Ski Safety Blog

Seasonal snow accumulation records have been set at some California ski resorts including Squaw Valley USA near the north shore of Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain Resort on the lake's south side and Mammoth Mountain, the sprawling Eastern Sierra resort that attracts Southern California skiers and snowboarders.

More than 61 feet of snow has fallen in the 400-mile-long Sierra Nevada mountain range this season, second only to the 1950-51 season when a total of 65 feet fell, according to records kept by the California Department of Transportation. And with the month of April still ahead, the record may well be broken this season.

At Squaw Valley, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics, ski patrol guides had to create tunnels just to reach their warming huts and avalanches broke out windows at two lift stations. Nearly 59 feet of snow has fallen there so far this winter, trouncing the old record by 29 inches. Squaw is extending its season through Memorial Day, while Mammoth, with a peak elevation exceeding 11,000 feet, might remain open through Independence Day.

Our mountain snowfall hasn't been too shabby this season either, yet a handful of Colorado ski areas are closing after this weekend, including: Buttermilk, Crested Butte, Powderhorn, Purgatory, Ski Cooper, SolVista and Telluride.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:57 PM | Permalink

A second Colorado skier death due to involving a young adult has occurred in less than a week. A college junior has died of injuries suffered during a skiing accident Tuesday at Eldora Mountain Resort near Boulder, Colo.

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office received a report at about 12:51 p.m. Tuesday that a skier had been injured at Eldora Mountain. The young woman was skiing with friends on Hotdog Alley, which is listed as an intermediate slope, when she lost control and hit a tree. She sustained a serious head injury and was unconscious. She was transported to Boulder Community Hospital, where she later died.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:32 PM | Permalink

A 17-year-old from Fort Ann died Saturday afternoon after a skiing accident on West Mountain in New York. The high school senior became separated from a friend while skiing the "Banister" trail Saturday morning. His friend located him off the trail in a wooded area and notified Ski Patrol, who transported the victim to the base of the mountain. The Fort Ann teen was racing his friend down the mountain when he skied off a trial. He was not wearing a helmet. The Warren County Sheriff's Office said he hit several trees and suffered severe head injuries.

No one witnessed the Saturday morning accident. The Warren County Sheriff's Office and West Glens Falls Emergency Squad received a call just before 11:30 a.m. reporting a subject in cardiac arrest at the mountain. The young man was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:14 PM | Permalink

A 19-year-old Boulder man likely suffocated after landing headfirst in a snowbank while skiing in Steamboat Springs on March 17th. He had been on vacation with his mother in Steamboat and was last seen by his mother, who dropped him off at the ski area after lunch. When the young man didn't return to the condo by 8:30 p.m., his mother reported him overdue.

A search of the ski area resulted in the discovery of his body in an off-limits area near the Alpine slide. Tracks in the snow indicated the victim hit a bump, went airborne and landed on another bump, which ejected him from his skis. He then landed headfirst in a snowbank.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:36 PM | Permalink

A 65-year-old man from La Crescent, Minn., was killed Wednesday when he hit a chairlift tower post while skiing at Welch Village Ski Area near Red Wing. He lost control about 2:15 p.m. on the Wild Finale trail, a slope rated single-black-diamond, or "More Difficult," said law enforcement and ski hill officials.

According to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office, Conway was skiing under "normal spring ski conditions" and there was no evidence that alcohol was involved, he said. An autopsy has been conducted to determine whether any preexisting health condition might have contributed to the accident.

It was the first ski fatality in the history of Welch Village, which has been in operation for 45 years, said Thompson and Leigh Nelson, major owner of the ski area.

Conway and his adult grandson were on their fourth run down Wild Finale when the accident occurred, Nelson said Thursday. When Conway failed to show up at a lift where his grandson was waiting for him, the grandson alerted officials.

The hill manager and the head of Welch's ski patrol found Conway next to the tower. Sheriff's deputies and land and air ambulances from Red Wing came to Conway's aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It was Minnesota's second ski death this year. A young boy died Feb. 18 when he struck a tree while skiing at Duluth's Spirit Mountain.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:11 PM | Permalink

A $2-million lawsuit has been filed against the London District Catholic school board and Collingwood's Blue Mountain Resort for the death of a school girl on a field trip. The lawsuit alleges that the teen did not want to ski on the hill on which she was killed, but was encouraged to do so by her teacher.

