How to slow yourself down on a steep ski run

EMERGENCY SITUATION
You’re out on the slopes for a day of skiing with your Venturers. Suddenly, you make a wrong turn and find yourself hurtling out of control down a steep expert run. And you’re no expert. You need to regain control—fast. What should you do? 

SOLUTION
Your first reaction should be to resist your first reaction, which will be to stick your arms out and grab at something—a tree, the ground, another unwitting skier—to slow you down.

When you’re racing at high speeds on skis—30 miles per hour or more is common—you risk breaking or dislocating an arm, a wrist, or a collarbone if you attempt to slow your progress in that manner. Worse, your helmet (you are wearing one, of course) is not designed to effectively protect your head from collisions at such speeds. Thus, a sudden stop is dangerous.

But wait, there’s more. Assuming your bindings have been adjusted properly, your boots are designed to pop out of them when you make a sudden twisting motion with your foot. This is great for saving your knees and ankles from major trauma, but it also means that any sudden moves may have you tumbling down the hill with no skis—and, thus, no effective way of stopping. On steep terrain, this can lead to catastrophic injury.

The solution here can be summed up in three words: Use the mountain. The best way to slow down is to begin to carve long turns across the hill. That is, your ski tips should be pointed perpendicular to the base of the hill. As you ski across the width of the trail, keep your arms forward, your knees bent, and your feet together as you shift your weight to the uphill ski, pressing its uphill edge into the mountain. You can also drag your poles to lose speed, but don’t plant them or you risk wrenching your thumb and/or wrist.

If you do fall down—and you will, if only from exhaustion—fall in a way that will minimize injury. As you’re sliding, keep your knees bent and swing your legs around so they are below you as you fall. Make sure you’ve stopped completely before trying to stand up. Getting up too early can result in serious ACL injury.

To bust one myth: Statistically speaking, snowboarders are no more dangerous than skiers. In fact, it’s the opposite. Research conducted by Dr. Jasper Shealy, a professor emeritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology who has studied ski-related injuries for more than 30 years, found that skiers are three times more likely than snowboarders to be involved in a collision with other people. This is primarily because snowboarders tend to stop while skiers tend to slide down the mountain.

Of course, if you really want to play it safe, there’s always hot cocoa by the fire.

Stay on the Lookout
There’s nothing worse than an out-of-control skier, except an out-of-control skier hurtling down the mountain straight for you. So, always be aware of what’s happening on the trail above you. It’s much easier to maneuver away from a 30-m.p.h.-missile-on-skis than for that unfortunate soul to avoid you. And you’ll be able to alert the ski patrol and offer help if needed.

Also, a few minutes in a ski shop before hitting the slopes can go a long way toward avoiding injury. A skilled technician will check your boots for proper fit and your bindings for the proper setting. Both can help you avoid injury.

Plus, check out the Guide to Safe Scouting’s guidelines for winter sports: bit.ly/winter-safety.

JOSH PIVEN is co-author of the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series. Find him online at facebook.com/jpiven.