Ski Safety Blog

Sadly, one final death has occurred on Colorado slopes this season. A paraplegic skier, Jack Wade, lost control and crashed, resulting in his death at Arapahoe Basin. His brother reported that he had been using a sit ski for the past 25 years.

A sit ski, also known as a monoski, consists of a molded seat mounted on a metal frame. A shock absorber beneath the seat eases riding on uneven terrain and helps in turning by maximizing ski-snow contact. Modern monoskis interface with a single, ordinary alpine ski by means of a "ski foot," a metal or plastic block in the shape of a boot sole that clicks into the ski's binding. A monoskier uses outriggers' for stability; an outrigger resembles a forearm crutch with a short ski on the bottom.

Wade, 51, of Golden was killed in a skiing accident at Arapahoe Basin on Thursday when he crashed hard on his sit ski.
A graduate of North High School, he moved as a young adult to Steamboat Springs for the skiing. In 1986, Wade was the victim of a traffic accident. He suffered spinal-cord injuries, leaving him a paraplegic.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 4:36 PM | Permalink

Typically Memorial Day weekend sees the first inflow of campers and anglers in the Colorado mountains, but this year the skiers and boarders may outnumber the campers. Continuous snow storms have prompted Aspen and Arapahoe Basin ski resorts to reopen ski trails for as long as the snow keeps falling.

Arapahoe Basin may even remain open on weekends through July 4th. Situated on the Continental Divide, Arapahoe Basin has enjoyed 420 inches of snow this season. Likewise, Aspen Mountain has received late-season snowfall and cold temperatures prompting the resort to open 25 ski runs to skiers and snowboarders for the Memorial Day weekend.

At Rocky Mountain National Park, massive snowdrifts have postponed the traditional opening of Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the United States that snakes over the Continental Divide at an elevation of 12,000 feet. The park's snowplow drivers claim they haven't encountered this much snow in 30 years. A snowstorm last week produced 17-foot snowdrifts, and there was 114 inches of snow at Lake Irene near Milner Pass. Park visitors should be aware of hazards not usually encountered in late May, such as snow bridges covering mountain streams, steep snow slopes, and thin ice over other water sources. The park's three campgrounds are filled for the three-day holiday weekend, and "avalanche danger remains a concern," park managers said in a new release.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:21 PM | Permalink

The Aspen Skiing Co.'s skier and rider visits were up "slightly" last winter compared to the season before, Skico Senior Vice President David Perry told the Pitkin County commissioners Tuesday. Though SkiCo hasn't released the percentage gain yet, the heavy snowfalls from Thanksgibing through Easter are credited with the gain.

Destination business -- from customers taking overnight stays in Aspen and Snowmass Village -- was roughly equal to the prior season, Perry said.

Ski areas in just about every region of the country benefited from a snowy winter. The southeast was the only region with less snowfall than average, according to NSAA. As a result, resorts had a longer operating season than average, either by opening earlier, closing later than scheduled, or both. See Good Season for Colo. Ski Areas.

But the snowfall in California may have been too much of a good thing. "Epic" snow levels impacted business, particularly since so many storms came on weekends and paralyzed travel.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 2:49 PM | Permalink

An Atlin-based heli-skiing guide has been killed after falling into a crevasse on the Swanson Glacier, police say. The man was leading a group of skiers on Sunday afternoon and had stopped to take a photograph when the snow beneath him gave way and he plunged into a deep chasm.

The heli-ski outfitter immediately removed its group of guests from the site and returned them safely to Atlin, with (another) guide staying at the site to assist rescuers. A fellow guide was able to conduct a descent into the crevasse and confirmed the man had suffered fatal injuries in the fall.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was a 47-year-old Austrian native who works as a ski guide in the Atlin area, outside of Vancouver, during the winter. Poor weather has delayed the recovery of his body.

And tragically, a second skier fell to his death on Tuesday. A 33-year-old climber died after skiing into a crevasse Tuesday on Mount Rainier, according to a news release from Mount Rainier National Park. The Utah man who died in a crevasse on Mount Rainier is described as an experienced back country skier.

The 33-year-old Alta, Utah, man, originally from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., died while out with three other climbers when he fell more than 100 feet into the crevasse on the Nisqually glacier. His friends went to a group of climbing guides who were on the mountain training. One rappelled down and found the victim dead. His body was recovered by rangers.

Park Spokeswoman Patti Wold estimated that the skier fell more than 100 feet. The accident occurred at the 13,000-foot level in the area of the Nisqually glacier.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:03 PM | Permalink