Ski Safety Blog

One million British skiers and snowboarders will head to the slopes this winter without adequate insurance, according to a new survey, potentially leaving them facing costly medical bills. According to the Ski Club of Great Britain, more than half of those heading for the slopes will do without travel insurance. And of those who do have insurance, only a quarter will check the terms and conditions to ensure they are covered for winter sports activities.

According to Axa, one of Britain's largest travel insurers, in a recent survey of skiers and snowboarders, one in five (19 per cent) said they believed an insurance policy would not pay out for injuries and one in three did not believe coverage would be provided for transport home if injured. Much of the confusion may arise because of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

All holidaymakers travelling to Europe are advised to get one of these cards, as they cover some of the cost of medical treatment in Europe. But they are not an adequate substitute for insurance. They only offer up to 80 per cent coverage for medical bills in hospitals that accept the card. And that is only if you are taken to a hospital within the network, if taken to a private hospital the EHIC care will not cover your medical treatment. The EHIC card also won't pay for any transportation costs - either to hospital, or for repatriation back home.

Skiing and snowboarding injuries are relatively common. The Association of Mountain Doctors in France said it dealt with 140,000 injuries last year; and according to the Axa survey, about a quarter of those who have been on a winter sports holiday have suffered some kind of injury - and the cost of treating these can soon escalate.

But what should you look for in a winter sports policy? First off, check you are covered for these sports. Many people rely on an annual policy, which won't necessarily cover these activities. If you already have an annual policy, it is worth contacting your insurer. Most will add on this cover, for a fee of course.

Check it covers your holiday destination. This may sound obvious, but some people buy winter sports coverage, thinking this will cover them wherever they go skiing or snowboarding. But if you have European-only coverage it's obviously not going to cover you for skiing trips in Whistler or Aspen. People who simply renew an annual policy each year, without really checking what they have, could potentially fall into such traps.

Aside from the medical cover, you also want to make sure the policy has personal liability and legal expenses cover. This will cover your costs if someone injures you and you need to take legal action against them; likewise it will cover you if you are involved in a collision and someone wants to sue you.

Winter sports enthusiasts should ensure that their policy is tailored for all snow activities. Off-piste skiing, for example, may not be included, or only if you are with a registered guide. Likewise, there may be insurance restrictions on activities such as tobogganing, ski touring, glacier skiing, heli-skiing or even racing.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 1:20 PM | Permalink

The Wolf Creek Ski area closed Monday to honor former Marine Scott Kay, ski patrol director at Wolf Creek who was killed Monday in an avalanche. Kay had worked at the ski area for 16 years, he was doing avalanche-control work when he became caught in a slide.

Scott Kay was a 41-year-old former Marine, a husband and the father of two boys, ages 6 and 8. The ski area issued a news release extolling the dangerous work he did to protect others.

A recorded phone message at the ski area said Wolf Creek was closed Monday "due to the fatality of a staff member." The news release from the ski area said, "To honor him, Wolf Creek will remain closed for the remainder of Monday, Nov. 22, 2010, and, also to honor him, will reopen on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, at 8:30 a.m."

Kay was skiing a routine avalanche-control route when he was caught in a slide, according to a news release from the Mineral County Sheriff's Office. When the accident happened, he was working with professional ski patrollers who unsuccessfully attempted to free him and resuscitate him.

When Kay did not respond to radio contact, fellow ski patrollers responded to find him, the release said. They located him with avalanche beacons and probes. They dug him out of about 4 feet of snow. The death is the first avalanche-related fatality of the season in Colorado, according to the Avalanche Information Center in Boulder.

Snow and strong winds have created a "high" avalanche danger across much of the state's high country, the Avalanche Center said Monday. A high rating means both natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely. Backcountry travelers should always be equipped with a shovel, probe pole and rescue beacon.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 1:09 PM | Permalink

Nearly two feet of snow is expected in the Colorado mountains by this afternoon, with more predicted for overnight. This is the third heavy snow storm in the past week for some areas. The last of the ski resort openings will take place this week, with Aspen Mountain, Durango, Ski Cooper, Snowmass and Telluride opening on Thanksgiving.

