We look at all our athletes as members of our family so it’s hard. “I’ve come to think of it this way: the safer I ski, the more days on the slopes I have ahead of me.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. “I tell people to wear a helmet, but ski or ride like they don’t have one on,” Byrd said. He said injuries occurring during high-speed collisions overwhelm any protection the helmet can provide. But skiers and snowboarders average closer to 25 to 27 mph. Much of this has to do with the fact that helmets are tested to be effective up to 10 to 15 mph, Shealy said. Now more than 80 percent of skiers and snowboarders do, and the fatality rate hasn’t changed one iota.”
“When I began studying helmets in the early ‘90s, hardly anyone was wearing one. “Helmets have all but done away with lacerations and made injuries less serious than they would have been - for example, preventing a concussion,” Shealy said. Speed factors into another commonly-held misconception about skier fatalities: the amount of protection a helmet provides. Vail also advertises the number of passes revoked or suspended each week in local papers and requires pass holders with ski or snowboard infractions to attend a safety awareness class before their pass can be reactivated, said Liz Biebl of Vail Resorts. Vail Resorts has a program that puts passes on display that were taken from people who were skiing too fast. Resorts are aware that speed is a factor in accidents. “Your best protection is to ski with a partner who can help you get out.” Slowing down Tree wells account for about 5 percent of resort deaths nationwide, according to the Northwest Avalanche Institute. The more one struggles to get out, the deeper he or she is buried. When a skier or boarder falls into a tree well, usually headfirst, the loose snow acts like quicksand. Tree wells are formed when low branches keep snow from filling in around the trunk of the tree. “There are plenty of people who aren’t familiar with the danger of tree wells,” said Candace Horgan, a spokesperson for the National Ski Patrol. In the trees, there’s another danger that can trap a skier or rider. Two avalanche fatalities in 2012 marked the first in-bounds avalanche deaths in Colorado since 2006 and are among only four in the state’s modern skiing history. “But the skier has to also make sure they have the knowledge to stay safe before they head out skiing.”Ĭurrent conditions aside, in-bounds avalanche danger might not be at the front of a resort skier’s mind - they’re relatively rare. “We do everything in our power to assure our terrain is safe to use,” Sweeney said. The challenge of safety awareness grows with things that happen less often, such as suffocating in a tree well, or getting caught in an in-bounds avalanche - especially since the skiing public is less informed on some safety issues than others.
Ski or die 2017 trial#
“When you’ve been skiing for 15 years, it’s easy to forget that the dangers are the same every day you ski and every time you take a run.”Īndy Cross, The Denver PostA Copper Mountain Safety Patroller waves and asks skiers and snowboarders to slow down on a trial near the American Eagle lift Friday, March 1st, 2013. “If you’ve been skiing or boarding for a long time, the risks aren’t at the forefront of your mind,” said Chris Linsmayer, of Colorado Ski Country USA, which represents all the state’s non-Vail resorts. There is also the matter of the odds increasing with the number of days you get in each season. “They are the ones skiing faster, skiing closer to the trees and in the trees, because that’s where the powder is.” “If you think about it, experienced skiers are the ones who are pushing the boundaries,” said Dave Byrd, director of risk and regulatory affairs for the National Ski Area Association, which designates January as Ski Safety Month. Seven of the 10 deadly accidents occurred on blue runs nine of the 10 killed were men. Only one of those killed last year was a woman. The tenth died after suffocating in a tree well. In those collisions, seven people hit trees, one hit a fixed post and one hit another skier. Nine of the 10 skiers and boarders killed at Colorado resorts in the 2015-16 season were involved in collisions, according to news reports. Historically, Colorado’s skier fatalities mirror the national trend, both in skier profile and terrain. Colorado averages 11 deaths on its slopes each year according to Colorado Ski Country USA, a trade association representing state resorts.
Skier fatalities: Myths about who dies, and where, debunked – The Denver Post
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