Why do people ski slopes/terrain way over their limit?

[jseeski]

True. But these 15 meters were the widest pass on a slope that could only be described as "soup of people".
Like million tadpoles in a bucket, terrible.

I few years ago I had a chance to give a casual friend who was living in Italy at the time a tour of our local resort (in southern British Columbia, Canada), which is considered small among western North American resorts, but which is well known for a variety of reasons.

Anyway, I considered the snow conditions poor by our standards and apologized for not being able to show him more off-piste terrain. His response was that it was wonderful ski down even our open groomers without having to constantly check over his shoulder for unguided missiles, as he apparently has to do on most European slopes.

I'll admit I'm spoiled, but skiing where some of you ski sounds awful! I think I'd be tempted to find something else to do!

 

[jseeski]

Visit the British Columbia interior (basically any place not named Whistler or the North Shore Mountains) for crowd free skiing.

We are spoiled...and hope to stay that way! And we whine any time there isn't at least 15cm fresh.

 

[Ogg]

We are spoiled...and hope to stay that way! And we whine any time there isn't at least 15cm fresh.

You have to find something to complain about. Skiing is the most fun you can have while complaining the whole time(too, cold, too warm, too much wind, too much ice, not enough snow, too much snow, too many moguls, not enough moguls, too much grooming, not enough grooming, too crowded, too expensive, my boots hurt, etc.)

 

[anders_nor]

mini update, funniest thing was in the fog/slush yesterday a guy on crosscountry skis was hauling ASS down the hill, PASSING snowboarders and people on alpine gear.


I had to ski past him and video him as he came down


Also the lack of bluebird/sun, and the hefty fog, is resulting in fewer people, I did some lunch laps today, and late night yesterday, and 0 lift, and would pass 5-10 people going down. Life is good.

 

[Tony Storaro]

I'll admit I'm spoiled, but skiing where some of you ski sounds awful! I think I'd be tempted to find something else to do!

True. Luckily it is not like this all the time and come March people are getting fewer. Still not comparable to what you guys have, but at least bearable.

 

[SSSdave]

Another way to look at the original questions would be to relate skiers at lower skill levels see more skilled advanced skiers perform in enviable and more recognized accomplished ways they are not yet able to and are having experiences they wish to also experience, so begin a journey to that end that includes putting themselves in that same position in order to understand and share something of the challenge ahead.

 

[JFB]

Some bad terrain decisions result from bad judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.

 

[Wilhelmson]

It is natural for people push their abilities. The same reason most pros are always getting injured and stop at a young age.

Sometimes i will enter a hole in thw woods ( which is usually safe in the east) only to ski down to a big rocky drop or other nasty feature. So i am not choosing a hard trail but rather seeking the adventure of the unknown. Any there is usually some nice snow after the rocks

 

[PowHog]

What I observed most over the years is that people are either overestimating themselves or are dragged into something by others fellow skiers who aren't willing to back down for them. Also snow conditions can factor in big time, everyone for example knows about a steep, challenging slope in prime shape or being hard frozen instead.

Worst I experienced was with two random dudes while heli skiing in Alsaka who showed up with the intention of having a fun day. It was a time when there was no guide service even at the horizon and long boards still ruled, everyone was at his/her own risk when boarding the chopper. I happened to be paired up with them since there was room for three passengers only, they were like ..'we have the same level ...blablabla'. Despite prime conditions they proved being entirely unable to hold their s**t together and crashed in a yardsale every yards. We eventually made it down somehow while the other party scored three runs in the meantime. Needless to say I bluntly told them at their ability it was reckless to even show up there and they took off.

 

[François Pugh]

If you've never skied powder with long skinny skies, I suggest you do it for three days before paying for a helicopter. Or maybe, just don't.

I think its a lot easier on wide rockered skis though.

 

[PowHog]

If you've never skied powder with long skinny skies, I suggest you do it for three days before paying for a helicopter. Or maybe, just don't.

That was all what was available almost 30 years ago.

 

[anders_nor]

If you've never skied powder with long skinny skies, I suggest you do it for three days before paying for a helicopter. Or maybe, just don't.

I think its a lot easier on wide rockered skis though.

