Sugarbush death today

[dlague]

I gotta say safety videos before skiing would be a little frustrating to me if I were forced to watch it. However, I can understand why they are pushing for that. I know some mountains require a 5 minute safety thing before going into a park. Anyone know how those worked out?

As I understand it, it would not be everytime. Just the first time at a resort then it is on file. I can imagine the amount of additional resources it might take. Probably the point of resistance at this time.

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[Jully]

I'm assuming that the barriers they put up along the sides of trails when racing is underway are meant to catch racers before they go into the woods. Would it be an effective use of limited patroller resources to figure out which slopes get the most high-speed traffic on slick days and temporarily deploy race barriers on those (with occasional gaps so we can get in and out of the woods)? Or would it encourage people to just go faster? (This is kinda like the helmets-vs-head injuries stats I've seen). I don't think this is a real solution but I don't have any great ideas.

I highly doubt that having barriers on the sides of trails would encourage people to go faster... to prevent tree deaths like this one, netting like that would be the most effective. I just don't know how realistic it is or if resorts even have that much netting. There's always going to be danger, like you said.

 

[dlague]

I highly doubt that having barriers on the sides of trails would encourage people to go faster... to prevent tree deaths like this one, netting like that would be the most effective. I just don't know how realistic it is or if resorts even have that much netting. There's always going to be danger, like you said.

This also would require lots of resources to implement.

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[2Planker]

That doesn't always work in the resorts favor......

Someone can NOT watch the video then FULLY BLAME the resort, saying that it was never offered. Plus, almost impossible to do on a Holiday weekend w/ 8-10,000 skiers

As I understand it, it would not be everytime. Just the first time at a resort then it is on file. I can imagine the amount of additional resources it might take. Probably the point of resistance at this time.

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[drjeff]

I'm assuming that the barriers they put up along the sides of trails when racing is underway are meant to catch racers before they go into the woods. Would it be an effective use of limited patroller resources to figure out which slopes get the most high-speed traffic on slick days and temporarily deploy race barriers on those (with occasional gaps so we can get in and out of the woods)? Or would it encourage people to just go faster? (This is kinda like the helmets-vs-head injuries stats I've seen). I don't think this is a real solution but I don't have any great ideas.

As an FYI about the types of race netting that you see.

Most of what you see along side of a race course are rolls of what is called "B-netting" - using one of the drills used to set race gates or safety marking poles or various signs we see on the hill, the netting is set in place, and it's not a quick process. I've been involved in helping set up some of the race courses at Mount Snow in the past, and to line their Giant Slalom hill, which was about 3/4th's of a mile long, it took a team comprised of about 10 coaches and volunteer parents about an hour to set all the netting. The B-netting then needs to be removed prior to the next time the trail is groomed, snow made on it, or a snowfall, so it is a vary labor intensive, time consuming process to set up.

The type of netting that Cannon has installed around some of it's new race facility is what's known as "A-netting" - it's much more expensive as it involves retention poles set into concrete foundations and then the much more substantial netting is then strung from retention pole to retention pole and given that it's usually about 15 to 20 high from ground level to the top of the retention poles, it's left in place 100% of the time, and the snowmakers and groomers work around it. A netting is usually only found at ski areas that have very high level racing programs and/or regularly host high level races, as it is quite expensive to install

 

[deadheadskier]

I highly doubt that having barriers on the sides of trails would encourage people to go faster... to prevent tree deaths like this one, netting like that would be the most effective. I just don't know how realistic it is or if resorts even have that much netting. There's always going to be danger, like you said.

I'd be fine with a little more netting in some high traffic dangerous locations. There's a spot at Cannon called, "The Usual Spot" where several of us from AZ were there and saw a little girl going flying off the trail and somehow managed to miss hitting trees or snowmaking hydrants. Complete miracle. An area like that should have some fencing up.

Recently I saw some pictures from a ski resort in South Korea where literally every single trail was lined with protective netting.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Recently I saw some pictures from a ski resort in South Korea where literally every single trail was lined with protective netting.

And in at the new area built in North Korea folks are discouraged from skiing off trail by penalty of firing squad.

