hard across the hill is hard for following/passing skiers to anticipate. Wider margins are clearly necessary. Some collisions may be "unavoidable" when two good skiers cross paths. Ron's death doesn't appear to be that situation, snowboarder clearly going too fast to avoid the collision. A number of years ago (after Jackson Hole began grooming a lane down Laramie Bowl) a woman veterinarian was killed when a straight lining rider hit her while she was stationary and in full view. Culpability more obvious in that case.
I remember that one.
One of our members who lives in JH said he was on the lift and heard the impact. Something he will never forget.
 

SpeedyKevin

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I remember that one.
One of our members who lives in JH said he was on the lift and heard the impact. Something he will never forget.

The crash, in February in the lower area of Laramie Bowl, broke Doda's snowboard into two pieces. :eek:
 

Tony S

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carving hard across the hill is hard for following/passing skiers to anticipate
If the following skier is actually watching and paying attention, and if the carving skier is making consistent turns, it's not.

The actual problem is that too often the following skier is just oblivious.
 

Philpug

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Your post highlights a key point: carving hard across the hill is hard for following/passing skiers to anticipate. Wider margins are clearly necessary. Some collisions may be "unavoidable" when two good skiers cross paths. Ron's death doesn't appear to be that situation, snowboarder clearly going too fast to avoid the collision.
I collided with another skier where both of us were skiing in control (as told to us by an observer), both carving good turns yet neither of us saw the other and collided. We both got up and said to eafh other "WTF happened???" Fortunately, we were both OK.
A number of years ago (after Jackson Hole began grooming a lane down Laramie Bowl) a woman veterinarian was killed when a straight lining rider hit her while she was stationary and in full view. Culpability more obvious in that case.
I was at Jackson a few days after this happened. This event hit me hard for some reason. I was skiing down Laramie Bowl and I jsut had to stop and basically side slipped or pizza'd the whole trail. I don't know why. I quit for the day and came back the next day and I was fine. But that incident hit me real hard.
 

scott43

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The mind is a funny thing. I was rock climbing once and got dropped 10' to the ground by my belayer. I was uninjured. The next time I went up with that belayer when it came time to sit back and descend I couldn't let go of the wall. I wasn't consciously afraid.. My brain just wouldn't process the let go command. I issued it but my hands and feet didn't respond. Was quite interesting..
 

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