# A start to a chapter on Safety



## juggled (Feb 2, 2015)

This is the beginning of a chapter on safety at a ski resort. I have a lot of information but it seems really dry and boring. I am writing this book for families planning on taking a ski vacation, so I am guessing that the people that read it will be women 30+.  I want to make it more interesting if I can. Any feedback is welcome, especially to make it not so boring. Added note I am not a writer but a knowledgeable skier and snowboarder

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Safety.
   We start planning our ski vacation and as we are booking hotels, reserving rentals, signing up for lessons we start to think about what could happen. Yes skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous if you don't prepare ahead of time. Its not as dangerous as you may think, and with a little knowledge and preparation you can have a safe and fun time schussing down the mountain on your vacation.


 On the back of most lift tickets will be printed Your Responsibility Code. This is a code of conduct while sliding down the slopes. A little common sense, a helmet and Your Responsibility Code can help keep you safe on your trip to the slopes.  


 Your Responsibility Code


Always     be in control where you can stop and avoid other people and objects. 
The     down hill person has the right away, its your responsibility to     avoid them. 
Stop     in a safe place for you and others where you can be seen from above. 
When     starting downhill or merging with a trail, look up hill and yield. 
Always     use devices to prevent runaway equipment. 
Obey     all posted signs and stay off closed trails. 
Know     how to use the lifts safely. Know how to load, ride and unload     before using a lift. 
 Know the code, its your responsibility.  
 This is a partial list.
 Be safety conscious.  
 I find more often than not most people don't even know there is a code, and if they do know about it they don't know what it says. This would be a good lesson for your kids before you venture to the ski area.  


 Staying hydrated might be the most overlooked way to stay safe. In the winter the cold dries up everything, especially your body when you are exerting a lot of energy learning a new activity. So taking a break often and making sure you drink water is very important to your health and safety.  


 Safety can be in the form of gear as well. Lets look at some different safety gear you can wear.  
 The most widely used safety gear in the ski industry is helmets. Helmets protect our most valuable item , our brain. When purchasing a helmet make sure if your going to wear a hat under it to try it on with that hat. Helmets should be snug with very little wobble when shaking your head back and fourth. Helmets are dangerous if they are not fitted properly, if in doubt ask the nice folks at the ski shop to help.  

Next most used safety gear in the industry is goggles. Yes goggles are safety for your eyes, as the sun is very damaging as we all know. Goggles also help protect your eyes from the cold and snow when sliding down hill. A good pair of sport sun glasses can also work.  

With all the awareness of skin cancer it is highly recommended to wear sunscreen even if its not sunny out. Sun will damage your skin even if you cant see it behind those clouds. If you can find a sunscreen stick it will make applying it easier and less messy.  

Wrist guards should be part of your safety bag when snowboarding, especially when learning this exciting sport. The lower arm is statistically the most common injury when learning to snowboard. I wear gloves that have the wrist guards built in to make it easier to wear them.  

Knee pads can be worn under our snow pants to give us padding if we fall forward learning to snowboard or even if we are just waiting around for our friends of family. Sometimes its hard to stand balanced on the one edge of a snowboard so if we are waiting on the hill its usually easier to kneel as we wait. I recommend using a volleyball knee pad as they do not have a hard plastic shell that can tear up your snow pants from the inside.  

Impact shorts can be worn underneath our snow pants to protect our hips and tailbone. Its not nice taking an injury to the tailbone and the impact shorts can help reduce that chance. I wear them like a seat belt in a car where I feel funny without them on. They also help insulate our bottoms when sitting down to strap in to a snowboard or even when riding a cold snowy chair lift.


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## Plasticweld (Feb 2, 2015)

Technically  it looks good, the only thing I questioned was the use of the word "our" when describing where to wear either the impact shorts or pads.  It shows that you are also an enthusiast  but for some reason I questioned it while reading. 


