Skier Tries To Stop While Speeding, Suffers Epic Crash

Reddit user u/lukasshannon posted a video of his friend putting on a skiing clinic earlier this week.

And by clinic, I mean his friend demonstrated exactly how you shouldn't try to stop on snow.

First off, his friend somehow walked away from this one uninjured—thank goodness for that. I'm not sure any of the ligaments in my knees would've survived such a pummelling.

It's easy for some to scoff at a video like this, proudly stating that they'd never lose control and crash dramatically. 

But let's be real. If you've skied for any significant amount of time, you've probably pulled a similar maneuver at least once. What can I say? Sometimes, you bite off more than you can chew and pay the price.

Yes, I'm included in that notion, too.

The video reminds me of a flirt with serious injury I had last season. Like the skier in this video, I was slightly out of control, barely hanging onto a straight line that, in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have attempted.

Still, I assumed everything would work out after I reached a gentler portion of the slope. 

Wrong. I hit a compression before launching face-first into the snow. I folded completely in half (the wrong way, mind you!), my goggles left a neat mark where my face impacted, and, for a brief moment, I thought I'd broken my back.

Somehow, I was rattled but injured. The crash left me with an important life lesson that I imagine the skier in this video also learned—going fast is fun and all, but make sure you've made a plan on how to safely stop beforehand. Otherwise, the mountain will make that plan for you.