Y – Yard Sale
Originally, my thought for Y was going to be Yellow Snow and the lyrics to Frank Zappa’s 1974 song “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”, but then I thought I’m showing my age (and poor taste – yuk), so I choose Yard-Sale instead.
I found a number of definitions of yard sales while searching:
- especially in skiing or other snow-based sports, a fall or spill; a wipeout.
- a horrendous crash that leaves all of your belongings scattered as if on display for sale.
- the description of a scene of a crash where equipment is thrown everywhere
- (the best) a wipe out of massive proportions, usually executed by a novice skier attempting a ski run that is well out of their ability. As the skier attempts the more difficult run, they lose balance, and fall down to the inclined slope. The force of the impact with the groomed snow will cause (a) a ski or both skis, (b) poles, or (c) various items of clothing to fall off. The impact of the fall is not capable of causing serious injury, nor able to stop the momentum of the fallen skier. As such, the hapless skier continues to slide down the hill, continuing to lose items of clothing, skis and poles as he/she slides to an eventual full stop.
Yard sales are memorable. They live with you forever, because the crash is so spectacular, and during the sale itself you’re so disoriented you haven’t a clue where you are or what your name is. It’s only when your stationary (or immobile) that the reality sinks in you’ve had a crash of epic proportions, and it’s now time to discover how many injuries you’ve picked up, and how much equipment you’ve lost.
My first big-time yard sale was in Les Diablerets in Switzerland. Our group was officially on a Christmas vacation in the Swiss resort of Morgins in the Portes de Soleil, but due to the lack of snow we – as well as the rest of the world and his wife – were bussed to Les Diablerets which had year-round glacier skiing. After the spectacular tram ride up, to get to the first t-bar lift required a long fast schuss down a narrow track, a right-hand corner, and the need for sufficient speed to actually go uphill to the lift and avoid having to get your skis off. The right-hand corner was my undoing. I was going as fast as I probably ever had in my life, and on coming out of the right-hand corner was horrified to see some 15 skiers of German nationality traversing left and right across my path in no particular order. I saw a gap and went for it, only to be foiled by the last skier who made a turn right in front of me. I clipped the back of her ski and went flying into the upper bank of snow losing skis, poles and my sunglasses (which I broke in the process). I was fortunate not to have the crap beaten out of me, even though I tried to argue the point that they (and now me) faced a long walk to the lift. I was also fortunate to avoid injury and able to ski the rest of the week.
The most spectacular yard sale on film is that of Daron Rahlves during a World Cup giant slalom in Adelboden in Switzerland. Dubbed “The Crash”, it is one of the most spectacular crashes in Alpine skiing history. See the video which has actually been viewed an incredible 27,445 times!
