In the old days, injuries on the hill were mostly self-inflicted. I don't know what the statistics say, but anecdotally it seems like more and more the risk lies not in ourselves, but in our fellow snow sports enthusiasts. (Notice how I didn't single out snowboarders).
I experienced a collision myself last winter, when another guy (as large as I am) hit me from the side. Fortunately we were traveling in more or less the same direction, so the impact was far less than it might have been. But it was still a hell of a jolt. Had I been a smaller person, I would have ended up at Vail Valley Medical Center. Instead I was no more worse for wear than Case Keenum after being clobbered by a defensive lineman.
A ski patroller saw the whole incident, and the offender was clearly at fault. Since, I didn't seem hurt, I shrugged it off and let the guy go, without getting his information (which was a mistake, because many injuries don't show up while the adrenaline is still flowing).
I always ski with my head on a swivel; it gets pounded into us every day at ski school. But since then, I have been thinking more and more about the safety parallels between road cycling and skiing.
Yes you can hurt yourself an a bike, but the greatest worry is getting hurt by someone else, especially someone driving a vehicle.
When I first started road biking, I bought tasteful looking kit, eschewing what I thought looked tacky. But I was missing the whole point: bright colors can save your life!
In another thread, the question was asked about whether or not skittles colors were still in. The overwhelming reply was no; muted earth tone colors were in.
I am not sure that is such a good thing.
Granted, if you ski off piste or in the bumps, congestion is not usually a big deal, but in the early season there are no such options. And even in mid-season, you still need to make your way off the mountain. And virtually every mountain North America features a late-afternoon $h!t show. Which color is safer then: taupe or fluorescent yellow?
As the uphill capacity grows ever greater, is skiing likely to get safer? I doubt it.
Will we see a trend toward defensive ski attire? Maybe.
Is it impossible to imagine a time when ski helmets come with a flashing light on the back? Hmmmm.
Well, I am off to the WROD at Loveland.
This is what you will see, if you run into me from behind.
I experienced a collision myself last winter, when another guy (as large as I am) hit me from the side. Fortunately we were traveling in more or less the same direction, so the impact was far less than it might have been. But it was still a hell of a jolt. Had I been a smaller person, I would have ended up at Vail Valley Medical Center. Instead I was no more worse for wear than Case Keenum after being clobbered by a defensive lineman.
A ski patroller saw the whole incident, and the offender was clearly at fault. Since, I didn't seem hurt, I shrugged it off and let the guy go, without getting his information (which was a mistake, because many injuries don't show up while the adrenaline is still flowing).
I always ski with my head on a swivel; it gets pounded into us every day at ski school. But since then, I have been thinking more and more about the safety parallels between road cycling and skiing.
Yes you can hurt yourself an a bike, but the greatest worry is getting hurt by someone else, especially someone driving a vehicle.
When I first started road biking, I bought tasteful looking kit, eschewing what I thought looked tacky. But I was missing the whole point: bright colors can save your life!
In another thread, the question was asked about whether or not skittles colors were still in. The overwhelming reply was no; muted earth tone colors were in.
I am not sure that is such a good thing.
Granted, if you ski off piste or in the bumps, congestion is not usually a big deal, but in the early season there are no such options. And even in mid-season, you still need to make your way off the mountain. And virtually every mountain North America features a late-afternoon $h!t show. Which color is safer then: taupe or fluorescent yellow?
As the uphill capacity grows ever greater, is skiing likely to get safer? I doubt it.
Will we see a trend toward defensive ski attire? Maybe.
Is it impossible to imagine a time when ski helmets come with a flashing light on the back? Hmmmm.
Well, I am off to the WROD at Loveland.
This is what you will see, if you run into me from behind.
Gotta represent I guess..
