Impending crash - which action do you take?

[MISkier]

Scenario: you are completing your turn and hooking up. You had some slack and you have skied over the rope. There is no opportunity to re-adjust your ski and avoid continuing over the rope. Which option do you take?

 

A. Hold onto the handle and brace yourself.

B. Release the handle and brace yourself.

 

I had this happen last night and selected option A. Well, it was selected for me, as everything was so unexpected and happened fast. The net result was that the eventual tightening of the rope flung the ski out of the water and over my head....with my feet still in the bindings. I held the rope through the completion of that maneuver and wrenched my shoulder a bit in the process.

 

But, it made me wonder what would be the better choice. It seems that letting go of the rope (B) would either hook the ski tip with the handle or possibly wrap around the tip of the ski like a noose. Both of those seem a bit more violent on your ankles or knees.

 

Anybody have this happen? First time for me. Also, I wonder if it is more common/probable at shorter line lengths. Mine was at 32 off.

[LeonL]

I've had it happen multiple times. No necessarily due to slack, but getting on the tail and the tip of the ski going up, then coming down over the rope. I have always let go as soon as I realized it was going to happen. Not much chance of ski getting caught on rope.

[Wish]

Let go. Ski damage usually costs less then medical bills.

[Than_Bogan]

Aside: This (admittedly rare) scenario is one reason to have a binding release from the toe. If the handle somehow grabs your ski, it can yank it very hard.

There are not many bindings that can release from the toe (including the one I am using right now :( ), and it's not a true "must have" feature imo. But this is the one case where it's a good feature. MOB, for example, can do it.

[ScottScott]

I'm not short line enough to have experienced this....but I am thinking certainly letting go, but i think as a rule hold on until the rope gets pulled out of your hand, but allow it to pull out without any resistance. ???

[Chef23]

I would try to get away from the handle. I would rather wreck my equipment than my body.

[Kelvin]

@Than_Bogan I've had the handle catch the tip of the ski in a fall and it broke the ski at the front of the front binding. My bindings don't have a toe release. Don't know if a toe release binding would have helped or not.

 

I've had friends put their arm through the handle. I always hold onto the handle until it is pulled from my hands.

[Razorskier1]

Keep the handle, ski tip comes up and out of the water, fall over. I've had that happen a handful of times and never came out with a significant injury.

[Horton]

panic. poop a little.

[DavidP]

A Hall of Fame legend told me when discussing preventing injuries, "You've got to know when to let go of the handle bars."

[Razorskier1]

@Mark_Matis - among the many great lines from Deadpool

[skidawg]

Panic, let go of handle, clinch check, poop a lot from inema.

[DaveD]

@MISkier told this story on the dock last night before I skied. Needless to say, I threw the handle away numerous times during my two frustrating sets trying to figure out 32off gates.

[MISkier]

@DaveD, you did not have the tailwind that gave me the extra slack, when I skied it improperly, so you probably did not have as much risk. My rope was nearly laying on the water when I ran over it in almost full pulling position. I took today off from skiing....and took some Aleve.

 

@skidawg, I have always worn neoprene-lined shorts to prevent enema. I've seen too many others on the receiving end of the boat-powered super flush.

 

It seems as though not many here are concerned about the rope/handle catching or enveloping the ski and applying some heavy torque to their ankles or knees. That seems like a legit issue, though.

[gregy]

Same thing for me at 22off a couple weeks ago. I running the pass easily and turned, me and the ski flung up and around before I new what happened.

[BraceMaker]

Wasn't there a video 2 years ago of a handle wrapping a ski tip?

[skidawg]

@MISkier , neo shorts are great until the water hits 100 in Louisiana