speeding tickets for skiing too fast?

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September 13, 2010 - 5:44pm

friolator

Joined: Feb 12 2009

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Just read this article, which seems a little bit extreme to me - a $1000 fine and 6 months in jail for skiing too fast? I will say that there are certain choke points at ski areas where it can get really dangerous, but it seems to me it should be up to the ski area to fix that problem, and to aggressively take away tickets from repeat offenders, but only if they're actually skiing recklessly. There's a difference between reckless and fast. The fines and possible jail sentences seem a little ridiculous to me.

http://www.zetapage.com/speeding-skiers-face-jail-time.html

All I can say is, "I was born to go fast."

I am friolator. I am a dead cat.

September 13, 2010 - 5:14pm

#1 [permalink]

khoisi

Joined: Oct 28 2009

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This is my FAVORITE clip from this show, I think half the time the ski patrol are putting people in greater danger.

Completely agree the jail sentence was drastic. The skier should have their pass taken away, but jail time??? Who are they going to endanger off the mountain? They are most likely a greater danger to themselves then anyone else.

Shred it

October 25, 2010 - 2:04pm

#2 [permalink]

Joe Smith

Joined: Oct 21 2010

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There are so many things wrong in this video on so many levels. First, the ski patrol acting like the state police with their lookout higher up on the hill, and the "speed trap" farther down. Come on - the kid's right. This is a mountain, not an interstate, and the ski patrol guy looked like he was getting his jollies off on the "power kick".

But then there's the kid himself. He's clearly not skilled enough to go fast - sitting waaaayyy back on his heels. Did you notice the wedge position of his skis when he finally did stop, and see how far out his uphill ski was? Oh, but dude, he does black diamonds! This kid needs lessons, big time. Ski patrol should be forcing kids like this into a ski lesson on a black diamond trail. A qualified instructor can put prove to the kid what a crappy irresponsible skier he actually is, not some power-hungry patroller. Make the kid prove he can link a half dozen short radius turns on a 30 degree pitch, or something like that. If the kid doesn't want the lesson, then kick him off the mountain - period. Handing out speeding tickets? It's creepy, and relies too much on a "legal" approach.

Speaking of "legal" approaches, I'm sure what started this whole thing is that - at least according to the article - an inexperienced skier (likely a lawyer) threatened to sue the mountain if it didn't do something about "speeding reckless skiers". Oh, the poor baby got scared. Well, now if the dopey kid in the video crashes into cry-baby lawyer, the mountain can say, well, we're making an effort to crack down on speeders, blah blah blah.

October 25, 2010 - 2:33pm

#3 [permalink]

friolator

Joined: Feb 12 2009

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Hi Joe,

Just to clarify - the video was posted as a joke, and is unrelated to the article about speeding tickets.

But the video itself should be seen in its larger context - it's from a short-lived reality TV show on TruTV (formerly CourtTV), that follows ski patrollers at a ridiculously busy mountain in Pennsylvania - Blue Mountain. They have to set up these speed traps to slow people down at major intersections because most of the people at that mountain don't seem to be able to ski in control, and those choke points look like they'd be terrifying to navigate due to congestion. It's actually a pretty good TV show, and it's kind of a shame they pulled it, because it's quite funny. The patrollers, this guy in particular, aren't really arrogant once you understand what they're up against. And in the context of the whole episode, this particular kid was really being a royal pain in the ass...

By the way, they're not actually handing out speeding tickets there. It's basically a warning, like you'd get at any mountain. Subsequent warnings would get you booted. Some mountains punch a hole in your ticket, these guys issue a warning citation.

But I agree with you that the premise of the legislation is ridiculous. I don't really see how it would be enforceable anyway, unless they start putting cops with radar guns on the mountain. I don't see that happening.

I am friolator. I am a dead cat.

November 13, 2010 - 1:42pm

#4 [permalink]

WisSkier

Joined: Mar 2 2010

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This generally offends the heck out of me.

The ordinances are especially egregious and I would think ski resorts can clip the offender as a first resort and possibly ban them from their resort or put them on a list for other resorts to consider as well, if they repeatedly offend. Even that bugs (the later suggestions, I myself would like to see more clippings occur) me quite a bit.

I can understand where people are coming from. I remember some years ago watching this one "bowling ball" skiing on runs he had no business on (yes, his tips were straight down the fall line, the only direction he could go) and he nearly wiped me out once and he came close to taking my father out. He was not going all that fast but had no ability to alter course, and that was his problem, he could not control at any speed.

PJ O'Rourke needs to take this one up!

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