Tough Day On The Slopes

I've never been much of a skier. Many years ago when I was in Public School, I went on a Grade 8 Ski Trip with my class and it was a fun time. I think the most memorable part of the trip was either sitting in the chalet playing Foreigner's song Urgent on the jukebox or seeing a kid I didn't really like taken way in an ambulance with a broken leg. Ya I know...I'm so mean, but I was just 13 years old at the time.

To be honest, I actually didn't mind the skiing and had some fun swooshing down the slopes and by the end of the day I had totally abandoned the "snow plow" method and graduated to something a little more progressed.

I also had cross-country skies as a youth but that was just too much work. I didn't want exercise, I wanted to glide across the snow. Eventually I didn't accomplish either as I broke both my ski poles and ended up walking in the snow. That was fun! (sarcasm)

As much as I didn't enjoy my skiing experiences, I don't think my troubles could even come close to comparing to this recent incident that will no doubt result in a lawsuit. At the very least the guy can claim emotional damage and embarrassment.

A skier at Colorado's ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift on New Year's Day. The January 1st mishap apparently occurred after the 48-year-old male skier and a child boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin. It would seem that the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding.

The exposed skier was stuck for about seven minutes with his pants down, or up as the case may be, before he was rescued. The young boy also on the lift was fine but he said it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen....and he wasn't talking about the hanging guy.

OK...I made that last part up about the kid.

Now in case you think I'm making this up, here is the photo"graphic" evidence. You can click on the photos to see them larger.

She See's Me Doesn't She?

So I'm sitting in the line to get gas on Saturday and we all know how exciting that is. Who doesn't love spending 50 bucks for half a tank?

Any way, I'm sitting there for about 45 seconds waiting for the guy ahead of me to finish when all of a sudden I notice some movement to my right. Sure enough, here's a woman in a small Chrysler product backing out of a parking spot.

Seeing that I'm only 5 feet away from her she has to see me in at least one of her mirrors doesn't she? At the very least she has taken a peek over her shoulder to see if any kids, people or cars are directly behind her that will prohibit her from leaving her parking spot immediately, right?

NOPE!

It wasn't until she put the back end of her car into the side of mine and came to a sudden stop that the realization came to her that she probably should have taken at least a quick gander to determine if someone might be in her path of travel.

"Oh I didn't even see you there", she says to me after we exit our cars. I'm doing my best to not be a hot head and to deal with her in as pleasant a manner as possible. I don't know if my grinding teeth were audible to her or not.

The gray-haired woman was obviously upset and embarrassed by the circumstances and was somewhat apologetic. I think she was in more disbelief than I was. Hmmm...I got hit by a woman driver...shocking.

Luckily the damage wasn't so severe to keep me from using my chariot. I think her car stopped when it hit my front right tire and that helped to limit the damage to the fender which is no longer aerodynamically shaped. The dents were quite obvious and my anger was still in check.

We exchanged insurance information and I bid her a good day. I finally got my gas and pulled away from the pump and stopped briefly in the parking lot well away from any listening ears and proceeded to vent my anger to myself. It was only a verbal venting and the tongue lashing I would have liked to have given her was only heard by the victim in this whole affair.

So now I have to make plans to get my car repaired during my vacation in August. Not exactly my idea of a fun time. I can only hope the woman who hit me gets nailed by her insurance company for being so stupid and irresponsible and that perhaps she'll remember the mirrors in her car serve a purpose other than for checking her make-up.

(True Story)

Clip of the Week - July 14/08

Attention all owners of trailers, motor homes or any high profile vehicle. It is always best to take note of your surroundings while your vehicle is in motion or while towing a trailer.

This was never more evident than when this gentleman decided to take his fifth wheel camper through the drive-thru bank in Texas.

Luckily, both the driver and his ten-year-old son escaped quickly out the passenger side of the truck and were unharmed. I can't say the same for the rest of the items involved.

Clip of the Week - September 3/07

I have always loved Air Shows and having lived in an Air Force town my whole life, I've not only been to numerous acrobatic displays but I live each day with military planes flying overhead.

Sadly, the clip this week reminds us of how dangerous air shows can be and that a fun afternoon enjoying the sights can quickly turn to tragedy. I have been witness first hand to an air show accident that involved two Canadian Snowbirds and it's a sight I'll never forget.

This Air Show accident happened in Poland on the weekend and resulted in the deaths of two pilots.