The girl was killed when she skied into a tree two years ago while on a school field trip at the resort. The student was wearing a helmet and skiing in the company of a teacher at the time of her fatal accident. The trip was part of the school's physical-education curriculum. Students were to be marked on their skiing performance on the two-day ski trip, according to the lawsuit, and received less than one hour of instruction from Blue Mountain before being permitted to ski on the mountain.

The London District Catholic school board cancelled all snow-related school trips for the rest of the year after her death on March 5, 2009.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:06 PM | Permalink

A 73-year-old Pennsylvania man was injured fatally Friday when he collided with a fellow skier on a slope near Aspen, Colo., authorities said. The victim died of multiple systems trauma in the collision on Snowmass Ski Mountain, Pitkin County Deputy Coroner Jennifer Diamond said. The ski patrol tried CPR on him, but he could not be revived. Family members reported that he was an accomplished skier, and was skiing with longtime ski buddies when the accident happened.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:44 PM | Permalink

A five year old from North London was playing near a ski lift while on holiday in the Pyrenees when a snowplough driver failed to spot him. The machine covered the child in a pile of snow, and his heart stopped as his father, brother and other skiers frantically fought to free him.

The unconscious boy was taken to hospital from the Spanish resort, but died after 11 days in intensive care. The driver, who could face manslaughter charges, told investigators he was clearing a path to the chair lift and did not see the boy playing nearby.

Freddy, who lived in Islington, North London, with his British father, Spanish mother and two brothers, spent about a minute under the snow before he was freed.

The tragedy happened on February 25 at the Baqueira Beret ski resort in the Aran Valley, in the province of Lleida at the heart of the Pyrenees. It is Spain's biggest winter resort. The snowplough was being driven by a worker from the resort. Resort staff desperately tried to revive the boy while they waited for paramedics to arrive. He was taken by helicopter to the nearby Vielha Hospital before being transferred to the Purpan Hospital in Toulouse, France, where he later died.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:39 PM | Permalink

The vast majority of skiing accidents involve just one person, the sport safety organization the Austrian Committee for Alpine Safety (KfAS) has concluded in an announcement today. The study determined that just 10 per cent of accidents on the slopes were collisions of two or more skiers or snowboarders. The organization explained that the vast number of incidents involved just one skier or boarder.

More than 2,300 accidents have happened on pistes in the Austrian Alps so far this winter, according to the KfAS. The committee, other organizations and sport physicians have observed that many skiers and snowboarders injure themselves after wrongly estimating their skills. Afternoons, when skiers have less concentration and may have alcohol with lunch, are prime time for accidents. Around 60,000 skiers and snowboarders end up in Austrian hospitals every year. Knee injuries are most common among skiers, whilst wrist injuries dominate boarders' accident records.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:15 PM | Permalink

A judge's wife has died after a skiing accident while on holiday in Austria. Carol Tolson, 55, lost control, fell and suffered severe head injuries while on the slopes with her husband Robin. Mr Tolson was just a few yards behind her and saw the fall. He helped her to her feet, but she complained of a severe headache and collapsed in front of him.

The music teacher never regained consciousness and died at Innsbruck Hospital, seven days after the accident. Police say no other skier was involved, and that she simply lost her balance and fell while on the slopes in Obergurgl. It has not been revealed whether she was wearing a helmet.

Mrs Tolson is the 31st person to die in Austria's current ski season, more than double last year's total and with two months to go until the season finishes. The province of Salzburg recorded the most fatalities, ahead of Tyrol which is Austria's largest winter sports area.

Between 56,000 and 60,000 people have to be taken to hospital after skiing and snowboarding injuries in the Austrian Alps every year. Experts say that excessive speed and skiing under the influence of alcohol were the main cause of many of these accidents. The rise in deaths is also due to the increasing popularity of Austria as a skiing destination.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:08 PM | Permalink