Screengrab: KOCO
The internet, man. You can always count on it for some wild or goofy thing. And for some reason, wild or goofy animal things top the list of attention-grabbing moments.
It makes sense in the outdoor sports world, where we’re constantly stepping into nature and every once in a while need that little reminder that our playground is actually somebody else’s home turf. Even on groomed ski slopes that sit just a short lift ride away from a giant, warm lodge, a pint of beer, and a $30 hamburger, we’re still only a moment away from a run-in with wildlife.
Not too long ago, a video emerged of some friends bombing down a California hill when a bear jutted out of the tree line and nearly took out a snowboarder. A similar encounter just went down in New Mexico involving a local ski patroller at Red River Ski and Summer Area and some of the local wildlife. The woman who happened to catch the video was actually hoping to capture a clip of her daughter coming down the slope on her snowboard when she noticed a deer sprinting onto the groomed trail. You can see a moment where the skier clearly noticed a deer was headed his way and the two avoid a full-speed collision.
Getting clipped by a deer running at full speed could be brutal, of course. We all know what they can do to cars on the highway. But still, the absolute chaos and terror from all the screaming onlookers is a bit amusing. The ski patroller was probably startled when he finally did spot that deer headed right for him, but judging by the crowd reaction, he may have been expecting to look out for something much worse than a leaf-eater with hoofs. Something like, idunno, a meat-eater with giant paws and an appetite?
