...because there happened to not be a bunch of other riders coming by at the time
Agreed, but that's entirely the point. He knew he was way ahead, looked over to see it was clear (which he knew it would be), and apparently decided to blow the chute lines. Bad decision from a rules standpoint, but not an unsafe one given the circumstances.
Either way, the penalty was unavoidable since they said there would be no lienency if someone didn't follow the lines. I agreed with your earlier post on why they had to give him a ride through.
