Ski Safety Blog

Last season, head injuries accounted for almost a quarter of all ski injuries sustained on the slopes but a recent study has found that only 42 per cent of British skiers plan to wear a ski helmet next season. The survey, which was conducted by Ski Club of Great Britain and Ski Republic, a ski and snowboard equipment hire company, also found that of the 17,500 head injuries sustained last season, 7,700 injuries and 11 deaths could have been avoided if a helmet had been worn.

The findings follow the high-profile death of the British actress Natasha Richardson , who died in March after sustaining a head injury during a skiing lesson at the Mont Tremblant Resort, in Quebec. Richardson, who died aged 45, had not been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Last season, the Austrian government introduced a law requiring all children under the age of 14 years to wear a helmet on its ski slopes after the death of Beata Christandl, a 41-year-old mother of four, who died after a high-speed collision on the slopes with Dieter Althaus, a German politician. Mr Althaus, who was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the fatal acccident, had been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident but Ms Christandl had not.

Recent research in Canada and Sweden has found that snowboarders are up to four times more likely to have an accident on the slopes than skiers, while men are more likely to get injured than women. A poll conducted by Telegraph Travel earlier this year found that only 39 per cent of British skiers wear a ski helmet on the slopes.

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British insurance company AA Travel Insurance is urging millions of Brits who will hit the slopes this season to purchase winter sports holiday insurance. With an increase in the numbers of severe ski and board accidents, it is absolutely vital to have winter sports insurance, warns Europe's biggest ski magazine, the Good Ski Guide.

The Guide, in an exclusive expose, highlights in particular the increase in the numbers of skier-on-skier personal collisions, and says that many of the accidents are caused by boarders. The Guide's call has been endorsed by AA Travel Insurance, a specialist provider in winter sports cover . The AA understands the market and the skier's needs, and this year they'll be at the Metro Ski & Snowboard Show (October 21-25) to offer not just information, but the right cover and the chance to win a fabulous week's family winter sports holiday in Soll, Austria.

Christian Young, AA Travel Insurance's CEO, said, "At AA Travel Insurance we expect an increase in winter sports claims. There's no doubt that skiing and snowboarding is becoming more and more popular, therefore it is inevitable there'll be more accidents on the slopes this coming season. The harsh reality of the situation is that if you have an accident on the slopes it could cost you and your family thousands of pounds without insurance."

John Hill, Editor of the Good Ski Guide, said, "There has been a steady rise in the number of people choosing skiing and snowboarding holidays for the past 10 years and this is continuing in spite of the Recession."

Hill continues, "With more people enjoying the sport, the pistes are becoming more crowded and therefore accidents are on the increase. A little common sense will go a long way towards a happy and trouble-free holiday. But you still need the protection of insurance because as we've witnessed, the unexpected may be just around the next bend."

Something of a novelty In the U.S., travel insurance for sport holidays is common for European travlers. Not only does the insurance typically cover the cost of medical expenses incurred while on holiday, Winter sports insurance is also important in case you're deemed as being liable for causing an accident on the slopes, so personal liability insurance is absolutely fundamental. It's the same for car insurance... it's not to protect just you - it's also for the protection of others around you as busier pistes mean more accidents.

As well as considering the dangers of skiing/boarding off-piste, all skiers and boarders must also consider their own and other people's safety at all times when on the mountain such as;

• Only attempt runs suitable for your ability


• Have some lessons if you're a beginner


• Pay attention to all signs and markers on the slopes


• Leave plenty of space when overtaking another skier or boarder


• Only stop at the edge of the piste or where you can easily be seen


• Ski/snowboard on the marked runs - these are protected from unexpected alpine dangers


• Ensure you and your party have a piste map and don't stray from the main area


• Don't ski alone, safety in numbers


• Do some exercise and get fit before you go


• Avoid alcohol until you have finished skiing/boarding for the day

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Ski lift tickets went on sale at A-Basin October 9th, so it couldn't be long before the Summit County Sheriff's department began issuing their special brand of tickets. The first of the season appears to be ones issued to a half dozen people for possession of "small amounts of marijuana" at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Arena parking lot. Were they heading home or onto the slopes? Either way it doesn't make the rest of us feel particularly safe

