A survey published last year by Halifax Travel Insurance in Britain found British male skiers consume an average of 100 units of alcohol during a week’s vacation. - upi.com
With this in mind we bring you Ski Fast…Lose Pass – Ski Drunk…Lose More by skiesq.com
It goes without saying that skiing and snowboarding while drunk is dangerous. Heck, skiing while sober is dangerous enough. Yet in a sport where alcohol is almost as much a part of the culture as snow, the warning bears repeating. To realize that the message about skiing and drinking doesn’t always compute, one need look no further than the US Ski Team, where two widely publicized incidents recently highlighted the issue.
The first incident was Bode Miller’s startling-but-not-so-startling admission that he skied drunk in World Cup races. The second was the sad tale of former US Ski Team member Robert Vietze. Vietze blew his shot at the 2014 Olympics by drunkenly urinating on a sleeping 11-year old girl during an August 2011 JetBlue redeye home from training in Oregon.
Lawyers are often accused of ruining everyone’s fun, so let me clarify. No one’s saying don’t have fun. I have lots of fun when I ski and enjoy a good après-ski as much as the next skier. However, it is important to understand the risks and legal consequences of mixing alcohol and skiing. So I promise – no preaching, just a quick overview of the law.
Ski-U-I?
Let’s start with the most basic scenario – skiing while drunk. Many people are surprised to learn that skiing under the influence is actually a crime in many states. For example, in Colorado, skiing under the influence carries up to a $1,000 fine. C.R.S. 33-44-109(9). In Wyoming, drunk skiing is a misdemeanor which could land you in jail for up to 20 days. Wyo. Stat. Ann. 6-9-301(b). Of course, these laws are rarely used to prosecute drunk skiers. However, it’s important to remember that just because the law isn’t applied often doesn’t mean it won’t be applied to you. Just ask this Telluride skier nabbed by Mountain Village cops in 2009.
Lastly, to clarify, while a DUI will get your driver’s license yanked, a “Ski-U-I” is not a motor vehicle violation (so it won’t), but it doesn’t mean it will look good on your next job application either.
this may be a stupid question but what is a “unit”? 12 oz? 16? this is america so I dont get it
Units are a measure of the alcohol in a drink by the volume of pure alcohol in it. In general terms, it works out that a small glass of wine, a half pint of beer, or a 25ml shot of spirits is generally a unit. But it is dependent on the strength of the drink.
Multiply percentage by volume and divide by 1000 to get units
4.8% volume * 568ml = 2.7 units
i.e 2.7 units in a pint of stella so the average brit has the equivalent of 37 pints while on a weeks ski holiday
So what do they drink the other 6 days?
pretty sure scott maccartney is passed out from crushing his skull into the snow going 80 and not because he was wasted. perhaps a picture of bode would have been a better image for skiing drunk.
37…in a row?
5 drinks a night doesn’t seem all that bad on holiday lasting a week.
a unit is a drink. a shot, or a beer, or a glass of wine. they consume 100 units. 5 units a night for a week would be 30. This is 3rd grade math here. jebus h cristo
On our uni ski trips, that amount is consumed before we even get to the alps…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjNONVnYCgM
Stupidity. Sure I’ll admit to consumption of lots of alcohol.
The drinking is AFTER skiing, not during skiing.