Ski Safety Blog

A chairlift breakdown at Little Whiteface Mountain in New York's Adirondacks stranded 76 skiers a day after a lift derailed at a mountain in Maine, injuring eight people. The Little Whiteface lift was built in 1978 and passed a safety inspection in November 2010.

State Olympic Regional Development Authority officials say the cause of the failure is under investigation, but it wasn't caused by the wind and the chairs were never in danger of falling. Investigators in Maine have determined that wind contributed to the accident at the Sugarloaf resort that dropped some chairs 25 to 30 feet into the snow on Tuesday.

ORDA says the 4,100-foot long lift in Wilmington stopped just before 11 a.m. Wednesday and everyone was off by about 12:45 p.m. A member of the ski patrol suffered a minor injury helping evacuate the skiers.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:27 PM | Permalink

Last Tuesday at Sugarloaf Mountain, part of a 35-year-old chairlift derailed, sending skiers plummeting 25 to 30 feet. At least eight people, including three children, were injured and taken to local hospitals when a line on the chairlift at the Sugarloaf ski area derailed. Dozens of skiers remained on the crippled lift for more than an hour until ski patrol could get them down. The resort said none of the injuries were life-threatening.

The Spillway East chairlift is 4,013 feet long. It was installed in 1975 and modified in 1983. It moves at a speed of 500 feet per minute, and the chairs are 50 feet apart.

Investigators are reportedly looking at wind as a possible cause of the accident on the Spillway lift, given that there were 40-mph gusts at the time. The lift had been closed earlier in the day because of the high winds but reopened half an hour before the accident. Witnesses also said a worker appeared to be in the middle of repairing part of the lift tower at the time of the accident, which a spokesman for Sugarloaf could not confirm.

One ski safety expert questioned the wisdom of restarting the lift with skiers aboard once the cable began tracking outside the guidance system. He also noted that safety inspections have highlighted an unusually large number of problems with the resort's older lifts. But according to the Maine Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety, the regulatory agency responsible for oversight of tramways in the state, those problems were resolved before Sugarloaf received its 2010 and 2011 licenses. Inspectors from the Maine Tramway Board are investigating.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:04 PM | Permalink

Officials say a Fullerton man has died while snowboarding at Mountain High ski resort in Wrightwood, California. The San Bernardino Coroner's Office says the accident was reported at 6:06 p.m. Monday. The 24-year-old man, who had collided with trees, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:32 PM | Permalink

Police found the body of a missing snowboarder in Whistler on Christmas Day, one day after he went missing on a treed run at the ski resort. Ski patrol was called Christamas Eve when the 20 year old didn't meet his family as planned. A massive search was conducted, but darkness Friday evening forced an end to the search.

Further search the next day found the man's body. The man, from California, apparently went down the run, then fell into a creek and couldn't get out of the water. The victim did not stray outside the ski boundary open to the public, but was found within bounds.

Though unusual, this accident scenario is not unique. Infrequently, skiers will accidentally ski into a creek or off a bridge and fall into a creek. Either way, there is a real danger of head trauma resulting in unconsciousness which results in drowning.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:53 PM | Permalink

A 5-year-old girl and 23-year-old man who were killed in a collision on a Wyoming ski slope on Christmas Eve both died from massive chest injuries, coroner's officials said on Monday. Craig Shirley, 23, was snowboarding at a high rate of speed Friday afternoon at Hogadon Ski Area, a ski area south of Casper, Wyoming, when he slammed into Elise Johnson, 5, and her mother, 31-year-old Kelli Johnson, authorities said.

Elise Johnson and Shirley died of blunt force trauma. Kelli Johnson suffered a head injury and was in stable condition at a Casper hospital, Natrona County Coroner Connie Jacobson said. The double fatality at the small Hogadon ski area, one of nine ski areas in Wyoming, is described as a rare event at best.

Wyoming officials said the Johnsons and Shirley, all of Casper, Wyoming, were experienced skiers, with Kelli Johnson a member of the area's ski patrol. Elise Johnson was the only one of the three wearing a helmet.

The Johnsons had stopped near the end of an advanced run so Kelli Johnson could help her daughter with her skis when Shirley crashed into them, said Lt. Mark Sellers of the Natrona County Sheriff's Office. Witnesses reported that Shirley was travelling at a high speed.

Roughly 40 people die in accidents at ski resorts every year, or about four people per million skiers and snowboarders, according to a study by the ski association.

