 Poster: A snowHead
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A Scotland Yard police officer is in a coma, after a drunk skier crashed into him on the slopes in Italy. ... See: Sky News
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've never understood the attitude of the idiots who think its okay to drink and ski, most of these people would not consider getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking the same amount, but seem to think it perfectly acceptable behaviour when on the mountains.
Hopefully the injured party makes a full recovery, and the moron who hit him gets charged with attempted manslaughter and ends up with a lengthy prison sentance.
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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?
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I can't imagine what it would be like to receive a blow to the head from a ski boot. I echo what adie says. I certainly hope that Italian criminal law takes a dim view of this and that is not simply viewed as an unfortunate accident.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| adie wrote: |
| Hopefully ... the moron who hit him gets charged with attempted manslaughter. |
'Attempted' implies premeditation of the killing; manslaughter implies no such premeditation.
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| laundryman wrote: |
| adie wrote: |
| Hopefully ... the moron who hit him gets charged with attempted manslaughter. |
An oxymoron: 'attempted' implies premeditation of the killing; manslaughter implies no such premeditation. |
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| Quote: |
I can't imagine what it would be like to receive a blow to the head from a ski boot.
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It would be just like beaning your head on something hard. Are you saying you've gone through your whole life without ever having done that?
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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.
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| Quote: |
Are you saying you've gone through your whole life without ever having done that?
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or perhaps one too many?
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| Quote: |
It would be just like beaning your head on something hard.
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Well, it would be just like beaning your head on something moving towards you with a considerable velocity, presumably - not just like hitting your head on a low beam in a cottage.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Steady on there adie. These stories do tend to rouse strong feelings. It sounds like the drunk skier was very much in the wrong here. I doubt anyone would disagree with that.
But I am less comfortable with the inference that we should all be teetotal, or at least within the drink driving limit, to be skiing. It may well be slightly irresponsible to drink and ski/snowboard, but if we're being honest dont we all do it? I'll be really embarrassed but even more surprised if i'm the only person in the pro-drink skiing camp. I certainly don't advocate skiing whilst hammered - but it would be a lot less fun of a holiday without the occasional vin chaud, or a nip or two of rum in the hot chocolate, or a beer or two with lunch.
Maybe the message should be that we should make extra allowances for our limitations if skiing after a few drinks?
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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.
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I enjoy a glass of wine with lunch, or a vin chaud, or beer. But I also think people should be within the drink/drive limit. There is any amount of evidence that being above that level seriously compromises judgement and reactions. People don't think it does - they often think they drive/ski/make love better whilst drunk. Hence the problem with judgement. 
Another consideration is that if your blood alcohol levels are high you are much more likely to be found guilty in the event a collision with someone who is sober - you probably won't get the benefit of the doubt, even if the other evidence is a bit shaky.
I wonder what the situation is with third party insurance if you're drunk? Would an insurance company try to wriggle out of what could be an enormous claim for damages?
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adie, the two are in no way comparable I'm afraid. To generalize, and the latest unfortunate incident notwithstanding, when skiing drunk you are predominantly a danger to yourself, when driving drunk you are predominately a danger to other people, hence the strict laws against drink driving. It's used as a quick and lazy comparison because driving is something that most people can easily relate to.
If you can't understand the attitude of people who drink and ski then you can't understand the attitude of 95% of skiers. The issue is with the amount of alcohol consumed and how the individual then behaves, it's not as simple as "people who drink and ski are idiots". I'll drink at lunch, and may well have a sundowner on the slopes at the end of the day. I won't be paralytic but I will probably be over the limit for driving, but I will be perfectly sensible skiing because I'm old enough to appreciate what the effects are and I don't want to injure myself or other people, so I adjust my skiing accordingly, as does everyone else I know, and I suspect that the vast majority of skiers/boarders are the same. There is a minority who will be idiots about it, either because they are not old enough to know better or they are genuine copper-bottomed idiots. These people will be idiots in whatever activity they are doing, I don't believe that skiing turns people into larger idiots than they were when they left home to go on holiday. Tying to educate the idiots and raise their awareness is an important thing to do, but imposing draconian and intrusive laws is not the road to go down.
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You know it makes sense.
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Lizzard, Yes
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Dr John, I'm afraid that your statement that when sking drunk you are a danger predomintly to yourself is so wrong as to be laughable. Have you ever skied from the top of the Roche de Mio in La Plagne during half term, or any one of a dozen other runs accross the alps, they are packed with people, so there is a very real danger that someone sking when drunk is a very real risk to other people.
There is as I'm happy to admit a differance between a few drinks and being drunk, in the same way that I can have a beer and drive a car no worries I can have a beer and ski no worries. If you look at the article the skier was "drunk" big differance. I reiterate anyone who skis/boards drunk is an "IDIOT" and I would hope if they caused a serious injury to someone they would get a prison sentance. I was aiming my comments at this kind of skier/boarder not someone who has a glass of wine at lunch.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Not condoning or condemning but twice the Italian limit is only just over the UK limit. So 'Drunk' as with all things is relative.
You have to be careful with drinking statistics. If a sober persons crashes into you and you were over the limit then this is still recorded as a drink driving incident.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dr John, you seriously think 95% of skiers are people who ski and drink?
Nonsense!
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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?
