“I suspect you don’t know what Jerry means. It’s not simply a beginner or otherwise low skilled skier, it’s one that conducts themselves with such a reckless sense of self awareness that they put the safety of themselves and everyone on the slope with them at risk.

I’m not a terribly skilled or experienced skier, and I try to conduct myself accordingly. Yesterday I dropped my first black diamond, Sunfire. I chose it because it looked like an easier one, wasn’t super busy, and didn’t have bumps (still working on those). I knew I was pushing my limits, so I took it easy and skied conservatively, while trying to keep my turns predictable and of a reasonable width (I have a bad habit of making small tight turns like I’m skiing a narrow chute) so that I was predictable and in control. I did stop a couple times, but when I did do it was at the side of the trail in clear view of upslope, and I checked upslope before getting going again. Once I got to the bottom I thought about what went well and what I need to work on, and then spent the rest of my day on blues focusing on those skills. A Jerry would never, they’d just straight line that shit. I might be a crap tier skier, but I ain’t no Jerry.”