The overall rate of reported ski injuries has dropped in half since the early 1970s because of improved equipment, the use of helmets and stepped-up safety campaigns, according to association findings.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:40 PM | Permalink

Police officers on the hill are nothing new in Vail, where the local department has partnered with the ski area's operators for six seasons. Other ski areas, including Breckenridge, Monarch and Durango Mountain Resort, also welcome skiing cops, who, like at Vail, volunteer to ski in uniform and help with the occasional problem.

In exchange for their commitment to patrol the slopes for a certain number of days each year, the officers are given free season passes.

The officers lend support to local patrollers and security, but basic public relations is a big part of the on-slope patrolling. Mayes says it's fun to show kids and vacationers that up in the snowy hills, police officers can merge play and work.

In Breckenridge, where officers have volunteer-patrolled the ski area for four seasons, the program has thwarted ski thefts. In 2007-08, the area saw a rash of thieves targeting high-end skis -- mostly Volkls -- at base-area lodges. Local police changed their tactic and began routinely patrolling the base areas and even setting up stings to lure ski thieves.

Since then, the department has seen thefts drop from 165 pairs of skis or snowboards stolen in 2007-08 to 57 last season. Similarly, police presence in lift lines has drastically reduced the number of people using borrowed ski passes and other "theft of services" crimes.

At Monarch Ski Area, La Plata County sheriff's deputies have been skiing in uniform for two seasons. They have since been able to immediately respond to collisions that might have involved violations of the state Ski Safety Act as well as rare altercations inside the lodge. And, like at Breckenridge, ski thefts have plummeted 70 percent since police began hanging out and skiing at Monarch.

Just the occasional sighting of a police officer at the hill has helped, says La Plata County sheriff's Deputy Felicia McQueen, who runs the Monarch program. The officers say they've never had any complaints about their presence.
At Vail, a special safety crew known as the Yellow Jackets promotes safety and tries to control skier speed. Members wave their arms and warn speedy skiers of approaching slow zones near congested intersections. And when there's a police officer behind the Yellow Jackets, few ignore the warnings.

Like the Yellow Jackets, the police are able to access skiers' pass information and revoke the skiing privileges of egregious violators.

Vail police chief Dwight Henninger, who launched the partnership with Vail ski area following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, says the program is more about developing better communication with both skiers and mountain workers than actually catching criminals.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:28 PM | Permalink

The bright red jackets of the ski patrol at Bear Creek, bringing together the men, women, students, retirees, business owners, professionals and other volunteers interested in ski safety on the Macungie mountain in Pennsylvania.

Only 15 of the 135 patrollers at Bear Creek are paid, meaning close to 90 percent are volunteers who enjoy the chance to ski while helping others by typically working one, four-hour weeknight shift and a seven-hour shift every other weekend.

Patrollers are responsible for ensuring skiers and snowboarders are not recklessly skiing or riding and endangering others. Should an accident occur, they are the first to respond and take preliminary medical measures before transporting the patient down the hill for further medical help, often using a toboggan.

Sanctioned by the National Ski Patrol, patrollers must pass a written test and outdoor emergency care program, where they demonstrate sufficient skills in real-life scenarios. It adds up to more than 120 hours of training, plus refreshers on the subject each fall.

From cuts and bruises to broken bones and spinal injuries, patrollers deal with it all. The resort will typically experience about 10 injuries per day.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:16 PM | Permalink

A 35-year-old Tucson man died while snowboarding at Wolf Creek ski park on Saturday. The Arizona resident died on Saturday, Dec. 18, after going over a 40-foot drop near the waterfall area and landing on his head.

Authorities reported that the injuries from the landing resulted in his death. He hyper extended his neck backwards and ruptured the artery that goes to the brain stem, and that cut off the blood supply to the brain stem and it killed him quickly.

The Arizona snowboarder was with two friends, one of whom had successfully made it over the 40-foot drop but had tried to keep the other two from attempting it because it was so dangerous.

And on Wednesday, a 24-year-old Longmont man collided with a 21-year-old South Korean woman, while skiing on an intermediate-rated ski run at Eldora. The Colorado man was listed in serious condition at Denver's St. Anthony Central hospital Thursday, where he was flown after the accident. The young woman was taken by ambulance to Boulder County Hospital for treatment of a leg injury, authorities said.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:14 PM | Permalink

A father from Georgia watched as his 4-year-old son was plowed into on the ski slope at Beaver Creek by another skier. In an act of "slope rage" the father punched the offending skier, to only later learn it was a 14 year old girl from Mexico who had collided with the little boy.

