Lou, We had a ride on a Pisten Bully one evening last March to take us up to La Grande Ourse. You could combine two great experiences in one go.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
What a lovely dad you are! Glad to hear your little fella was ok.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Biddy Twiddle, many thanks...one can but try....and he's a great little lad...(how he gets six foot blond instructors who I have never seen before, from a school different to the one he goes to, to say 'salut Alex' and 'where have you been since I saw you last?' is beyond me....)....
geetee, something else we talk about every visit I fancy going there at NY and going high in one too, maybe late season Les Arcs. Oh just realised we'll be celebrating a Birthday there
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
valais2 wrote:
achilles, that's interesting - as I understand it, they have that authority in Italy and the 'States - is that correct? Do you know the situation in Switzerland?
As I understood easiski telling it quite some time back, there is no such right in France - again relying on recollection - but I think its been tested in court. Perhaps davidof or someone out that way a lot can advise.
I have a similar experience was at les Sept Laux resort near Grenoble. My son, then 5, was standing up by our cafe table in the pedestrian area of the resort when an 18 year old skied backwards down the pavement and hit him landing on top of him.
Next to us were 5 pisteurs from the resort who were enjoying a beer. Not one of them lifted a finger.
I checked my son was ok and my wife went to talk to the "freerider". Things got very heated between them, the young man started shouting at my wife that "he was an expert rider". I intervened and said that if he was an expert he wouldn't have hit my son and wouldn't be skiing in a pedestrian area (which is illegal).
I asked the pisteurs to reason with the young man, I got a gallic shrug and they continued drinking their beers. My wife spoke to them and one said "it is not for us to act as policemen".
Unacceptable behaviour from the piste patrollers. We're not talking about having radar guns on the ski slopes but having a word with someone who was breaking the law set by their boss (the mayor) and acting in an irresponsible manner.
I don't ski at the 7 Laux these days due to their crap attitude to safety.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
davidof, ...that's really grim...they should have had at least a quiet word with the 'young man' - who was old enough to know better. As you say, worry that it is systemic in their approach.
After all it is free
After all it is free
davidof, not surprised you don't go there anymore. Did you contact the mairie?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
davidof, not surprised you don't go there anymore. Did you contact the mairie?
I should have done but as the tot was only shaken and a bit bruised I didn't. I think it would have been better for a third party to have spoken to Mr Freerider rather than an irate parent.
Oh the guy was French, not Dutch, don't get me onto Dutch skiers, that is a whole bunch of other stories.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
valais2 wrote:
rjs,
...................Contrast all this with the time I was in the air off a jump and then a boarder hit me, in the air, from the side - he immediately started apologising while we we still airbourne and we landed holding each other upright - he was in the wrong and was so apologetic that we both laughed it off. And I think that's it -it's all about caring for others frankly.
I always try to be 'caring' on the slopes. In particular, I notice that some small children and females struggle to get back upright after falling. So, I always stop, check they are OK, and help them up, if required.
Whilst skiing a gentle but busy blue a few weeks ago, I observed in front of me, a minor collision between, what looked like, two early learners. They both made turns and ended up sking towards each other, collided and fell to the floor. I stopped to help them. One was a guy, who got himself up and started to put his skis back on. The other, a teenage girl, was struggling to get up, so I 'gallantly' helped her to her feet. At this point I noticed the guy had skied off amongst the crowds. Almost immediately some 'friends' of the teenage girl approached me and accused me of being the person who had collided with her! The girl herself was confused about what had happened, and assumed her friends must be right!
I had to put up with a lot of bad language and threats of violence. I suppose it could have been worse. They might have attacked me, or If they had called the pisteurs, I might have lost my lift pass or worse.
It is not always easy or sensible to be too caring!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Mr Marmot, you are right to be caring. Those situations like the accident you describe aren't really anyone's fault. I had a sort of dance with a Frenchman on a busy piste last year when we skied into eachothers arms. Nobody was hurt and we had a laugh about it once we had extracted eachother
I try to be caring too, I've even helped an odd male who was struggling to get up
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Mr Marmot wrote:
It is not always easy or sensible to be too caring!
