Want to Jazz up your next Ski Trip? Use Radar to Measure your Schussing

First, I have to admit that I have never actually skied. Or at least snow skied. I'm a competent water skier, and I can wake board, but I've never strapped on skis, taken a chair lift up a mountain, and shredded some powder.

I admit this because I'm sure I'm most likely about to misuse a handful or words common to skiers, and while I'll make every effort to be accurate, there's likely to be a slip up. Feel free to let me know in the comments and I'll make the necessary corrections.

Now that I've revealed my inexperience, let me tell you about some radar gun related news for skiers.

First, and this isn't the biggest piece of news but I think it's funny, so you have to hear it: ski patrollers on some slopes have been using fake radar guns as part of their plan to slow down skiers and snowboarders.

Apparently one of the more popular things to do when skiing is schussing, which is going straight downhill as fast as possible. Ski patrollers want people to slow down for safety reasons. No doubt falling is fairly common on a ski slope, and the faster you're going the further you'll bounce around and break things (like your bones) as you travel downhill.

I don't see why they don't get a real radar gun. I wrote a couple weeks ago about State Deputies Using Radar on Snowmobiles. The Decatur Genesis Handheld Radar Gun would be a great choice for skiers and snowboarders too. It's portable, accurate and durable enough for police use. I don't think the ski patrollers have the authority to give out tickets, though they may have been given that power by the ski resort, if guests agree to it in a written form. I doubt there are ski speeding tickets, but I suppose it's possible.

On the topic of ski speed, the other bit of news I just read about is an iPhone app that allows skiers to track their speed on the slopes. Rather than being used to keep speeds down, it appears that many skiers are using the app as a tool to fuel bragging. Most skiers try to see if they can approach the same ski speeds as the pros in competition.

I have to say it sounds nuts. I understand the urge, but the pros can get over 70mph!!! If you fall at the speed you're going to tumble a long ways, and while snow is relatively soft, you're still going to get banged around quite a bit, and you could get seriously injured or killed. And if the app is getting people to reach speeds higher than they're comfortable with it could spell ruin for a number of people.

I can drive my car over 100 mph, but I'm not a NASCAR driver, and my reflexes, as well as my car's performance, aren't up to dealing with sudden problems such as a deer jumping out in front of me.

The same thing happens on the slopes. You're schussing along at a high speed and a deer, or maybe another person or, God forbid, a child pops out from behind a tree. You're going way faster than you can handle and either hurt yourself, the other person, or both of you.

That said, it does sound like a lot of fun, and I've done similar stuff on bicycles or jet skis, so it's a bit hypocritical of me to condemn this practice. But as parents everywhere tell their children, "Do as I say; not as I do."

One thing that might be cool is if, instead of measuring your own speed using your phone you could have a friend with a radar gun testing your skiing speed at the bottom of the hill. As this is about bragging as much as anything, having someone else taking a reading and cheering you on would be more fun than just reflecting on your speeds at the end of the day.

Oh, and since we're on the topic of skiing, I also read this amazing blog post on proper skiing and snowboarding eyewear on the OpticsPlanetBlog. I may be a bit biased, but the writer is a really handsome, brilliant guy. He might also be me.

What? I'm multi-talented.

Labels: radar uses, skiing