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This year's 18th Annual Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo will be held at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver from November 13-15. The event is billed as Colorado's biggest temporary ski shop, with over 20,000 square feet of gear, clothing, and accessories. Discounts range from 40 to 75 percent on last season's gear and the 09-10 models. In addition, all Colorado ski resorts will be on site selling their season passes and lift tickets. With the Winter Games in Vancouver approaching, many Olympians will be at the Expo to sign autographs and meet with fans. Tickets are $12, Children 12 and under are FREE (cash only)- Included with your ticket is a one year subscription to Ski, Skiing or Transworld Snowboarding Magazine. Save $2 by printing out a coupon or buying your ticket in advance.

For more information on the Expo, visit www.skisnowboardexpo.com .

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Earlier this month a lawsuit brought by more than 20 lifetime passholders filed against Vail Resorts was settled. It appeared to be a net loss for the passholders, who previously had sold the use of the passes to the tune of thousands of dollars a year. See Vail Sued Over Lifetime Passes

Now, the passholders may neither rent nor lease their transferable passes for cash, but the passes may be sold or used as gifts in connection with business. They may also be used as prizes or awards if Vail Resorts provides written authorization, according to the terms filed with Summit County Combined Courts. The settlement was reached while the seven-member jury was deliberating a verdict.

The passes exist because of a perk offered in 1969 to the first folks who invested in Keystone Ski Resort. Each of 33 investors received five lifetime ski passes for their $25,000 contributions. The passes may now be used at any ski operation run by Vail Resorts.

In a 2006 decision Vail Resorts chose to stop honoring rented lifetime passes, and the lawsuit was filed. The plaintiffs were also concerned with a requirement that they send in or fax transfer forms any time the passes were lent to others. The settlement terms specify that the passes may now be transferred "on a daily basis," with no mention of transfer forms.

The passes expire upon death of the people listed in the settlement or April 1, 2050, whichever comes first, according to the terms.

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Christy Sports and Eldora Mountain Resort have teamed up to provide families discounted children's ski rentals and passes for the upcoming season. Gear and Grow is a program which allows for families to exchange equipment as children grow out of for gear that fits, anytime during the season. Package includes upgrades as they become better skiers. The Gear & Grow program includes an Eldora Child Season Pass and Christy Sports Season Ski Rentals for only $189. This offer ends October 25th, 2009.

Ski bums in love have a great opportunity this early season: Colorado's Keystone Resort is giving two free season passes to couples who get married at the resort. The offer, announced this week, is good for couples who marry at Keystone between Nov. 30 and of this year and Nov. 30, 2010. The pass is for the 2010-2011 season at the Keystone, Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin resorts.

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This ski season, resort owner Intrawest is requiring helmets for all youth in ski school and students of any age in freestyle terrain parks. Age limits for "youth" will be determined by each resort. Previously, parents could opt out of having their children wear helmets in certain programs at some resorts.

For the 2010-2011 season, on-duty employees will be required to wear helmets in terrain parks or if they are guides or teachers for programs where guests must wear helmets. The rules affect Copper Mountain, Winter Park and Steamboat resorts in Colorado, Stratton Mountain in Vermont, Mountain Creek in New Jersey, Tremblant in Quebec, Panorama Mountain and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, and Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia. Whistler Blackcomb will host alpine events for the 2010 Winter Games, thus giving an international forum for highlighting the use of ski helmets.

Vancouver-based Intrawest established the new policy six months after actress Natasha Richardson died following a fall at the Mount Tremblant ski resort in Quebec,. Intrawest operates the Tremblant resort. Richardson, the 45-year-old wife of actor Liam Neeson, died in March after falling during a skiing lesson and suffering a head injury at Mount Tremblant.

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Colorado's Loveland Ski Area wins the race for first ski area opened for the 2009/2010 season. Chair 1 launched the North American ski and snowboard season on Oct 7, Wednesday at 9am. They began making snow on Sep 21, allowing the earliest opening for Loveland in 40 years. Loveland currently has a base of 18 inches and access to trails spanning over a mile with 1,000 foot vertical. Early season adult lift tickets are $44.