That was unfortunate, but you definitely did the right thing. If I was hurt when skiing alone I would be eternally grateful for anyone who stopped to offer assistance, so I try to do the same in case one day I need a good samaritan. Last season I was skiing just off the side of the piste when I spotted a woman on the floor in the middle of the piste, obviously in some discomfort. It was a busy piste, but nobody was stopping to see if she was OK. Even though I was teaching I headed across to her to see if she needed any help, and ended up calling piste patrol and kept her leg steady until they arrived (found out later that she had fractured her patella). Unfortunately for her the family group she was skiing with were all in front of her and didn't know what she had done, and nobody else had stopped to help her until I got there.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
valais2, Things have now got to the stage where my kids would be looking after me
You describe a quite disgraceful situation. I have suffered an old dutchman who lost his temper. A long story, the fault was mine, it was in a lift queue but his 2 mates and wife were laughing at him and he lost it. After a few minutes f attempted diplomacy I resorted to abuse and walked away.
It is a tricky one; do you lose a good portion of ski time by calling the police or get on with life. You did very well; a hard love tap to the face usually gets my temper up very quickly. Your son would be upset enough without seeing you involved in a brawl. Top effort.
The cloggy was acted quickly, decisively and with considerable force. Shame he wasn't in Srebrenica in 95
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
rob@rar, We were in your neck of the woods in Arc 200 area the other year and witnessed a boarder slip and go down with one hell of thump on the back of his head on a rock hard piste - no helmet. He was moving, but made no effort to get up - we had been travelling too quick to stop close and in the finish I thought - considering the whack, that I ought to just check he was on his feet. I guess I was about 150-200m further down a shallow blue. I watched for several moments - still movement, but no effort to get up and no-one else stopping so I indicated to my crowd that I was stopping and ditched my skis into the side of the piste and using my poles walked back up to him. My assessment having helped him to the side of the piste with his board (he spoke English) was that he had taken a bit of concussion and had been 'out of it' for a few minutes. He began to recover quickly and was concerned that the rest of his party would be missing him at the lift - I would sooner that he taken a med. assessment, but in the finish he said he was OK and would board gently down to the lift to find his friends. I did suggest that he tell his mates to keep and eye on him for the rest of the day and that he needed to be aware of the possibility of after effects, but short of being able to do anything else let the, by now, very grateful boarder go and find his mates. What astonished me more than anything, was the sheer number of folks that had skied past him without even a second look just as you mention above. Surely we all have an obligation to do for others what we would hope someone would do for us - i.e. stop and make sure that folks we see fall are OK - regardless of whose fault it all is.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Megamum, Nah, if you see a boarder lying across the piste, you just assume he's taking a break from sitting down.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
valais2,
That's assault, sounds like you have enough witnesses - have you thought about pressing charges? If he is an ex-boxer and has held a boxing licence that would normally work strongly against him.
Glad your son is OK, one day that Dutch guy will hit the wrong person.
Why do people forget that a little bit of politeness can go a long way
I totally agree. I fail to see why people have such a problem apologising. An apology goes a VERY long way. Boris's little incident is a case in point. We all make mistakes, so why on earth don't we just admit it.
(Have to confess that my sympathies tend to lie with the skiier in that later video. The boarders were behaving like complete ladies' front bottoms).
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'm with robboj on this one.
I'd have got a bit agricultural in this situation and handed him his back bottom !
Many years ago my dad had his lift pass cut off him by an Austrian pisteur for being a naughty boy. I can't remember exactly what he said he'd done, but I think he'd been badly out of control, on a slope beyond his skill level.
FIS rule of conduct number 10: Identification - Every skier or snowboarder and witness, whether a responsible party or not, must exchange names and addresses following an accident.
Presumably the pisteurs have no authority to enforce the FIS rules of conduct, or just don't want to.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
And:
Megamum wrote:
Surely we all have an obligation to do for others what we would hope someone would do for us - i.e. stop and make sure that folks we see fall are OK - regardless of whose fault it all is.