The teen had veered to avoid another skier when she bumped into the boy. The father of the boy was quite contrite afterwards, but nonetheless was charged with misdemeanor child abuse. A conviction could result in up to two years in county jail.

The girl, a beginner skier from Mexico, required treatment at a local medical clinic for minor injuries. A police statement describes the father as having "jumped on top of the girl and hit her in the face with his fist." Evidently the girl's ski instructor stopped Filler from continuing to strike the teen.

Slope rage, as it's called, is a "very rare" occurrence at Beaver Creek, said a resort spokeswoman. The resort revoked the father's skiing privileges at all six Vail Resorts ski areas and banned him from all Vail Resorts lodging properties for an "indefinite" period.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:02 PM | Permalink

It was bound to happen, but as a late Christmas surprise for day skiers? Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas will charge $108 for a single-day, walk-up lift ticket during the week after Christmas, the first resorts to demand in excess of $100 to enjoy the privilege of skiing on their slopes for a single day.

Breckenridge, which is also owned by Vail Resorts, will charge $104 for a one-day pass bought at the ticket window. The prices, which start Dec. 26 and run through Jan. 1, are for what is typically the busiest week of the ski season. The walk-up lift-ticket price at Vail and Beaver Creek will drop to $102 on Jan. 2 and to $99 at Breckenridge.

Last year, the Christmastime lift ticket offered by Vail was $98, the highest-priced single-day lift ticket in the country. Right now, the walk-up rate at Vail and Beaver Creek is $99. At Breckenridge, it is $94.

Aspen and Telluride ski areas are offering peak-season lift tickets this year for $99 and $98 respectively, up a few dollars from the previous season.

Tickets purchased a week in advance at Breckenridge go for $94 a day.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:47 PM | Permalink

Twenty-five years ago this week, the Teller Lift bullwheel dropped from its encasement and sent a wave down the lift's haul rope, flinging people from their chairs. At the time of the accident, about 350 skiers were riding the lift. Injured skiers littered the top of Keystone Mountain on December 14, 1985 when more than 60 people were launched from their triple chairs on the lift down the back side of Keystone, and 49 would be seriously injured. Two would die later from injuries sustained that day.

All available emergency equipment in Summit County was summoned as well as ambulances from nearby communities. Five helicopters from throughout the state arrived to take patients -- often two at a time -- to Front Range hospitals.

Within an hour, 49 people with injuries ranging from broken backs, broken legs and arms, ruptured spleens and collapsed lungs would converge on the Keystone area clinic. Another 11 would be treated for lesser injuries.

The Teller Lift was only in use for a year before the failure of the weld. It had a unique design in that there was no support beneath the bull wheel. Lift Engineering had explained when the lift first open that it did not need customary support and that "torque" from the pressure of the whole system would keep the bull wheel attached, along with the welds. "Faulty welds" would be blamed shortly after the accident.

The accident is listed as one of the major chairlift accidents worldwide since the 1950s, the beginning of the modern ski industry. Also on the list is a gondola derailment at Vail in 1976, which caused two gondolas to fall and resulted in four deaths and five injuries. While the Vail incident was found to be due to lift maintenance staff negligence, the Teller Lift accident at Keystone was traced to a manufacturing defect, present in all of the Yan 1000 lift models coming from now-defunct manufacturer Lift Engineering.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 11:46 AM | Permalink

A Wakefield MA teenager died yesterday after he hit a tree on the slope of a New Hampshire ski resort. The young man was 19and an Eagle Scout. He died yesterday morning after the accident on Cannon Mountain in Franconia, N.H., reported the chief of the Wakefield Fire Department.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:10 PM | Permalink

The United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of defendant ski area operator today in GREGORIE v. ALPINE MEADOWS SKI CORPORATION , upholding the assumption of inherent risk doctrine in California.

The court held:

Jessica Gregorie's (Plaintiffs' daughter) fatal snowboarding accident occurred on February 5, 2006, when she lost her footing, slipped on firm snow, and slid uncontrollably down an icy slope past a posted ski area boundary marker and over an outcropping of rocks. These are risks inherent in snowboarding, and Gregorie assumed them when she decided to access Beaver Bowl via the High Beaver Traverse at Alpine Meadows on the day of her accident. See, e.g., Luna v. Vela, 169 Cal.App.4th 102, 107-08 (2008); Lackner v. North, 135 Cal.App.4th 1188, 1201-02 (2006). Defendant owed no duty to protect Gregorie from these risks; it only owed her a duty not to increase the risks she encountered beyond those which are inherent in snowboarding. See Luna, 169 Cal. App. 4th at 107-08; see also Knight v. Jewett, 3 Cal.4th 296, 316 (1992). The district court did not err in concluding that there was no genuine issue of material fact as to whether the risks Gregorie encountered were those inherent in the sport.

