Death at Wachusett

[KingM]

Very sad. I can remember the exact moment when I became less reckless in risk taking. I was riding a wave runner back and forth across the wake of the boat with my brother on another wave runner. I was about 20 and he was about 16. We were coming right at each other and I hit a down trough just as he hit a swell. His wave runner went zooming right over my shoulder and he was laughing maniacally and I thought, "This is nuts" and I've been more cautious ever since, for better or worse.

(Does anyone know what happened to the kid who crashed in Walt's Woods yesterday at Mount Ellen? An ambulance zoomed up with lights and siren going.)

[hiroto]

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/...NEWS/803180319

This article has more info. He was obviously not clumsy kid. Captain of hockey team, skiing for years. Death was due to head injury. No helmet.

Even though he was not wearing a helmet, it is pretty scarily to think that somebody this athletic can die on this particular trail. It is not steep and it S turns through the wood, so you cannot go that fast to begin with. It is very disturbing incident.

[Mark_151]

Originally Posted by hiroto

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/...NEWS/803180319

This article has more info. He was obviously not clumsy kid. Captain of hockey team, skiing for years. Death was due to head injury. No helmet.

Even though he was not wearing a helmet, it is pretty scarily to think that somebody this athletic can die on this particular trail. It is not steep and it S turns through the wood, so you cannot go that fast to begin with. It is very disturbing incident.

Well, you shouldn't go fast there, at least relatively speaking. But alot of times, those turns are scraped and hairy. And, you put multiple people on there doing their own thing, and it can get ugly. I've been on that trail with a bunch of people around me in less than perfect control going into the corners and suddenly found myself at the edge of control because of it, and thinking about those trees. I actually did wipe out on it pretty goo once, but didn't leave the trail -- only my head did, and if I'd not been wearing a helmet the tree I smacked would've done damage.

[Skier75]

So sorry to hear about that. My condolences goes out to all involved.

[Mildcat]

Originally Posted by hiroto

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/...NEWS/803180319

This article has more info. He was obviously not clumsy kid. Captain of hockey team, skiing for years. Death was due to head injury. No helmet.

Even though he was not wearing a helmet, it is pretty scarily to think that somebody this athletic can die on this particular trail. It is not steep and it S turns through the wood, so you cannot go that fast to begin with. It is very disturbing incident.

Wow, that was a tough article to read. I feel bad for the farther. In that article the father says,"what if" in regards to his son not wearing a helmet. I hope the father doesn't blame himself. I can't even imagine losing a teenage kid, if he starts blaming himself that's a lot of weight to carry.

[tcharron]

Ok, I'm sold...

I make my sons wear helmets, time to start wearing one myself. I was just talking to my ex wife and we where talking about this death, and I explained if he'd been wearing the helmet, the risks go down dramatically. Of course, she said, 'And it's going to be nice and healthy for them to have to DRAG your limp body off the mountain when YOU slam into a tree'.

She's got a point..

[SKidds]

Just in case somebody reading this doesn't go read the article............

"In hindsight, if he would have had a helmet on, he'd probably still be here," said Mr. Dumont. "You look back and say, 'What if?'"

maybe it's worth reading again......

"In hindsight, if he would have had a helmet on, he'd probably still be here," said Mr. Dumont. "You look back and say, 'What if?'"

There is absolutely no argument anyone can make to counter this and have a snowball's chance in hell of convincing anyone that everyone shouldn't be wearing a helmet.

I started wearing a helmet to set a good example for my kids, but that was just foolish....I should have been wearing one all along. A tragic accident can happen anywhere, anytime, to any skier. Helmets can prevent many of those accidents. As people have pointed out, the trail in question is not a high speed cruiser, but bashing your head against a tree even at low speeds can be deadly. While a helmet won't protect you in a high speed collision with a tree, it can save you from lower speed collisions.

I pray for this family, and hopefully this tragic death can save a life in the future by making someone who currently doesn't protect their noggin do so.

[Highway Star]

Originally Posted by SKidds

Just in case somebody reading this doesn't go read the article............



maybe it's worth reading again......



There is absolutely no argument anyone can make to counter this and have a snowball's chance in hell of convincing anyone that everyone shouldn't be wearing a helmet.

I started wearing a helmet to set a good example for my kids, but that was just foolish....I should have been wearing one all along. A tragic accident can happen anywhere, anytime, to any skier. Helmets can prevent many of those accidents. As people have pointed out, the trail in question is not a high speed cruiser, but bashing your head against a tree even at low speeds can be deadly. While a helmet won't protect you in a high speed collision with a tree, it can save you from lower speed collisions.

I pray for this family, and hopefully this tragic death can save a life in the future by making someone who currently doesn't protect their noggin do so.

You're kidding, right????

That's absurd. Mr. Dumont is not a helmet expert. He has no clue if a helmet would have saved his son or not. He's merely speculating. Poor guy.

Now, if some foresics expert were to have a look a the data available, perform a proper analysis, and make the same statement, that may actually carry some weight - in this one incident.

Face it, people die WITH helmets all the time. Helmets that may cause people to have a false sense of security, and reduced awareness of their surroundings (reduced hearing and head movement for vision).

The absolute best way to avoid serious crashes and death is to not fall. Duh. Ski with a no-fall attitude all the time. This includes high din bindings, sharp edges, and good recovery skills...but also dialing back the intensity when hazards appear, and being very careful when and where you push your ablities. If there's a chance for a fall, it's good to scope out the risks - ie. what you could slide into.

IMHO, the helmet police don't get it and are fixing the result of the problem, not the problem itself.

Oh......and yes, Wachusett is a death trap.....

[Phildozer]

Originally Posted by Highway Star

The absolute best way to avoid serious crashes and death is to not fall. Duh. Ski with a no-fall attitude all the time. This includes high din bindings, sharp edges, and good recovery skills...but also dialing back the intensity when hazards appear, and being very careful when and where you push your ablities. If there's a chance for a fall, it's good to scope out the risks - ie. what you could slide into.

IMHO, the helmet police don't get it and are fixing the result of the problem, not the problem itself.

Oh......and yes, Wachusett is a death trap.....

The absolute best way to avoid serious crashes and death from skiing is to not ski. Not falling isn't an option and is, at best, a disingenuous suggestion, not unlike telling someone to "not get in a car crash".

You can have all your gear in top-shape and still have the random accident. A helmet could help you in that crash, but not a guarantee. It is merely having another line of protection.

And no, Wachusett isn't a death trap. Given they do hundreds of thousands of skier-visits each season, the fact there's been relatively few deaths while people of varying experience partake in an inherently risky activity speaks to the mountain staff's hard work and dedication to provide the best and most-safe conditions possible.

[Highway Star]

Originally Posted by Phildozer

The absolute best way to avoid serious crashes and death from skiing is to not ski. Not falling isn't an option and is, at best, a disingenuous suggestion, not unlike telling someone to "not get in a car crash".

You can have all your gear in top-shape and still have the random accident. A helmet could help you in that crash, but not a guarantee. It is merely having another line of protection.

And no, Wachusett isn't a death trap. Given they do hundreds of thousands of skier-visits each season, the fact there's been relatively few deaths while people of varying experience partake in an inherently risky activity speaks to the mountain staff's hard work and dedication to provide the best and most-safe conditions possible.

No man, Wachusett really is a death trap. You seriously risk your life anytime you ski there.

Oh, and I never fall.....except when I do. When I do, it's never that bad.

Did I ever tell you guys about the "manditory GS turn" style of freeskiing....? It's legendary...