Italy — Certified ski instructor and hospitality manager Francesco Eri captured this shocking footage in the Dolomites of northern Italy of a runaway snowboard leaving a path of destruction in its wake. The unmanned snowboard seemed to have a mind of its own and intent on taking out skiers:
Runaway snowboards were a cause of great concern in the early days of snowboarding as snowboards don’t have breaks like skis. This concern was justified in many ways as proto snowboard bindings much less secure and reliable than modern systems using simple straps, rubber components, or basic buckles that could loosen or fail more easily during a crash.
These days snowboard leashes requirements are quite rare as modern bindings are much more secure and overtime resorts realized the fear of runaway snowboards turning into downhill missiles was overblown. However, when a snowboard gets loose they can still pose a danger and snowboarders should be very alert and careful when fully unstrapped anywhere on the mountain other than at the base.
