Ski Safety Blog

Graham Anderson booked the ideal ski vacation, leaving his home in England to travel to the French resort of Puy St Vincent with his wife. Mr. Anderson undertook the responsible step of enrolling in ski lessons, but the lesson took a tragic turn which has left him in a wheelchair.

Mr. Anderson, crashed into a tree while skiing downhill off piste with the instructor Jerome Portejoie while on a Snowbizz holiday in 2004. As a result, the father of two is now a wheelchair-bound tetraplegic.

His case alleged that the tour operator 'Snowbizz' was in breach of the terms of the holiday contract or common law duty of care. Mr Anderson, sued the ski tour operators, Michel and Wendy Lyotier, who trade as Snowbizz, based in Maxey, Cambridgeshire, England. He alleged breach of duty, claiming the instructor Jerome Portejoie should not have taken him on the run, given his limited experience.

At the High Court in London, Mr Justice Foskett said Mr Portejoie had been negligent in that he should have realised that the short slope was "too much to ask" of Mr Anderson and was a "step too far".

Mr Justice Foskett emphasised that there was no suggestion that Snowbizz was in any way at fault in the events that occurred. The Judge found that the instructor "took his eye off the ball on this particular occasion".

But the judge offered some comfort to the ski instructor: "It may be of some comfort to Mr Portejoie to know that there are very many distinguished and ordinarily highly competent and conscientious doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, surveyors and the like who, on an isolated occasion in their lives, are found to have been negligent within the meaning of the law. He should look on this as one of those isolated occasions."

The judge appeared to accept that Mr Portejoie was a very experienced ski instructor, concerned for the safety and well-being of his students.

In closing, the Judge urged skiers to take out adequate insurance cover that would provide substantial funds if permanent serious injury, including paralysis, should occur. Mr Anderson, who runs a printing business BGP in Plymouth, Devon, was not in court. Damages, expected to be more than a million pounds, will be assessed at a later date.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A new cable channel will debut this holiday season. The Ski Channel plans to launch Christmas Day, with on-demand mountain sports programming available to more than 15 million homes.

Chairman and CEO Steve Bellamy also launched the Tennis Channel in 2003, and parallel website Tennis Week. For the Ski Channel, the website is simply www.theskichannel.com. The website has a few bugs, but if the content is added to the various menu pages, it could become a valuable tool for skiers, snowboarders and the industry.

The Ski Channel had originally been scheduled for launching earlier this year, but was delayed for additional content. One recent deal allows the channel to offer famous ski films from the Warren Miller Entertainment library.

The Ski Channel has long-term broadcast rights to The Freeskiing World Tour, The World Freeskiing Championships, The Subaru US Freeskiing Series, the North Face Masters Series of snowboarding and the World Heli Championships in Mt. Cook, New Zealand.

Its programming will be available free to certain Verizon's FiOS TV, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and DirecTV customers.

Olympic gold medal skier Jonny Moseley is an investor, advisory staff member and on-air talent for The Ski Channel. Moseley has plenty of on-air experience, having hosted MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge for 3 years and acted as guest host of Saturday Night Live. Alpine and Nordic Ski Commentator Steve Schlanger will publish an exclusive blog for The Ski Channel website.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For the past 11 years, Colorado Ski Country has offered Colorado 5th Graders the chance to ski at Colorado resorts for free. This year, 21 Colorado ski resorts are participating, with each offering 3 days of free skiing and snowboarding. Do the math - that's 63 days of hitting the slopes. See Colorado Ski Country Passports.

And this year 6th Graders have a program of their own. Sixth graders will get a whopping 4 DAYS of skiing and snowboarding at EACH of the 21 participating resorts - all for a mere $99. A year older, a little more expensive - but still a "deal."

Participating resorts for 2008-09: Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Purgatory (Durango), Echo Mountain, Eldora, Howelsen Hill, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Ski Cooper, Snowmass, SolVista, Steamboat, Sunlight, Telluride, Winter Park and Wolf Creek.

This is an innovative approach to indoctrinate the young into a great sport - but not to be accepted without two caveats:

- Do READ the waiver attached to the registration form - in Colorado this release of laibility will be enforced, and you can waive your child's rights under Colorado law.

- Do REQUIRE your child to wear a helmet whenever on the ski slopes, if you need further persuasion on this point see Ski Safety News Winter 2005, Wearing Helmets Essential to Safety of Sport.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Denver Post this morning published an unusual editorial regarding the early season opening of several Colorado ski areas. Obviously written by an avid skier, the opinion piece acknowledges the attraction of early November skiing but notes that the risks are not to be ignored:

No doubt, resort owners know they can make more money by opening early, as many skiers and snowboarders gladly accept the crowds for the chance to go down the few runs the snowmakers make possible. But when a resort uses its high-speed lift technology to give thousands of riders per hour the chance to descend only one or two runs, a chaotic atmosphere results.

The editorial argues that during mid-season conditions, the size of the typical Colorado ski area allows dispersion of skiers according to ability over sufficient terrain to maintain a safe density. But - "when a high-speed, four-person chair lift meant to serve several trails drops off 2,400 riders an hour at the top of a single trail or two, the expectation that such a concentration of riders can co-exist responsibly strains credulity."

Advancements in snowmaking, grooming and high-speed lifts have increased the numbers of skiers on any given slope. Technology may have outstripped the ability of ski area operators to respond to the potential dangers created by the demand. See Deadly Season On Colorado Slopes.

Most ski areas post ski patrol and volunteers to remind guests to maintain safe speeds, but armed with only whistles these sentries are serving tough duty. The large orange SLOW signs are routinely ignored no matter how far the ski season has progressed.

The conclusion of The Denver Post editorial suggests that Colorado ski area operators consider restricting the number of guests allowed on the limited terrain, or slowing the speed of the lifts to reduce numbers, or, the obvious solution, delaying the opening date until a reasonable number of runs can be opened.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the Colorado high country expecting a foot of new snow over the next 24 hours, it is the perfect prelude to the 17th Annual Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo set to begin on Friday.

The three-day conference in downtown Denver is being held Friday through Sunday at the Colorado Convention Center (700 14th St.) Doors will open at noon Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $12 at the door, cash only, $9 in advance. Children under 12 get in free.

Billed as the single largest ski and snowboard sale in Colorado's biggest temporary ski shop -- more than 20,000 square feet -- it's as much pep rally as ski shop.

Every resort in the state (and beyond) will be on hand to show off a collective $100 million in capital improvements and a last-chance opportunity to score lift ticket bargains. However, those "bargains" invariably come with the requirement that you sign a waiver releasing the ski are operator of any liability for injury which may occur - and contrary to popular misconceptions, these waivers are upheld in Colorado courts.

If you aren't in the market for new equipment this season, but wish to unload some extra gear check out Colorado Ski & Golf. Once again CS&G is offering the opportunity to donate your unwanted skis, snowboards, boots, poles and bindings through a recycling program designed to keep them out of the landfill. And of course, the retail giant is offering tempting replacements.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)