Skiing distracted is never a good idea, whether you’re looking at your phone, looking back at your buddy, or just somehow not paying attention. Not looking forward at where you’re headed can very quickly lead to a disastrous collision, as seen in this quick clip from freeskier Kieran Troup.
Kieran hits a quick little air off of a bank on the side of a trail in Austria, glancing back to spot another skier behind him. In the split second of looking backward, he comes scary close to hitting a snowmobile headed right toward him. It was such a quick moment that pointing the blame toward Troup probably wouldn’t be correct.
You should be looking around while skiing and you should be aware of where other skiers are in relation to you, so Kieran isn’t at fault for glancing behind him. That said, this clip shows how just a split second moment can quickly lead to disaster if you’re not paying attention. The snowmobile appears to come out of nowhere, you can barely see it before he glances back.
This video also demonstrates the importance of ski resorts putting up warning signs and specific lanes for snowmobile travel. Of course there are cases where a sled will have to travel on regular ski trails (rescues, snowmaking, etc), but common snowmobile traffic lanes should certainly be marked on ski resorts. Also, as with any warning signs or closed signs you see at ski resorts, if you see something marked as a snowmobile lane, respect that closure and don’t try to shred it.
