Can skiing faster be safer?

Yesterday, I learned that my 76 year old neighbor got into a ski accident three weeks ago and ended up spending four days at the hospital for broken ribs. He doesn’t clearly remember what happened, but thought that he was hit from the rear by an out-of-control snowboarder or skier. 

He fell as a result of the impact and the culprit left the scene of the accident. Today, he’s doing okay and is still recuperating. He simply told me “Keep on skiing fast, so you won’t get hit from behind by someone out of control…” 

There sure is a lot of truth in that admonition that I practice every time I ski by myself. When I’m in the company of others, I generally lead, but pace myself to a speed that feels comfortable and secure to those following me. 

Under these conditions, we all become potential targets to these speed demons that can lurk behind us and mow us down like blades of grass… 

I can’t tell either how long I’ll be able to ski fast enough to afford myself this kind of active protection, but except for certain circumstances (spring skiing being one of them), I avoid perfectly groomed run where these colliders love to roam and prefer rougher terrain and marginal snow conditions!