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Ron LeMaster dies in on slope collision 1949-2021

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Tricia

Tricia

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I don’t feel okay about this :( .

How come every time I’ve had a close call from behind in the past 10 years they complain that I was “weaving” back & forth? When did linking turns in the falline become bad behavior?

Neither do I. Martinez clearly doesn't understand that if he has to yell "left, left, left" in that manner he's already at fault. And I'm not sure the prosecutors did either - or didn't think the jury would, anyway.
I couldn't agree more.
I have described an incident that happened about 4 years ago at Arapahoe Basin where a skier straighlined skiing over the backs of my skis. He stopped down hill of me to yell at me for "turning in front of him". @SkiNurse was skiing with me at the time and helped me to explain the code.
He disagreed with our understanding of the responsibilty code so we exchanged information and agreed to meet at Patrol so we could get discuss with them.
He got there ahead of me because he was not making as many turns as I was :D
I walked into patrol to hear, "No sir, if she was down hill of you, it was your responsibilty to avoid her. It is the uphill skiers responsibility stay in control and to avoid the down hill skier."

This guy apologized and we actually ended up skiing with him for a bit.
I'm still not sure how neither of us crashed.
 
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Tricia

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Judging by the vast difference in injuries, I would guess the snowboarder was going fast and t-boned LeMaster.
I mean if that description posted was accurate, it’s a pretty clear violation. All he had to do was slow down.
The description of turning as “weaving” makes it sound like a drunk driver on the highway.
That and the fact that Ron was such a skilled skier, I'm betting he was skiing in a strong position, often called the power position because its hard to be taken out when skiing in a strong position.
 

fatbob

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Ski patrol and first responders aren't CSI and there's no such thing as tire tracks. Ron's buddy presumably didn't see the perp or the collision or there would be at least one witness statement.
 

James

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Did I miss something?

  1. Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.
  2. People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
Exactly.
I would think it’s at least enough for a civil wrongful death case if the DA won’t go down the criminal manslaughter route.
 

S.H.

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Do we know what terrain this happened on and if it's plausible that Lemaster was drilling on a slope generally used as a bit of a straightline runout? Not that it would excuse it of course but might help explain how it happened and prosecutor's perception.

I somehow doubt it because of Lemaster's experience.
Windmill is intermediate blue terrain on the upper half of eldora.

Usually marked as "easiest way down" from the top of the six-pack, though not a designated slow-skiing trail.

It's not generally used as a straightline runout.
 

François Pugh

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It's pretty clear. The boarder admitted he hit Lemaster who was the ahead skier, and said it was either that or hit a tree according to the second article posted by @Tricia . He saw him and was not able to avoid him.

Cudos to ski patrol for being able to catch the boarder in the parking lot.

Dude! You were in my line! :rolleyes:

Note to self: Keep that bone density up.
 

tball

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Terrible but not surprising. The Boulder DA is still trying to figure out who killed JonBenét and is not interested in making an example out of the snowboarder as they should. "Left, left, left" is a clear admission of fault. Leaving the scene and grabbing the camera should have brought the hammer down. Isn't grabbing the camera assault?

Do we know what terrain this happened on and if it's plausible that Lemaster was drilling on a slope generally used as a bit of a straightline runout? Not that it would excuse it of course but might help explain how it happened and prosecutor's perception.
I was looking into the terrain and early season conditions last fall. I annotated this map showing what runs were open the following day, assuming they were probably the same. The collision happened on the Windmill run.

Eldora_AlpineTrailMap_2122.pdf 2021-12-03 19-57-12.png


I also found an unrelated video someone posted from Eldora the day before. It gives a good idea of the snow conditions and the overall feel of the terrain and traffic.

 
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4ster

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I couldn't agree more.
I have described an incident that happened about 4 years ago at Arapahoe Basin where a skier straighlined skiing over the backs of my skis.
This has happened to me more than a few times in the past couple of years, more likely on weekends. In fact last Saturday at the top Siberia. I was obviously linking short turns down the left edge & this guy decided it was a good idea to straightline between me & those giant bumps. Missed me by inches & kept straightlining till he was out of site. He was a skier btw & probably hadn’t had time to reach terminal velocity but it still would’ve been a mess if he had clipped me. Lots of straightling on that pitch, it is pretty steep, not groomed very wide & has an inviting run out to bring it back under control. I think most of them don’t have the skill to make turns on that pitch but they do have the balls to go straight.
I mean if you’re gonna straightline at least have enough pride to grab a reasonable tuck!
The week before was a snowboarder on Shirley Lake, scared the crap out of everyone who saw him! :eek:
64A7132E-DE45-49CA-9C0C-818D10393013.jpeg
 

Erik Timmerman

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Ski patrol and first responders aren't CSI and there's no such thing as tire tracks. Ron's buddy presumably didn't see the perp or the collision or there would be at least one witness statement.
Actually, they kind of do. One of my friends that patrols that is her job. Pictures, measuring tape laser rangefinder, etc. certainly there is less evidence than on a paved road, but there is some evidence.
 

fatbob

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Actually, they kind of do. One of my friends that patrols that is her job. Pictures, measuring tape laser rangefinder, etc. certainly there is less evidence than on a paved road, but there is some evidence.
Thanks. I'd assumed that they captured some data to put into accident reports particularly with serious injuries or fatalities but imagined it varied by resort and resort policy as well as training of the individuals concerned. Very difficult I imagine to estimate incoming speed or level of control from ground level evidence particularly as tracks are rapidly skied over and the immediate vicinity trampled.