You're right it is dry, someone reading this would be reading it to gain information.  The only way I could think to make it read so that it would be entertaining would be to create a fictional character that did everything wrong and use him as an example but doubt it would have the same effect as what you just wrote.  There are times when getting the information is more important than the delivery, this may  be one of them. 


Welcome to the forum...Bob


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## juggled (Feb 2, 2015)

Thanks for the reply! with the use of "our", should I just take it out? 
I think I am going to write some anecdotal stories in each chapter about people I have encountered at ski resorts doing weird things.


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## Plasticweld (Feb 3, 2015)

juggled said:


> Thanks for the reply! with the use of "our", should I just take it out?
> I think I am going to write some anecdotal stories in each chapter about people I have encountered at ski resorts doing weird things.



I am not the guy to ask when it comes to technical things.  When I look at someone's writing I just make a note every time I either stumble and mentally say "huh" or I have to go back and re-read to see if I missed something.  Your writing is clean, I wouldn't have used "Our" if I was writing it so it made me take a second look at it. 


Anecdotes like parables are a great way to teach anything.  Let the reader visualize what you are trying to say in terms they understand and you will always have an audience, no matter what you are writing about. 


Looking forward to seeing more...Bob


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## Nippon Devil (Feb 4, 2015)

Alright, spotted this on a quick read:

_I find more often than not most people don't even know there is a code

_Double negatives are confusing. _I find most people don't even know there is a code. _is one possible fix to that line. 


About using stories in your book, I think that's okay so long as the stories aren't too long. I don't mind a long read, but if this book is here to be informative, I probably don't want to read a 2-3K word tale that's essentially in place just to know why goggles are important. If you'd like more ideas, you can also add flavor by giving the book some voice. Write like you're explaining all this to a close friend instead of droning it out in some classroom. You could also role play it and pretend to be someone "more interesting" who is writing the book.

An Example, which I must add is probably not well suited to woman 30+ but whateves: 

On the back of most lift tickets will be printed Your Responsibility Code. This, along with a helmet and common sense will keep you upright and your bones intact.


Your Responsibility Code should read:



Always be in control where you can stop and avoid other people and objects.

Always be in control period! Stick with a speed you feel comfortable with and keep an eye out for people and obstacles.
The down hill person has the right away, its your responsibility to avoid them.

Just like when driving an automobile, you are responsible for what's in front of you. Don't be like that ass hole who left for work late. Drive safe!
Stop in a safe place for you and others where you can be seen from above.

If you are downhill however, it doesn't give you an excuse to be stupid. If you've gotta stop, make sure you don't obstruct everyone up hill. Your bones will thank you!
When starting downhill or merging with a trail, look up hill and yield.

The mountain is big, but sometimes the summit can be as crowded as the entryway to Wal-mart on a black Friday. When starting or merging, it's important to give the fastest people on the hill right of way to avoid breaking things. Nobody wants extra elbows or knees...
Always use devices to prevent runaway equipment.

We are not cavemen! We are a sophisticated modern society that has access to things like bungee straps and Velcro. Nobody wants to be the guy who dropped their ski pole on their way to the summit. That would just suck.
Obey all posted signs and stay off closed trails.

The signs are there for a reason. They don't close trails for laser light shows or cool stuff like that. There's probably a massive obstacle that most people would break their spine trying to get around. Don't endanger yourself or the people trying to clear the trail!
Know how to use the lifts safely. Know how to load, ride and unload before using a lift.

We are a sophisticated modern society because we can learn! Lifts can be dangerous if you don't know how they operate. There's always someone to ask about these things, find them!







...But I think you'd probably be better off taking this section a bit more seriously than I did. Just remember to have a voice and don't write like some automaton and you'll do fine.


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## juggled (Feb 5, 2015)

Thanks for the advice, I can use all the help I can get. I have changed the double negative. 
As far as the code, its basically a predefined code so I cant really change it.  I do like your version of it as that's what I would like to say to people.


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