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Bode Miller famously claimed that he skied better after a few beers (please ignore his 2006 Olympic performances). A certain Mr Klammer won the Hahnenkamm after being out all night on the sauce (allegedly). I was so nearly totalled by a guy in Coire Cas last week... I was going up the T bar and he was at the ragged edge of control coming down before clipping me and bailing out the other side of the tow track - it was 10am and I guess he was sober. Collisions happen and alcohol seems to get the blame but in my view it's more down to poor technique and ignorance.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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tiffin, if that's right then this 'drunk skier' could have had as little as a couple of glasses of vino with his lunch!
If we're all honest surely most of us do this (and worse) often. Even adie, admits having a beer.
The issue here has got to be that you need to ski/board in control around others - whether you've had a drink or not. Bode Swiller, and Dr John, +1
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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monkey, Italian limit is 0.5mg UK is 0.8mg. So a couple of glasses would probably put you over in Italy, depending on glass size, alcohol content etc.
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adie, is it? A very quick squiz at the t'internet reveals that only 10% of injuries are caused by collision (www.ski-injury.com/research/isss_2007). The addition of alcohol into the equation might change that %, but not significantly enough to challenge my original premise. Interestingly the report also states "The most common type of collision by far was a snowboarder hitting another snowboarder", which would bring down the 10% even lower for skiers only.
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| Dr John wrote: |
adie, the two are in no way comparable I'm afraid. To generalize, and the latest unfortunate incident notwithstanding, when skiing drunk you are predominantly a danger to yourself, when driving drunk you are predominately a danger to other people, hence the strict laws against drink driving. It's used as a quick and lazy comparison because driving is something that most people can easily relate to.
If you can't understand the attitude of people who drink and ski then you can't understand the attitude of 95% of skiers. The issue is with the amount of alcohol consumed and how the individual then behaves, it's not as simple as "people who drink and ski are idiots". I'll drink at lunch, and may well have a sundowner on the slopes at the end of the day. I won't be paralytic but I will probably be over the limit for driving, but I will be perfectly sensible skiing because I'm old enough to appreciate what the effects are and I don't want to injure myself or other people, so I adjust my skiing accordingly, as does everyone else I know, and I suspect that the vast majority of skiers/boarders are the same. There is a minority who will be idiots about it, either because they are not old enough to know better or they are genuine copper-bottomed idiots. These people will be idiots in whatever activity they are doing, I don't believe that skiing turns people into larger idiots than they were when they left home to go on holiday. Tying to educate the idiots and raise their awareness is an important thing to do, but imposing draconian and intrusive laws is not the road to go down. |
Wot he said. I often have a couple of beers over lunch, and in some resorts an apres or two before the final ride home. But I take my time (actually I ALWAYS take my time  ) and ski gently so as NOT to be a danger to anyone else. Sure I accept that my reaction time is impaired, and also my judgement, but not to the point where I can't tell 'slow' from 'fast' or 'left' from 'right'.
I'm certain that at times I would fail a UK breathalyser, but then I'm not driving a car, I'm skiing - the two are NOT the same.
Notwithstanding the above the guy in the report was clearly an out of control idiot, and it's a great shame that he hit another skier, and not a large rock. 
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Axsman, the classic examples of "drink skiing" would be the run down from the KK or Mooserwirt in St Anton or the home run in Solden where hundreds of drunken huns (sorry, a bit jingoistic there) pick their way down in the semi-darkness. They are very easy to slalom through and only a danger to themselves. Being really drunk probably makes other piste users slightly safer because your speed and ability to change direction is so impaired and your path predictable. So, DRINK MORE not less.
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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.
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| .... So, DRINK MORE not less. |
I'll drink to that!
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Dr John, 95% of skiers? I can assure you that, based on my experience over the last three years, using my ski companions as my population sample, 100% of skiers and boarders do not drink and ski.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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hyweljenkins, drink and ski, or ski drunk? The two are very different. If you are saying that neither you nor any of your companions have ever touched a drop of alcohol until you've finished skiing for the day then you are very much in the (tiny) minority. We could also discuss levels of alcohol in the blood the morning after night before, but another time perhaps.
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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.
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Dr John, either. My statistics prove that 100% of skiers do not drink and ski or ski drunk, therefore we are all in the massive majority. I used the same rules as L'Oreal to determine how large my sample should be.
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hyweljenkins, you and your friends are the Temperance Society Ski Team AICM £5
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You know it makes sense.
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Dr John, the cheque's in the post!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Having read numerous reports about this incident I'd conclude from the press coverage that the guy in question may or may not have been drunk, but almost certainly wasn't a skier. The problem seems to be more the classic one of an out of control fool, with no ability, strapping gear to feet then pointing down the mountain till he A) falls over or B) crashes into something, since he apparently a minute or so earlier had crashed into safety netting.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bode Swiller, I would take huge issue with the "huns" reference, if it weren't for my blue-nosed bear tendencies 
I'm fairly sure that most evenings there is a failrly wide represetation of the ski-ing and sort of ski-ing nations represented in the return from the Moose and KK.
My best recollection being of 2 of my mates trying to lamp each other at the bottom, falling over and having forgotten the whole incident by the time they had stood up. We had to show the the video to prove it. I think they might have been drinking. But they are from the dark side.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ghost Dog, Yep, Moose & KK crowd are indeed international but in Solden it is 95% trousered Teutonics turning tectonically.
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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?
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Ghost Dog, "Simply the best" post of the week
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