Countless injuries in the ski park are waiting to happen due to the obliviousness of beginner riders. Many beginners consistently put skiers and snowboarders at risk in the park because they are unaware, inexperienced, and uneducated on proper practice. The problem is not just because of the skiers and snowboarders but also due to the ski resort’s management.
New skiers tend to wander into the park because it is a fascinating novelty to them. They see it as an amazing assembly of ramps, rails, and jumps with countless obstacles and opportunities for creativity. They may get caught up in their interest and lose sight of being spatially aware.
Some people stand in dangerous spots, putting themselves and others at risk. Beginners can often be seen drifting into other people’s lines and cutting people off.
As suggested, the beginners in the park have little skill and control because they are beginners, and that’s ok because everyone has to start somewhere. However, it becomes a problem when inexperienced skiers or snowboarders start trying to do features far above their skill level.
The risks of the park become much higher when skiers are attempting difficult features because they have limited foundational skills to help them stay in control if, and when something goes wrong. This can put themselves and nearby skiers at danger of injuries or collisions.
Beginner skiers aren’t just a safety risk, they sometimes disrupt the natural flow of the park. This is because many new park skiers haven’t learned how to navigate the protocols of the park. There are many steps that need to be followed so that everyone can coexist in the park.
The most common practices that I’ve seen missed are: letting people who got to a feature before you go first, stay in your line so that no one gets cut off, not snaking other people, waiting your turn, and not following too closely behind someone else.
Most importantly, it is important to be respectful and courteous to all skiers. People make mistakes and that’s ok. It’s part of the sport. If all these steps are followed, it makes the park a better environment for every rider of every level and lowers chances of injuries, collisions and frustration.
I understand that it isn’t reasonable to expect every beginner park skier or snowboarder to understand their limits and the practices of the park or to be perfectly aware. That’s why I believe that the management of the ski parks at all mountains should institute a way to limit who can get into the park.
I believe that resorts should make it so that you have to pass certain tests and certifications from each individual level of the park to be able to enter that specific space. So for example, one would have to complete a course and be evaluated before they could enter the small park then once they pass, they would only have access to the small park until they attain the next level of certification. I believe that this would significantly lower the safety risks created by inexperienced and new skiers.
Every difficulty that I’ve mentioned above can be avoided with one thing. Knowledge. Knowledge of what’s going on around you while in the park. Knowledge of your limitations. Knowledge of common practices. That is why it is important to know what you are doing and to not go in blind to the park.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask people questions in the park. Everyone there has been in the same position before and would be happy to help as long as you’re respectful and polite.