 

[ghughes20]

I wonder if landscaping could help create a natural barrier. Saplings and small evergreens along the edge of trails, and Hardwoods set back father. Obviously, something like this takes years to get to get going and would be costly. But could be managed with selective eliminations of certain trees based upon location.

I skied Stratton on Sunday and Monday. Monday was better and less crowded, but was still icy towards the EOD. This winter is starting to feel a bit like last season - rain / freeze - repeat.

 

[benski]

But to your point, people don't realize how dangerous a groomed trail can truly be if you do happen to lose control. A "Blue square" rating sometimes gives people a false impression that it is automatically safer than something more difficult. I think one of the biggest things that can help is simply awareness that falls can happen to anyone no matter how good you are or what trail you are on. Therefore you should do everything in your power to protect yourself. That includes wearing a helmet. I'm not saying it would have helped in this scenario, but at least it would have had a chance of helping. The question is how do you effectively raise this awareness though and get people to pay attention?

Ski patrollers say the most dangerous trails are the easy ones. A ski patroller once told me most of the injuries at Mt. Ellen are at or bellow the North Ridge base terminal.

 

[deadheadskier]

And in at the new area built in North Korea folks are discouraged from skiing off trail by penalty of firing squad.

I recall that one too. But this was in South Korea.

For the record, I would not want to see safety fencing deployed to that degree. Like I said, a few more key spots I could see. Considering we're unlikely to see a lot of investment in things like terrain expansion moving forward, perhaps the focus shifts more towards things like improved safety.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Ski patrollers say the most dangerous trails are the easy ones.

I think it's partially that higher speeds are more commonly attained on easier trails, in concert with the fact that the level of skiers found on the easier trails is typically lower on-balance. There's no doubt in my mind that the low-level intermediate skier on a low to average intermediate trail represents the venn diagram of highest ski injury risk.

 

[bigbog]

Ice = very challenging + No helmet = Not a good situation....

 

[Domeskier]

Recently I saw some pictures from a ski resort in South Korea where literally every single trail was lined with protective netting.

I've skied a bunch of resorts in South Korea and that is pretty much universal. I assume it has to be legally required. Given the crowds and the reliance on snow making there, it probably prevents a lot of injuries.

 

[Jully]

I recall that one too. But this was in South Korea.

For the record, I would not want to see safety fencing deployed to that degree. Like I said, a few more key spots I could see. Considering we're unlikely to see a lot of investment in things like terrain expansion moving forward, perhaps the focus shifts more towards things like improved safety.

Too much netting like that would definitely ruin the feel of the mountains to some degree!

 

[Glenn]

Wow! I grew up in that part of Massachusetts. I may have gone to high school with him. Terrible news.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I've skied a bunch of resorts in South Korea and that is pretty much universal. I assume it has to be legally required.

Sounds ugly as sin?

 

[dlague]

Plus netting would prevent the sudden urge to cut off into the woods.

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[benski]

I think it's partially that higher speeds are more commonly attained on easier trails, in concert with the fact that the level of skiers found on the easier trails is typically lower on-balance. There's no doubt in my mind that the low-level intermediate skier on a low to average intermediate trail represents the venn diagram of highest ski injury risk.

I think higher traffic, less caution and skiers who have yet to lear how to control themselves are also contributing factors.

 

[spiderpig]

Obviously I don't know the exact details of how this happened, but based on previous fatal accidents I guess the most likely thing is that the skier lost control / hit a slick patch/ caught an edge and went into a tree. This happens often enough that I am wondering if maybe it's not obvious to people who don't ski that often in these conditions that it's actually one of the most dangerous scenarios in on-trail skiing. I could totally see how someone might think that they would have an opportunity to regain control, especially on a wider slope, when in fact they don't. Here's a case where some kind of safety awareness campaign or something might actually save lives -- I can't think of a succinct message other than "ski in control", though, and that's not exactly it either.

"Beware of changing snow conditions" is the most accurate, succinct thing I can think of. If it's on part of the trail map, a short explanation about higher-traffic trails later in the day can be added.

 

[2Planker]

Come On......
NO HELMET and he went head fist into a tree....

As a 25 year patroller, we always dread the Thaw Freeze cycle, when there is minimal natural cover and on a holiday weekend...