Even if people are too morally 'inept' to do so, there is a legal obligation in France to "stop, call for help, and if you can - without endangering yourself - assist someone in danger."
Wikipedia says: The photographers at the scene of Princess Diana's fatal car accident were investigated for violation of the French law of "non-assistance à personne en danger" (deliberately failing to provide assistance to a person in danger), which can be punished by up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000.
After all it is free
After all it is free
SnowMonkey69 wrote:
I'm with robboj on this one.
I'd have got a bit agricultural in this situation and handed him his back bottom !
Agricultural? What would you do, plough him and seed him??!
EDIT: Ha, giggity!
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Last year I saw a youngster accidentally plant a pole in front of their tips, the grip end of the pole then hit them in the stomach causing them to flip over it and wind themselves. I stopped to help as the kid was screaming in pain. I took off my skis and knelt down to help them. A minute or so later Dad turned up without a clue as to what had happened and decided that I had clearly hurt his child. He went nuts, the child explained to Mam what had happened but Dad was having none of it and wanted to fight. I had no intention of fighting him, however I stood up in front of him and only then did he decide to listen and calm down.
I do find on occasions 6'5" and twenty stone is calming.
Amazingly he showed no concern towards the child.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:
A minute or so later Dad turned up without a clue as to what had happened and decided that I had clearly hurt his child. He went nuts, the child explained to Mam what had happened but Dad was having none of it and wanted to fight.
Some people are complete idiots, but happily they are in the minority. I'm afraid I tend to wander around in a bubble of self-delusion believing that 99% of people are decent, kind, reasonable people (obviously NOT including Gordon Brown, Ed Millipede and that idiot Chukku Umunna, but INCLUDING Clegg, Cable etc. who are just well meaning idiots).
Now I may be wrong about 99% being nice people, but it's a far nicer place to live in when you have that approach than always thinking the worst of someone. What a lovely, fluffy world I live in!
As an aside, I've always found the Dutch to be charming and well mannered (See earlier posts). I also spend a lot of time in Russia and have found them to be OK too. Their manners are a little different from ours, but generally of a higher standard than most English. Sad, but true. Very unlikely you would find many of them swearing like the snowboarders in that video.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
two weeks ago in Meribel my OH and I almost had to break up a fight at the bottom of the piste into Morel -it was near the end of the day so it was resonably busy. There was a young english guy giving two older scots (husband and wife about mid 50's) both barrels as they had apparently cut everyone up on the way down the slope and knocked a young french girl over. The young english guys appeared to be on his first trip and was complaining about being 'cut up'. We didnt see the incident but TBH - it was a bit slushy at the end of a long day on a narrow-ish run, but the argument did appear to be a bit OTT for a minor incident. Even the most generous slope user can make mistakes and not see people downhill.
At this point I was in quite a bit of pain having been blindsided on a traverse in Les Menuires by a skiier who was going too fast - I had been trying to keep my distance from a family snowploughing along, not wanting to ride too close behind. When I had to turn I then got knocked over by said skiier going twice as fast - I may have gone OTT in what was shouting at her so we all can make mistakes.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
davidar wrote:
.....................The young english guys appeared to be on his first trip and was complaining about being 'cut up'................... .
This reminded me of an incident many years ago. I was following a friend down a busy blue when he fell over. It was only his second week skiing and he was travelling pretty slowly. As he fell he started shouting. When I reached him I asked him what he was ranting about, he said to me, "Didn't you see that bl**dy German cut me up, causing me to crash?". All I had seen was a perfectly sensible skier carefully overtake my friend with at least 5 metres clearance! I asked my friend how he knew the guy was German and he replied " He must have been German to be skiing that crazily!". It took a long time for me to stop laughing at my friend's view on the 'incident'. It seems even careful skiing by someone who is fairly profficient might appear pretty wild to a beginner, and can sometimes turn them into a xenophobic ranter
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
davidar wrote:
I may have gone OTT in what was shouting at her so we all can make mistakes.
