Ski hill safety: Be mindful of your speed

By Tom Eddy
Reader Contributor

As we finish January — which is Skier Safety Month — and progress into the remainder of the winter season, it’s important to remember how to stay safe on the slopes. Last year, we revisited the new “Your Responsibility Code” and spoke of the changes that have been made. This year, I would like to talk about speed and stopping distance.

Skiing and riding on the mountain is one of my favorite things, but I did not appreciate just how fast I move on a daily basis until I tried out a ski tracking app. The results were surprising. 

Just tooling down the cat track, I averaged 24 miles per hour without even trying. This led me to some online research. One of the most direct research studies I found was written in 2023 by Lenka Stepan (Skier and Snowboarder Speeds at U.S. Ski Areas), consisting of almost two decades of research focusing on eight resorts spread across the country. 

Photo courtesy of Schweitzer.

Stepan, et al., utilized a multiple linear regression model to account for the variables of terrain, snow conditions, skier ability, equipment choice and whether participants wore a helmet. Briefly, they found that with more than 4,200 observations, a beginner skier on beginner terrain averages about 15 mph. Intermediates averaged close to 10 mph more than their less experienced counterparts. Advanced skiers add another 10mph for an average of 35 mph. 

No disrespect, but snowboarders across ability levels averaged a speed 1.5 mph less than skiers. 

Not surprisingly, the more experienced you are, the faster you tend to ski or ride.

What does this mean and why do I reference this study? Easy: As with vehicles, conditions, equipment and ability, all affect stopping distances. 

If it’s the afternoon and the grooming has been skied off, it will take you longer to stop from any speed than fresh-groomed or powder — the more friction, the shorter the stop. 

Another study I stumbled across shows that the average reaction time for a skier or boarder to recognize the need to stop is 420 milliseconds. It then takes another 470 ms for said skier to initiate the stop. Without getting into a bunch of coefficients and physics, many factors affect stopping distance: how steep is the slope, whether you tuned your skis/board, slope angle, friction, snow quality and many others. 

The point that I’m trying to get across is that many of us ski or ride faster than we think. That’s probably OK when you have a run to yourself, or conditions are nice and soft. It’s not OK to come screaming into Jam Session when it’s full of young children and beginners. 

There is a time and place to feel the wind in your hair and make your eyes water, but that’s not at noon on a weekend on a crowded run. 

Even if you’re an expert skier or rider, tone it down as you approach the “Slow Skiing Zones” around the mountain. If ski patrol or mountain hosts wave at you to slow down, slow down. We aren’t trying to steal your fun; rather, we’re trying to make the mountain safe and enjoyable for all users. 

Tom Eddy is the Hill Safety supervisor at Schweitzer, a member of ski patrol and manages the Mountain Host Program.