What are some of the more strange things you've seen while skiing? - Page 2

Here in the North East (Catskills NY), see porcupines all the time, black bears are almost always closing a slope here and there in the spring, one of the freakiest things I have seen?... a deer slipped of a ledge, landed pretty mangled but very much alive on another ledge just before the summit slope. Well after a few laps on the main chair, the poor thing is still there... Next thing is a guy in front of me getting on the lift with a riffle. One shot later, I see the lifties and others attaching the deer to a ski mobile....they drag it off the mountain, meanwhile, unbeknownst ?, to the sled driver, he stains the mountain with a huge red streak. Gotta be at least a half mile long. People had no idea what they were skiing through ... I don't know how many times I heard people asking about "that big red streak" at the base lodge that day....ewe...

 

Usually the squirrels are attracted to nuts.

Any body know the name of this little bit of insanity?  It is at Squaw last year.

I've seen all the animals from J-Hole to Jay. Yes, porcupines like to sit in trees, and they can get pretty big. Moose are big and

dumb or mean enuf to step on you.

 

Saw a body in the woods at Camelback, and it was 30 feet in and 20 foot down off the trail. We got to watch the saga play out on successive lift rides. It took forever for the ski patrol to get the victim back onto a sled, let alone to the slope for the ride to the ER.

 

Brown snow at Vail in the spring when the wind picks up the dust in Utah and deposits it in the Back Bowls.

 

Strangest had to be several years back. If you recall some military pilot from Cali alledgedly went renegade and crashed his jet into the CO mountains around Vail. We didn't understand at the time why we saw so much helicopter traffic the whole week we were there. Then it was annouced on the news what was going on. I don't think they found the crash site for several more months.

 

Though the eeriest may have been way back in the '80s one December. We were skiing at Vail on the brand new Vista Bahn with shiney new bubbles. We get off the mountain that day, only to hear about the bull wheel on one of Keystone's new lifts snapped off and a few peeps were killed. Made you feel kinda eeire.

 

 

 

In Italy last winter I saw a woman yard sale while practically standing still. She had only just started down the hill and couldn't have been going more than 5 mph, but she managed to twist her way out of both skis and lost her poles as her hands went into the ground. I was dumfounded and spent the last couple minutes of the lift ride trying to figure out how she on earth she managed to do that.

 

 

That reminds me. I have seen this twice. A runaway ski, with the boot still attached. Once at Montage, and once on Double Dipper at Kmart. That must be what a twisting fall does to you.

Saw two women on skis in inflatable Sumo wrestler suits at Snowbird, Superbowl weekend 2011.

I could tell you, but you gotta' buy the book

 

I was almost at the top of Alta when I flushed a blue grouse while skiing.  It was of great interest to me because I'm a birder. 

Top of Mont Fort, Verbier a few years ago.  Someone in a private jet nearly crashed into us. He literally buzzed us, I'm guessing 30 feet in the air above. We all honestly thought he was going to hit us. He then rolled down into the valley behind us, skimming the ground. Seriously thought we were done for.

 

It has to make you wonder how a moron of that caliber got behind the wheel of a plane. You can't buy common sense! Hope the rest of your trip was better.

aliens

I once saw an African American person skiing...

how did you know they were of African decent? how did you know they were american? did you ask them?

 

If I moved to africa noone is going to call me an american african, I am pretty sure they are going to call me white.

 

Dude, just go along with the joke already.  That's how humor works.

...because that's where the ganja was.

 

I wonder how a military jet from Columbia made it past our air defenses???

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cali

 

 

 

I've seen porcupine, grouse, ptarmigan, bald eagles, ermine, and strangely dressed (and undressed) people frequently.  Moose and bear tracks (spring), but none fortunately on the trail with me.  Too many helicopters doing rescues.  

 

Personally, I think there are stranger scenes in just one hour on any subway platform in NYC.  

Not seen but maybe CLOSE:

 

I lost my eyeglasses once on a lower double black at Sun Valley.

Describing the incident in the patrol room, I asked the patroller if I could

go down the trail now closed (April PM closures daily due to solar heating)

 

He says NO but the other patrollers suddenly began laughing. .

 

Turns out a picture on the wall is of a BEAR chasing the patroller I just talked to down this trail.

 

 

BEAR is hidden  about 20 yards from my glasses and is ready to emerge

from winter hibernation.      Never found glasses.

 

 

Hints:  1.You'll get maximum GNAR points.

             2. GNAR competition contestants  had season passes taken at Squaw due to "this".

LOL 

  I know since I have an autographed copy of this book!

 

 

 

I've seen groups of Sikhs wearing turbans.  They had the biggest smiles of anyone on the mountain!

 

Didnt everyone get the memo, ganja is only allowed on the chairlifts, LOL

 

 

Poor Taste man

 

On the East Coast we see people of all types on the slopes, BFD

Strangest thing I ever saw or experienced while skiing was a woman in her 70's that was pushing, shoving and muscling her way to the front of the lift lines.  This was in Switzerland.  The first time it happened, I felt this tug on my shoulder, then the person skied right over my skis using me as leverage.  I was seriously about to punch the person in the face when I realized at the last possible moment that it was a lady at least 70 years old.  I was shocked, and the look on her face was "meh, I'm movin' to the front of the line".  I watched as the same thing happened to others, and lucky for her, people realized she was an older lady, or there would have been some carnage.  I guess when you get to that age and you're still skiing, you figure you shouldn't have to wait in the line with the younger folk.  Kind of took me off guard when it happened to me, but watching it a few more times throughout the day was quite comical. 

I thought it was only allowed in the ganjolas.

 

Here's one of the nicer rasta huts I've come across.  Don't recall exactly where (JK).

 

 

Skunk.

 

He was just minding his own business, heading directly down the hill without stopping, right under the lift. He was on a mission. Orient Express at Vail. There was a patroller following very slowly, very, very far behind. 

 

One time I was at A-Basin, heading up the Palli lift. The fall line of the trail is almost perpendicular to the lift in a few places. So I was riding up and a helmet with the goggles attached rolled out of the trees on the upper side, right under the lift, and down into the trees on the other side.  

Hope the helmet and goggles were empty...