I felt like a complete moron in Zermatt last year - on a wide open slope at the end of the day there was just me and a boarder, well in front of me. Every time I made a turn away from his path (in order to overtake) he made a turn towards my new path. This happened about four times, until I had to make the most abrupt turn I could manage, while saying "sorry, sorry, sorry" as one ski just touched his board. He looked at me with an odd grin as if to say "WTF?"
Watch the right hand side of the Hemel main slope from 4:03 in this clip, as Chemmy Alcott comes down it:
Walter-Spitty, that's a snowHeads event, and if you look carefully you'll see I beat Chemmy down on the 1st run
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Not to take away from the clear sin committed by OP's character, but really is this any way to behave - in somebody else's country, too:
geetee wrote:
Although I didn't hit him I did lose the plot a bit
patricksh wrote:
I think I would have thrown the first (barrage of) punch from what you describe.
kooky wrote:
OH skied after him and actual punches were thrown, the pisteurs were called and took the pair of them off to the lift station where the old guys lift pass was confiscated and he was put in a room to sober up.
robboj wrote:
valais2, he's a lucky man he met you. Some of us (me especially) would have absolutely kicked the fluck out of him!
What a bunch of charmers you are. I bet you teach your children that two wrongs don't makes a right. Just be careful that you're not flattening Mr Marmot or Circusthing when you do. It strikes me that the worst nation on the slopes for unnecessary aggression are Snowheads...
The one thing that the proud (and pugilistic) parents do not acknowledge is that children do do silly things on the slopes and can be a danger both to themselves and others; they don't have the perception of danger and the ability to forward think that grown ups do - probably why they feature so often in "a skier hit my child" stories.
Fortunately children mostly bounce. Not sure why you need pisteurs to check on your own children, but anyway.
** sits back an awaits flaming for being anti children, and irresponsible etc. etc.**
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
James the Last, did I say my OH threw the first punch???
Maybe you are the kind of spineless twunt who takes everything that is flung in his way,that´s your call, but when someone throws a punch at me or mine, after doing me a wrong, then they got it coming.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
James the Last,
Do you have kids?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
James the Last You've been missing the confrontation haven't you sweetie? (now that the helmet thread has finally run its course)
James the Last, luckily in the real world people either hit others or they don't, thankfully they often don't. However in snow heads land they will often:
'almost',
'would have',
'don't know how they restrained themselves from' and
'he's lucky I was in a good mood that day otherwise I would have really'
... hit the person. In other words don't.
You should try it sometime, it makes you feel really big and brave without the risk any real people, yourself included getting hurt
In my last season one of the lifties (Scottish) was out skiing with his daughter (4yo). Said daughter is hit, at speed by an adult male (English). The lifty skied over to his daughter to help her and check she was ok whilst the skier at fault headed off down the mountain whithout stopping. The lifty and daughter made there way down to the village and the daughter decided she’d had enough. The lifty was working that afternoon and who should turn up at his lift but the aforementioned skier. The lifty decided to have words with the skier who, in his defence, said, “I thought she was French, I wouldn’t have hit her otherwise” at which point the lifty decided on a swift Glasgow kiss as the best course of action. The skier, with bloody nose and enraged, storms off to the lift pass office to see the manager and complain. The manager asked to see the skiers lift pass to confirm he indeed had one. When the skier handed it to the manager, the manager pocketed the lift pass, smiled and again asked the skier to show him his lift pass. The skier, somewhat confused, tried to explain it’s in the managers pocket whilst the manager denied all knowledge of it’s existence and told the skier to count himself lucky he could still walk and to **** off and learn to ski.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
zebedee, there seems to be a lot of that on here.
After all it is free
After all it is free
It should be apparent by now that James the Last always says the opposite of whatever the common consensus happens to be in any thread.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
galpinos, b ollocks.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
graeme wrote:
zebedee, keyboard warriors. Its the way forward
It could be a dangerous game. I'm sure I read a few years ago that a guy being taunted by a keyboard warrior tracked the taunter down and murdered him!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
I fancy going there at NY and going high in one too, maybe late season Les Arcs. Oh just realised we'll be celebrating a Birthday there 