Plaintiffs' argument that Defendant misdirected Gregorie into the Alpine Meadows backcountry (unpatrolled area) by mismarking its ski area boundary line, relative to the alleged technical boundary line, is unavailing. Plaintiffs supplied no evidence that the risks inherently associated with snowboarding were increased by virtue of an alleged technical mismarking of the ski area's boundary line. The uncontroverted facts establish that Defendant treated the area in which Gregorie fell as inbounds terrain. Nor is there a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Defendant's placement of warning signs in the High Beaver Traverse area was comparable to its placement of warning signs in inbounds areas of like difficulty. These facts make the boundary line dispute irrelevant because, even if Defendant did improperly mark its ski area boundary, the risks Gregorie encountered were no different than those she would have assumed had Defendant correctly marked its oundary line. We therefore hold that the district court correctly applied California's primary assumption of risk doctrine to preclude Plaintiffs' claims because Gregorie's fatal injuries resulted from risks inherent in snowboarding.

Because we affirm on the grounds discussed above, we need not determine whether California's express assumption of risk doctrine applies or whether Plaintiffs could have established causation for purposes of proving their negligence claim at trial.

AFFIRMED.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:59 PM | Permalink

Ski Cooper, a historic ski area about 12 miles north of Leadville in Lake County, has been managed for nearly 20 years by an all-volunteer management board. The board's contract expires in 2012, and members want a new 20-year pact. But Lake County's leaders are considering moves to broaden rustic Ski Cooper's appeal, and market share, at the expense of the publicly owned ski hill's down-home charm.

While a vocal group of locals urges change at the historic ski area about 12 miles north of town, the area's 20-year, all-volunteer management board says it has kept the ski area stable and wants its contract renewed. Ski Cooper, established in 1941 as Cooper Hill Ski Area, has no debt and has paid for $5.5 million in upgrades since 1992 with cash savings. Ski Cooper averages about 62,000 skier visits a season. The $42 walk-up lift-ticket price is one of the state's most affordable.

The Cooper board is asking county commissioners for another 20-year contract. The existing contract, which expires in 2012, requires that the nonprofit ski area be fiscally independent and reinvest all profits back into the operation. The proposed new contract is virtually identical.

But loosely knit groups -- with names such as Friends for Change at Cooper Hill and Friends of Cooper Hill -- are pushing to open a bid process to see how another group might manage the 400-acre, 26-run ski hill.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ski Cooper's management repeatedly returned to the county's commissioners asking for money, despite demands for fiscal sustainability.

In 1984, a new volunteer board took charge of the ski area, hiring new operators. Since then, the area has sustained itself on its modest revenues of about $2 million a year, using excess cash to expand the base lodge, buy new snow groomers and upgrade the fleet of rental equipment.

One group is suggesting that Ski Cooper offer its Sno-Cat-only terrain on Chicago Ridge to hiking skiers, which could draw visitors with a wider array of skills. Installation of a small surface lift up the steep ridge or a lift on the area's gladed backside to attract intermediate and advanced riders is also advocated. And more aggressive marketing and opening up the bidding for food-service and Nordic-skiing concessions is being urged. Other ideas include offering a shuttle for local students and opening the closed-door meetings held by the area's management board.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:03 PM | Permalink

Sadly, a second ski area employee in Colorado has died as a result of a skiing accident. An employee of Buttermilk Ski Area was skiing at Snowmass on Thursday, apparently she lost control on the upper third of the Grey Wolf trail, before striking a tree on the intermediate run. She was skiing with friends and wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, the Aspen Skiing Co. said. She was 22.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:56 PM | Permalink

More and more people are wearing helmets when they head out on the ski slopes, according to the Swiss government's accident prevention bureau. Over the last 7 years, the proportion has risen from 16 percent to 82 percent.

The government says awareness campaigns have worked but there's still a considerable difference between German-speaking and French-speaking parts of the country. Interestingly, just under two thirds of skiers in French-speaking Switzerland wear a helmet; in German-speaking regions, the number is 86 percent.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:54 PM | Permalink