Safety on the Hill

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE! - Be aware of your surroundings! It important to know who is around you at all times. People are constantly pass you by, or your passing them, knowing who is on either side of you, in front of you and who’s coming up behind you will help you avoid collisions with other riders. Be safe on the hill and staying in control. An out of control riding, someone going to fast or an inexperienced rider who may not know how to stop, is an extremely dangerous situation that unfortunately occurs too often. Knowing who is around you is also important but it is also important to know the terrain. Which ski trial you want to take? Do they merge with other ski trials? Will you be able to get back to your original starting location? Knowing the terrain is as simple as learning the maps, almost every ski area hands maps out when you purchase your tickets. In addition on the mountains they have trail headings that help guide you to your desired location. Knowing which trails to take is also important so you don't go into the park areas- areas with jumps and rails, this can be dangerous because they are often lined up in desired spots for the riders to hit them properly. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed a rider trying to hit a jump but end up crashing because another unaware rider got in his way.

Mountain High Map

North Star Map 

Big Bear Map

Mammoth Mountain Map

Another important rule is to always ski with a buddy in case one of you gets hurts or lost. Riding with a buddy is especially important if you are going through powder. My friends and I have worked out a system; if we are riding through the powder/trees we will take one headphone out and yell if we fall. We take this precaution because when falling in powder there are two main concerns, one: falling into a tree wells.This can be extremely dangerous because a tree well is when the snow is high enough that it covers the top branches of the tree, giving the illusion that there is snow underneath, when in fact there is nothing but other branches. Therefore, if you ride over this area you may fall into the tree-well. This is a scary situation and unfortunately people have died from being stuck in a tree-well. Stick together! The other main concern when falling into powder is not being able to get back up and loosing track of you friends who may be far ahead of you. Numerous times i have fallen in powder and have to sit there and pack the snow down so i can push off of it to raise myself back up. This is an intense work out for your arms because after while they  get extremely sore from trying to push yourself up from snow that just sinks underneath you. In addition bringing a cellphone with you is also important in case of emergencies; however, do be cautious with your cellphone. For example make sure you put it in your jacket pocket rather than pants, saving you a cracked screen, or water damage.

Another important rule is to make sure you stay in control of yourself as well as your skies or snowboard. If equipment gets loose on a run, it could fly down and hit other skiers or snowboarders. Furthermore it’s important to pay attention to the warning signs, as well as SLOW signs. They are put there for your safety. An example of a warning sign may be a sign about merging trial or avalanche warnings. Paying attention to train signs is also important. 

With all this said it is also important to know the basics of skiing or snowboarding before loading the chairlift and heading out on the run, this is why in my previous post I mentioned that beginners should take a lesson for their first time. The lesson will start beginners off on a magic carpet, a device that will bring people up a small hill, they can then practice stopping down a small slope away from the crowds. This small step of learning the basics helps keep yourself and others safe on the hill.  Learning to stop is crucial for your safety and especially others around you. I can't even recall how many times a new snowboarder has run into me or one of my friends because they haven't learned to stop!