I don't know if wearing a rearward dashcam would actually help for those hit i.e. would the perspective be adequate to convey the physics involved - roads have the advantage of lane markings etc
 

François Pugh

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Thanks. I'd assumed that they captured some data to put into accident reports particularly with serious injuries or fatalities but imagined it varied by resort and resort policy as well as training of the individuals concerned. Very difficult I imagine to estimate incoming speed or level of control from ground level evidence particularly as tracks are rapidly skied over and the immediate vicinity trampled.

I don't know if wearing a rearward dashcam would actually help for those hit i.e. would the perspective be adequate to convey the physics involved - roads have the advantage of lane markings etc
Not difficult at all. Level of control was insufficient to avoid objects or people ahead of him. Q.E.D.
 

Nancy Hummel

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Given the facts that are available, I think a decent accident reconstruction expert could reach legitimate conclusions about what occurred, forces etc.

The sheer extent of LeMaster’s injuries and death make this such a horrible and serious case.
 

scott43

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Given the facts that are available, I think a decent accident reconstruction expert could reach legitimate conclusions about what occurred, forces etc.

The sheer extent of LeMaster’s injuries and death make this such a horrible and serious case.
100%. Gee, how much force is required to fracture a spine... Hmmmm
 

Tin Pants

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I couldn't agree more.
I have described an incident that happened about 4 years ago at Arapahoe Basin where a skier straighlined skiing over the backs of my skis. He stopped down hill of me to yell at me for "turning in front of him". @SkiNurse was skiing with me at the time and helped me to explain the code.
He disagreed with our understanding of the responsibilty code so we exchanged information and agreed to meet at Patrol so we could get discuss with them.
He got there ahead of me because he was not making as many turns as I was
I walked into patrol to hear, "No sir, if she was down hill of you, it was your responsibilty to avoid her. It is the uphill skiers responsibility stay in control and to avoid the down hill skier."

This guy apologized and we actually ended up skiing with him for a bit.
I'm still not sure how neither of us crashed.

after being hit afew times and having too many close calls to remember I have thought long and hard about this , after being chased down by some one who angrily accused me of getting in his way he asked me why skiers turn so much, I think a good percentage of people do not know the rules, the reason may be the park rats are very comfortable going straight and fast, in the park they know no one will be in their way in the park everyone looks uphill before dropping in so they think everyone below them is looking up hill checking for traffic it's scary out there
 
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Philpug

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the reason may be the park rats are very comfortable going straight and fast, in the park they know no one will be in their way in the park everyone looks uphill before dropping in so they think everyone below them is looking up hill checking for traffic it's scary out there
I cannot disagree with this. For this reason, I really try to stayout of the parks when I am free skiing. Yes, there is usuall some good unskied corduroy between the features but jsut as I don't want a freestyler poping out of the woods and possibly hitting me, I don't think its right for me to go into basically what is a closed course or area getting in their way. I wouldn't do it in a closed race course, why would I do it in a well marked terrain park?
 

Tin Pants

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I cannot disagree with this. For this reason, I really try to stayout of the parks when I am free skiing. Yes, there is usuall some good unskied corduroy between the features but jsut as I don't want a freestyler poping out of the woods and possibly hitting me, I don't think its right for me to go into basically what is a closed course or area getting in their way. I wouldn't do it in a closed race course, why would I do it in a well marked terrain park?

i honestly think some people think the downhill skier should give way makes no sense I know
 
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Pokitren

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This has happened to me more than a few times in the past couple of years, more likely on weekends. In fact last Saturday at the top Siberia. I was obviously linking short turns down the left edge & this guy decided it was a good idea to straightline between me & those giant bumps. Missed me by inches & kept straightlining till he was out of site. He was a skier btw & probably hadn’t had time to reach terminal velocity but it still would’ve been a mess if he had clipped me. Lots of straightling on that pitch, it is pretty steep, not groomed very wide & has an inviting run out to bring it back under control. I think most of them don’t have the skill to make turns on that pitch but they do have the balls to go straight.
I mean if you’re gonna straightline at least have enough pride to grab a reasonable tuck!
The week before was a snowboarder on Shirley Lake, scared the crap out of everyone who saw him! :eek:
View attachment 169509
I think the guys wanted a thrill :) Or they just couldn't cope with the controls.
 

Bozzenhagen

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after being hit afew times and having too many close calls to remember I have thought long and hard about this , after being chased down by some one who angrily accused me of getting in his way he asked me why skiers turn so much, I think a good percentage of people do not know the rules, the reason may be the park rats are very comfortable going straight and fast, in the park they know no one will be in their way in the park everyone looks uphill before dropping in so they think everyone below them is looking up hill checking for traffic it's scary out there
I think the mindset contributes. Very positive thinking and a lack of fear from frequent failures they have walked off from.

Years ago at Loveland, some bro brah from Team Summit stopped and said I was on his "line" on the edge of the run (freestyle snowboard); he got very close and threatened to hit me. I wanted him to make the first move so I could hit him as hard as possible with minimal legal repercussions. He opted to ride away with really shitty technique; he would have zero shot at any real speed on crap snow.
 

Pokitren

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I think the mindset contributes. Very positive thinking and a lack of fear from frequent failures they have walked off from.

Years ago at Loveland, some bro brah from Team Summit stopped and said I was on his "line" on the edge of the run (freestyle snowboard); he got very close and threatened to hit me. I wanted him to make the first move so I could hit him as hard as possible with minimal legal repercussions. He opted to ride away with really shitty technique; he would have zero shot at any real speed on crap snow.
He was probably looking for someone to vent his emotions on without repercussions. There are a lot of them :(
 

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