Safety of (eastern) tree skiing?

[Domeskier]

I hate spiders... I guess I'll never ski trees again

Just ski with a spider checker like I do and remember to close any helmet vents and you should be fine. Be careful where you store your gear in the lodge, too. An don't forget to check underneath you chair before sitting down to lunch. With the right precautions, skiing can be a relatively spider-free activity.

 

[jimmywilson69]

Hold on, I'm writing this down...

 

[bdfreetuna]

Just ski with a spider checker like I do

I know they have those at Sugarbush but it sounds pretty expensive

https://www.sugarbush.com/lessons/egan-adventures/

 

[abc]

I have arachnophobia too. But I ski the woods all the time.

Spiders don't come out in the winter. Why? There's no insects. So why waste precious energy weaving webs that would simply got blown away in the next storm?

Now, mountain biking in the summer, that's a very different sport. I'm never the fastest rider. But even if I have the lungs and legs, I still would at most be the second rider in the group...

 

[JimG.]

I hear the spiders are a real problem in that new indoor ski dome.

 

[Domeskier]

I know they have those at Sugarbush but it sounds pretty expensive

https://www.sugarbush.com/lessons/egan-adventures/

It's good to know he'll spider check each additional member of your group for just $55, though.

 

[Domeskier]

I hear the spiders are a real problem in that new indoor ski dome.

Yes, I hear the spiders set up a huge spider colony during the 20 years it stood vacant. Some of the trails are still closed because of it. Fumigation plans are in the works, but there are many environmental hurdles.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Sugarbush has always catered to a loftier clientele but still this confuses me. Since when did this become such a primary focus? Butterfly effect?

 

[Orca]

Sugarbush has always catered to a loftier clientele but still this confuses me. Since when did this become such a primary focus? Butterfly effect?
View attachment 26496

Truly awesome!

 

[Smellytele]

Apparently someone died at Loon this weekend after sliding into a tree off a trail.

https://www.wmur.com/article/snowbo...on-mountain-new-hampshire-police-say/31192724

What's the fatality rate per visitor for off trail and on trail skiing? I don't recall any other off trail deaths this season but there's probably been a few like the Loon incident.

This is the 2nd death at Loon this year.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[Domeskier]

Truly awesome!

Haha +1 Tuna! That's hilarious.

 

[machski]

This is the 2nd death at Loon this year.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

Do we count this as on trail or off as he was skiing on trail, fell and slid off. Either way, sad.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[KustyTheKlown]

dumb question. on trail. this is the much more typical 'beginner or intermediate loses control on icy eastern hardpack and goes hard into a tree on the side' situation, a la hunter.

 

[Not Sure]

I have arachnophobia too. But I ski the woods all the time.

Spiders don't come out in the winter. Why? There's no insects. So why waste precious energy weaving webs that would simply got blown away in the next storm?

..

Not entirely true......... Before I cleared more trees around my place my kids would end up with ticks late February and March . Also can't forget about those extremely poisonous snow fleas ....Well only toxic to skiers that ski with roofs over their heads.

 

[Vaughn]

This is the 2nd death at Loon this year.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

Found this article which gives the stat of "During the 10-year period, New Hampshire Alpine ski areas reported more than 21 million total skier and snowboard visits. That works out to one death for every 1.23 million visits (a visit being one person spending one day at a ski area)."

https://www.concordmonitor.com/skiing-deaths-history-new-hampshrie-8357042

I think the fatality rate is way lower for off trail skiers. You're not going backcountry without knowing at least something and generally can't 'accidentally' get going 40+ mph into the trees when you hit an ice path on some black diamond groomer.

 

[BenedictGomez]

This is the 2nd death at Loon this year.

From spiders?

 

[nhskier1969]

Found this article which gives the stat of "During the 10-year period, New Hampshire Alpine ski areas reported more than 21 million total skier and snowboard visits. That works out to one death for every 1.23 million visits (a visit being one person spending one day at a ski area)."

https://www.concordmonitor.com/skiing-deaths-history-new-hampshrie-8357042

I think the fatality rate is way lower for off trail skiers. You're not going backcountry without knowing at least something and generally can't 'accidentally' get going 40+ mph into the trees when you hit an ice path on some black diamond groomer.

I read a couple years ago about the demographic for skier fatalities The highest demo is men, 35-54, expert skiers, skiing intermediate trails.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I read a couple years ago about the demographic for skier fatalities The highest demo is men, 35-54, expert skiers, skiing intermediate trails.

Males, yes. Intermediate trails, yes.

But I'm fairly sure the age is lower, and the skiers are intermediates (though it wouldn't shock me if many get falsely reported as expert).

 

[Orca]

I hate it when I come out of Slidebrook looking like this

 

[fbrissette]

There are tree wells in the east, I can assure you. Fell in one head-first, not far off a marked trail at Jay Peak some years ago. Once my ski partners stopped laughing at my predicament, one of them pulled me out. Had they not been there, I might have suffocated, as the snow was piling up around my head and I was pretty stuck, and upside down.

What a sad story out of Stowe.

Having personally dug out a dead American from a tree well in Tremblant 20 years ago I can attest that there are indeed tree wells out east. It was near the top, north side, on a small traverse trail. He was 5 feet from the trail. Older guy, fat and likely out of shape. His partner was trying to pull him out when we got there. Took 4 of us to pull him out. His face was blue. I think of him every time I see a tree well.