Many areas of the high country already have more than a foot of base snow, with 32 inches at Rabbit Ears Pass, 22 inches on Fremont Pass and 16 inches at Hoosier Pass, according to Natural Resource Conservation Service snow monitors. But all this snow raises concerns of avalanche dangers.

An avalanche watch is in effect through today for the San Juan and Elk mountains, Ruby and Park ranges, and Grand Mesa, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports that there are pockets of CONSIDERABLE (Level 3) avalanche danger near and above tree line on steep slopes with recent windloading that face north, northeast, east, southeast, and south. The danger is MODERATE (Level 2) on all other slopes near and above treeline. For more information and updated alerts, visit the CAIC website.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 10:39 AM | Permalink

Telluride Ski Resort has been online soliciting public feedback before submitting a new master development plan to the U.S. Forest Service. This fall, the resort asked for opinions on upgrading or adding lifts, potential restaurant locations, and whether to build a wind turbine or dome for growing local produce.

Many respondents in an online questionnaire said it was important to add a high-altitude lift in Delta Bowl, which would require a boundary expansion. Respondents had mixed opinions on the turbine and grow dome, and weren't that eager for night skiing or for lifts to connect the ski area to the nearby towns of Silverton or Ophir.

The resort expects to have a draft of the plan ready this winter. Results for the survey may be reviewed at: http://telluridevision2025.com.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 10:31 AM | Permalink

The Realski iPhone application by RTP acts as an interactive trail map for dozens of North American resorts. Users hold up a newer iPhone to see a video image of whatever a skier is viewing on the mountain, and tags of nearby trails, restaurants and restrooms digitally pop up on the screen.

Realski 2.0, available this season, also allows users take screen shots and geotag them.
So if you need to return to that powder stash, take a picture and geotag it, so that Realski can point the way back. Afraid of forgetting where the car is parked or how to get to the bar to meet up with buddies later? Take a picture and geotag it. Same with that glove that fell off during a ride on the lift.

Realski is free, but resort maps cost 99 cents apiece. Screen shots from Realski can be shared on Facebook or Twitter, but there's no way to share functioning geotags yet.

RTP also is working with resorts on an application to let people get scanned at lift lines by using their phones, similar to using a boarding pass on a smart phone at the airport. A virtual lift ticket appears on the phone, but tapping on a space at the bottom might bring up weather reports or the ability to add more days on a lift ticket.

Skiers would have to take their phones out of their pockets to get a virtual lift ticket scanned. That could change though. Some resorts have RFID tags on their real-world tickets so customers can be scanned through a person's coat, and in Europe, Swatch watches with RFID tags let wearers ride the lifts at participating resorts. It's a matter of time before smart phones add RFID too.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:21 PM | Permalink

Vail Resorts has expanded its family of ski resorts once again. After acquiring Northstar-at-Tahoe on Oct. 25, Vail Resorts now owns two resorts in the Lake Tahoe region. In recent years, Northstar-at-Tahoe has expanded to include more diverse terrain and a new base village.

Vail Resorts now operates Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Heavenly. The Double Whammy Unlimited Pass still offers unlimited skiing and riding to Northstar-at-Tahoe and Sierra-at Tahoe as it had in past seasons at a price of $799 for adults, $449 for teens, and $119 for children.

Passholders expressed concern about changes in the pass affecting their ability to ski and ride. However, Vail Resorts is offering a better deal. Double Whammy pass holders can now exchange their passes for the Epic Pass up until Nov. 7 and receive a refund for the price difference.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 11:23 AM | Permalink

This weekend in Colorado, Copper, Keystone and Wolf Creek open for the season. And as the resorts open, the season also begins with the annual Colorado Ski and Snow Expo at the Convention Center. This year's event opens at noon today and runs through Sunday night.

Vendors from nearly every resort in the state will be there, as well as a retail area for Colorado Ski and Golf. Entertainment includes demos from the Spectacular Flying Aces Team of Olympic, national and international freestyle skiing and trampoline champions doing impressive airborne maneuvers.

And there will be a drop-off area with usable items getting cleaned up and sent to a charity, and unusable items will be recycled into new products.

Cost is $12 for adults ($2 off coupon online); age 12 and younger are free. Schedule: noon-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 11:22 AM | Permalink