The second ski resort to open is Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort. The resort which is owned by Powdr Corp is only 30 miles from the downtown Las Vegas strip. At an elevation of over 9,000 feet, Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort has 2 double chair lifts, 1 triple chair lift, and 1 surface lift. But for now only Rabbit Peak, the beginner slope, is open.

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area opened Friday morning, two days after Loveland Ski Area, making A-Basin the second Colorado ski area open for the season. It's the earliest opening day for the ski area after 63 years of operation, beating the previous record from 2007 by just one day. A-Basin tied for first with Loveland last year, and had won the title the previous two seasons. A-Basin reported that 1,200 skiers and snowboarders turned out within the first two hours. The resort has one run open with an 18-inch base. Some parts of its terrain park are also open.

Also opening today is BorealSki Resort, the first ski resort to open in California. Cold temperatures in California's Sierra Mountains enabled Boreal Ski Resort to enjoy its earliest opening ever, earning it first place in California this year.

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Dartmouth College's request to end a lawsuit filed after the death of Christina Porter '06 was denied by a federal judge last week. Porter passed away on Jan. 16, 2005, less than a year after sustaining severe head injuries while taking a skiing class at the Dartmouth Skiway.

Porter was enrolled in a beginning ski class to complete her physical education requirement. During a lesson on Feb. 3, 2004, she skied into a tree and was rushed to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She remained in a coma for the next six months, and passed away the following January due to complications from her injuries.

Her parents, Brent Porter and Mary Salstrom of Brooklyn, N.Y., sued the College in federal district court on Feb. 2, 2007 for wrongful death and negligence, seeking more than $20 million in damages. Porter's parents allege that their daughter's instructors were negligent in allowing her to ski without a helmet down a winding, wooded slope that they say was "too difficult for her." They argue that Dartmouth was responsible for their daughter's well-being because she was enrolled in a College class.

The court's ruling came in response to Dartmouth's request for summary judgment, in which the judge decides the case without a trial. Dartmouth argued that it is not responsible for the accident because of an equipment rental and liability release form that Porter signed. Dartmouth, in its request for summary judgment, asked the court to relieve the College of any liability. The judge denied the request last week, finding that the form did not notify a Skiway user that he or she was relieving the College of liability.
The form, a one-page document drafted by Solomon, the manufacturer of the bindings attached to students' rented skis, did not specifically name Dartmouth.

"The Release Agreement appears to be nothing more than a standard form agreement created by Solomon," the judge wrote in his opinion. "The 'Solomon' name and logo appear prominently in the upper left hand corner of the Release Agreement in large, capital letters, indicating that the form was clearly intended to release the equipment manufacturer, and not Dartmouth, from liability."

The College had previously requested in April 2007 that the case be dismissed, arguing that the claim was filed after the statute of limitations had passed and that Porter's injuries resulted from risks inherent in skiing. That motion was denied in October 2007.
Dartmouth argued in the April 2007 motion that the instructors exercised a reasonable standard of care when determining that Porter was prepared to ski down that particular slope. The judge responded that the possibility of negligent instruction should not "be deemed to be an inherent risk of skiing."

At the time of the accident, adult skiers were not required to wear helmets at the Skiway. The College began requiring that all students enrolled in ski and snowboarding classes wear protective helmets in November 2004, largely in response to concerns raised by Porter's parents.

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Aspen will be a safer ski town this season. After years of alleged bad behavior that allegedly includes a history of biting, a "vicious" dog has been banned from Aspen by a municipal court judge. Gizmo, who is reportedly a Pomeranian, will be seized by animal control officers and euthanized if he returns to the resort town, Judge Brooke Peterson told his owner, Melinda Goldrich, at a hearing earlier this week. Goldrich had admittedly violated an earlier court order by leaving the dog unattended in public, reports the Aspen Times.

Although he was on a leash at the time and tied to a fence, the toy dog is accused of biting a passerby who tried to calm him, the newspaper recounts. She did not seek medical attention. Goldrich admitted she negligently left Gizmo unattended for what she expected to be only a few minutes and has found another home for him.

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