I was enjoying myself on the glacier of titlis in engelberg but it was dumping through the day, so I decided to take the mogul run down for some general fun and maybe some pow. I was on skinnies, FIS GS skinnies... good thing I was young, but never doing that agian, it was okay until weather changed, flat light, and 0 visibility, couldnt see skis/boots, or other people, or moguls. we used sevral hours to get down to the après.

having skied for 30+ years, I enjoy modern skis.

 

[François Pugh]

That was all what was available almost 30 years ago.

Yes, I know. I first skied deep snow about 40 years ago on long Dynastar GS skis, after at least a decade of skiing hard snow. Fortunately a kindly gentleman told me what I had to do - the exact opposite of my ingrained habits. I wasn't treating the two skis as one; I had all my weight on the outside ski. I had too high a tipping angle too early. I was too abrupt with my movements. It took me three days to learn how to ski deep snow.

The advise to just don't was not meant for historic use, just modern use with phat rockered skis now available.

 

[sparty]

I get the over-terrained (or, even more scary, over-terrained-at-speed) skiers at the resort. I may not like it, but so much of the time, modern equipment and slope prep means they make it down upright; and if they don't, patrol is only a phone call away.

The ones that really terrify me are the ones who are flailing in the backcountry, usually on a line with the potential for serious consequences and doing so with an accompanying lack of mitigating tactics (e.g. they ski all at once, not one at a time).

 

[François Pugh]

What I don't like to see is terrified small children skiing in a snow-plow (braking wedge) trying their best to slow down, skiing straight down a slope that is too steep for them. It's especially not liked to see when they hit a clump of snow in their path and start doing summersaults. They obviously want to be going more slowly, but choose to ski on the trail/run that has them going faster, despite plenty of less steep trails available. They ski straight down the fall line, even if the trail is wide enough for them to turn completely up hill in a snow-plow turn or gliding-wedge turn.

Who is telling these children that a snow plow is THE way to slow down?

 

[PlainsSkier]

Watched more than a few people get overterrianed at A-Basin on blue runs today, it was pretty slick going into Larkspur, lost count of the number of snowboarders I watched fall down the run and I felt bad for this poor little kid who probably had no business being on that run just get stuck after a few turns. Also saw some carnage on loafer, that said maybe A-Basin needs to introduce some blue square/black diamond signs.

 

[Bad Bob]

They do it because they can; or at least THINK they can.

 

[LiquidFeet]

What I don't like to see is terrified small children skiing in a snow-plow (braking wedge) trying their best to slow down, skiing straight down a slope that is too steep for them.
Who is telling these children that a snow plow is THE way to slow down?

Many small children have a difficult time choosing to go downhill any other way than straight. Sure, they will follow an adult closely and match the adult's turns, but if they fall behind they will cut the corner to catch up with the leader and lose half of the turn. Their goal is to follow the leader, right? If the adult allows them to lead, they go straight. Their goal is to get to the bottom of the run, right? Going straight is more natural and obvious. The benefits of making complete turns are indirect, far from obvious to a young one. No one tells them to go straight. Or they shouldn't.

For kids learning to ski in a wedge on beginner terrain, the immediate benefit of a wider wedge quickly becomes evident. Little kids are supposed to be taught to use a narrow wedge. But little legs are wobbly and a wider wedge will happen on its own no matter what. When it successfully slows them down, their young bodies remember that. Once they learn to use the wider wedge for speed control, then it takes a very long time to replace it. No one tells them to do this. Or they shouldn't.

Sometimes parents allow their kids to ski straight in a wide wedge, not knowing any better.

 

[anders_nor]

I saw a tiny kid pizzaing down our black run between bumps, usually just 1 ski touching... at what had to be 35-40mph. Kid did not fall though, and seemed happy.

Another kid like 5-6? was skiing with his dad, high skill level, he went SWITCH on the black run and talked with his dad while doing it, I did speak with his dad... the wife refused to go skiiing with them as she had no way to keep up. That kid has to end up a worldcup racer or X games winner.

A few other kids were crying and not so happy asking his dad why they couldnt go on the less steep slopes, guess it didnt help that his mother was also crying, while "skiiing" down, sitting on her skis removed. So pretty drastic skill level difference at same age.