As a parent, your first priority is always to look out for your kids. Their safety and security become your responsibility from the moment they leave the maternity ward, so you best be prepared.
One dad had had enough after a reckless skier unapologetically crashed into his 11-year-old son, so he called ski patrol on them and had them ejected from the slopes. Now he’s turned to netizens to ask if he overreacted.
More info: Reddit
As a parent, your kids’ safety is your first priority, and this dad was certainly committed to it
Image credits: wavebreakmedia_micro / Freepik (not the actual photo)
He took his 11-year-old son on his first skiing trip, something they’d both been looking forward to
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
On the second day, his son said he was ready to ski down the whole mountain, so they headed for the safest trail
Image credits: derich / Freepik (not the actual photo)
His son was loving it until a reckless skier crashed into him and refused to apologize
Image credits: Helpful-Force-5711
Irked, the dad called ski patrol on the skier and had him ejected, but is now wondering online if that was a jerk move
OP begins his story by telling the community that he recently booked a trip to go skiing with his family in Colorado. It would be his son’s first time on skis, since they live in Florida and can’t afford to do this regularly. He goes on to explain that he grew up in Utah, loves skiing, and considers himself something of an expert on the mountain.
According to OP, the first day went really well. On the second day, his son wanted to ski down the whole mountain, so they took a lift to the top and picked green-level trails (used by kids and beginners) for their journey down.
Well, OP’s son was loving it until a reckless 20-something skier crashed right into him. OP’s son immediately started crying but, after he’d calmed down a bit, ran off to OP’s wife. With that taken care of, OP confronted the offending skier, who just said he should have been taking better care of his son and skied away.
That was too much for OP, so he notified ski patrol, who said they’d take care of it. Later on, OP says he saw them escorting the offender out of the resort. When he spotted OP, he started cussing him out and calling him a bad dad, prompting OP to ask netizens if he overreacted.
From what OP tells us in his story, it’s fair to say that the offending skier wasn’t just acting entitled - he was also posing a major risk to everyone enjoying the slopes. But who has the right of way in this scenario? We went looking for answers.
Image credits: Yan Krukau / Pexels (not the actual photo)
According to the Oxygene website, there are a few guidelines to remember to ensure everyone enjoys the slopes. Some of these include respecting other slope users, controlling your speed, choosing your trajectory, overtaking safely, and obeying signage.
The Kulkea website puts it plainly: the downhill skier always has the right of way. Other etiquette tips for the slopes include always staying in control, never stopping in a spot where you obstruct the trail, and looking uphill and yielding to others when merging into a trail.
The reckless skier’s ignorance got him kicked out, but what about the damage he did to the kid’s newfound love of skiing? Considering he didn’t even apologize, it looks like it’s up to OP to smooth things over. After all, it would be a shame if his son swore off skiing after one accident.
According to the Child Mind Institute website, some typical reactions to trauma for kids aged 6-11 include anxiety, moodiness or crying, denying the event even occurred, refusing to discuss the event, and trouble with memory and concentration at school.
OP’s best bet might include reassuring his son that he’s safe, keeping things as “normal” as possible with regard to eating and sleeping, discussing the traumatic event calmly, and answering any questions his son might have. While a slight kerfuffle may seem minor to most, a young child who was used as a crash-landing pad by an adult skier may see the whole thing a little differently.
With any luck, and perhaps some more time on the slopes, hopefully OP can undo the damage and demonstrate that skiing doesn’t have to be scary, especially now that the obnoxious skier has been kicked out.
What would you have done if you’d found yourself in OP’s shoes? Do you think having the skier kicked out was going too far, or did the punishment fit the crime? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
In the comments, readers slammed the skier for not observing slope protocol and swiftly concluded that the dad was not the jerk in the situation
