Socal's Injury Leads to the Great Health Care Debate

I believe that skiing is a sport that results in many health care issues that are important to talk about. Ironically, I was discussing the health care system in England with a fella from England 5 minutes prior to reading these posts. He loves the system there. Even his Ph.D. is being paid for. He could not believe the care he received in the U.S. for a kick boxing finger inury in the U.S. He went into great detail about it. Many nurse researchers travel to different parts of the world to study health care delivery systems. We are the only industrialized nation without national health care. In England he claims it is fantastic, you dont' wait. He also states care is free for all, not just British citizens. If an American is working there, you are covered as well as a U.S. citizen. He will show me tomorrow how to get a British Professional license from a U.S. license, the educational system (his Ph.D. is free, here would be 78,000). He is here on a National Health System (NHS) (equivalent of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the U.S. grant for a study for a short while.

I do believe as skiers we are in the group that will likely need care for more than minor issues. It is important to learn what we can to make informed choices.

About the uphill skier being responsible to watch out for the downhill skier, that is the code of the NSP and ski area associations. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has developed "Your Responsibility Code" to help snowsport enthusiasts avoid injury and make their experience as safe and as enjoyable as possible. It does encourage the uphill skier to give the right of way to the downhill, establishes that as standard protocol. In Big Bear they prosecute skiers/boarder for assault of another skier/boarder. They encourage the skier/boarder to press charges when they have been wrecklessly assaulted. It is hard to hold the hill responsible (causation, damages, and liability = grounds for suit). How can the management know what all person purchasing tickets will do ahead of time? They can't. They can only remove passes and tickets after the fact.

Well, I hope you injuries heal up fast: God's Speed. I love to watch ski flicks if I am out. Warren Miller and such! Prayers for a speedy recovery! This video is with Peekabo on DVD about The Code if you are interested: http://www.nsaa.org/eshop/product.asp?i ... CatalogID=

From http://www.snowtrails.com/pages/responsibility-code 2010

The following we see at most resorts: As extablished by the NSAA and cited by Snow Trails Winter Resort (2010) "Observe the code listed below and share with other skiers and boarders the responsibility for a great skiing experience".

"Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.
People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.
Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.
Always use devices to prevent runaway equipment; you are responsible for possible damage or injury as a result of runaways.
Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
Prior to using any lift, you must have knowledge and the ability to load, ride, & unload safely".

"This is a partial list. Be safety conscious. Officially endorsed by the National Ski Areas Association, National Ski Patrol, and Professional Ski Instructors of America. For more great skier and snowboarder safety information, visit the National Ski Area Association's Ski/Snowboard Safety site". http://www.nsaa.org/

Someone mentioned exceptions to this. I think there are few. When we have to jam with a toboggan we send skiers ahead to yell ski patrol, get out of the way. Even then barrelling down we have to pave the way.

I believe all skeirs around me are unpredictable. I ski with that in mind. I have been run into from behind on the cornice at Mammoth while standing still as a child on the side of a run. A ski patrol protected me from jamming into rocks on the fall. I will never forget him! I teach other skiers the technique he taught me, because, it can happen at anytime to anyone! Basically get your whole body down to increase surface are resistance. The old lift versus drag, thrust versus drag equation. Increase the drag. Hard to do when you are heading for rock, relax and lay down! Not instinctive, but should be oddly enough! Simple! O

Marc_C":d514bmyf said:

Harvey44":d514bmyf said:

I get profanity a lot from people who come up from behind me. From the "comments" I get it, I think they feel that my wide, less regular turns, make potential collisions my fault.

Are there exceptions to the rule that the downhill skier has right of way? It's a sincere question.

Click to expand...

As Admin said, basically no. But that doesn't mean that erratic, unpredictable turns aren't as annoying as hell, can result in a collision, and often indicates that the skier is on terrain well above their ability level.

Click to expand...

While I'm probably not the best judge of my own skiing, I don't think erratic is a proper description.

I do enjoy varying my turns between tight radius and wide, parallel and tele. This is based on terrain and surface. It's not unusual at all, at Gore, to ski a trail with nice soft snow, and then reach a steep part that is icy. Parallel turns are suited to hardpack and in most cases, I'll make those turns tighter. I think it's a backcountry thing. You've got multiple kinds of turns in your bag, and you pull out the best one for each situation. Hell, I use kick turns inbounds.

Each to his/her own. Clearly snowboarders ride differently than alpine skiers and they do get some grief for it at times. I've learned to stay off their blind side, when they are below me. One thing about my skiing .... I'll do entire runs paralleling, so it's quite possible that if I break into some wider tele turns, it could surprise people. Maybe surprise translates in fear and then anger.

I don't see the enjoyment in cranking out turns of consistent amplitude. For me, it just seems to remove an element of fun.

With regard to skiing terrain above my level, I've been doing that every day since I started skiing. I just don't know any other way to improve. As James can attest, I'm not going to stop doing that to avoid embarrassment, or for any other reason.

Sorry for the immense thread drift.

And welcome home Tony.

I'm still in Canada until Feb. 7.

With regard to the uphill/downhill skier issue, I have some about my incident on 4/12/08. A skier on the far left side of the run unexpectedly crossed all the way to the right and I was going too fast and couldn't avoid the collision. I would have slowed down some if it had been a beginner or a snowboarder, but the skier was in his line on the other side of the run for some time and I did not anticipate the poassibility he would cross in front of me.

When I came back from the injury (broken ribs) I wondered if I would have a fear of speed. Not really, but I do have some more anxiety about how close other people are.

This is an interesting conversation. Maybe it deserves a new thread?

I ski pretty defensively. When I do decide to change my rhythm or amplitude, or change from one side of the trail the other, I always glance uphill to see if the coast is clear. Generally, I'll pick one of my consistent turns, that I've been making for awhile, and while crossing the fall line, sneak a peak uphill. I also would never ski with music. I like to hear if someone is coming up behind me.

Our system (Canada) is as your's probably, capable of the best...and the worst. My wife's parents have been sick for years and the have always received fast, attentionate and effective treatment whenever needed. As for the skier's code: even if everyone followed it 100% their would still be thing's we call accidents happenning ](*,)

...but getting rammed-in by an out of control a-hole while waiting in line is a totally different thing, I would sue for sure or...face charges for kicking is face in.

get well soon Socal