LATEST SNOW SPORTS SAFETY NEWS
F.IS. INITIATES THREE YEAR STUDY TO IMPROVE SAFETY AMONGST ALPINE SKI RACERS
23rd January 2010 - Source F.I.S.
On the back of the previously conducted FIS Injury Surveillance System, which has already identified the high risk of injury amongst elite skiers and snowboarders, the FIS has announced a collaboration with the University of Salzburg to try and implement stratgies as soon as possible to reduce the risks of injury amongst elite snow sports athletes. The two main tasks the FIS would like to see accomplished are first, to collect and structure suggestions from ski racing expert groups for target-oriented, short-term prevention strategies. Second, it hopes the project will investigate the biomechanical background of ski racing specific risk factors and their combinations to provide a basis for future prevention strategies and changes in competition rules. The project operates on three levels, as despite the three year timeframe, there is an evident need for short term solutions to be realized from next season.
PUSH FOR MANDATORY HELMET LAW FOR UNDER 18s IN CALIFORNIA
18th January 2010 - Source Mercury News
Children taking to the slopes would have to take a helmet along under a new law proposed in Sacramento. California Sen. Leland Yee introduced the bill last week. It would require children under 18 to don a helmet. If they don't, their parents would face a $25 fine.
FREAK HELI_SKIING ACCIDENT KILLS SKIER
18th January 2010 - Source SF Gate
A freak accident killed a female heli-skier when her helmet got wedged tight between two rocks and she drowned as a result. The victim was skiing near Telluride when she fell into a creek.
FRENCH PLAN TO GET TOUGH ON SKIERS WHO RECKLESSLY SET OFF AVALANCHES
4th January 2010 - Source Piste Hors
The state prosecutor based in Albertville has ordered the PGHM (Mountain Police Units) in the department to systematically pursue any off piste skier for “reckless endangerment to others” if they are caught while off piste skiing has been banned.
INTRAWEST TO RECOMMEND HELMETS
1st October 2009 - Source SAM info
Intrawest announced that starting this season, the company will recommend that all visitors at all of its North American resorts wear helmets. In addition, there will be mandatory helmet requirements for all youth participants in ski and snowboard school programs, as well as students participating in freestyle terrain park programs, regardless of age. The age span requirements will vary from resort to resort, but will be between three and 12, 13, 14 or 17.
A helmet will be included with all kids' rental packages at Intrawest-owned outlets and parents can no longer use an opt-out clause for certain programs and activities. The company will also step up efforts to educate both employees and customers on the importance of helmet use. In fact, much of Intrawest's future marketing visuals will contain helmeted skiers and riders.
As for employees, by 2010-2011, Intrawest will require employees to wear a helmet while on-duty in the terrain parks and staff at the ski and snowboard schools will also be required to use a helmet if they are participating in any program that requires mandatory helmet use by the guest. Several resorts will begin these helmet use guidelines this season, with the rest coming on board for next season.
HELMET USE INCREASES IN THE USA
3rd June 2009 - Source NSAA
The percentage of American riders wearing a helmet during the 2008/09 season increased to 48% of the on slope population - higher rates were seen amongst children and those aged > 65 years.
VAIL RESORTS MAKES HELMETS MANDATORY FOR STAFF FROM 2009/10
13th April 2009 - Source SAM Info
Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) will require all employees to wear helmets when skiing or riding on the job at each of its five mountain resorts—Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly—for the 2009-10 season. More....
ACTRESS NATASHA RICHARDSON DIES AFTER A FALL SKIING
18th March 2009 - Source BBC News
The wife of actor Liam Neeson has died after she seemingly sustained a head injury following a simple fall on the slopes of Mount Tremplant in Canada on March 17th. Reports from the ski area suggest that whilst she was not wearing a helmet, her fall occured on a beginner slope and did not involve a major degree of trauma. However, some time later her condition deteriorated and she saw a doctor. More.....
SKI PATROLLER DIES IN AVALANCHE ACCIDENT AT SQUAW VALLEY, USA
6th March 2009 - Source SAM Info
Once again highlighting the dangers that ski patrollers go to in order to keep the rest of us safe, a patroller from Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe was killed after being caught in an avalanche whilst performing avalanche control procedures. Our sympathies to the family and friends of Andrew Entin. More...
TWITTER USED IN MOUNTAIN RESCUE - BUT ONE SNOWBOARDER DIES
3rd March 2009 - Source Sky News
A British snowboarder has died in the Swiss Alps after online rescue updates on Twitter helped to find his friend alive. More...
CHAIRLIFT FAILS AT SPANISH SKI RESORT
2nd March 2009 - Source Sky News
The accident happened when the cable of a ski chairlift snapped in the Sierra Nevada National Park. The injured - all adults - were in cable chairs which fell several feet to the ground, a Spanish official said. The Spanish official said the 17 people involved were only slightly hurt because the snow on the ground had cushioned the fall. The injured were treated for cuts and bruises at a medical centre in the small town of Pradollano but no one had to go to hospital. Some, but not all, of the resort had been closed earlier because of high and gusty winds. More...
SNOW SPORT HELMET BILL INTRODUCED IN CANADA
4th February 2009 - Source Smartrisk
The bill would amend the Hazardous Products Act to prevent the advertising, import and sale of snow sport helmets that do not meet standards set by the Canadian Standards Association. Currently, hockey helmets sold in Canada must meet these standards but other helmets face no such restrictions. This bill would require ski and snowboard helmets to meet the same requirements. More....
SKI RACER SUFFERS SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN RACE TRAINING
22nd January 2009 - Source Guardian
Swiss skier Daniel Albrecht is in an induced coma after a serious crash on the Streif downhill course at Kitzbühel in Austria.
Albrecht lost control after flying through the air for about 40 metres, landed on his back and came to a stop near the finish line. He received medical attention before being taken by helicopter to a hospital in nearby St Johann, where he briefly regained consciousness before being placed in an artificial coma. He was then transferred to the University Clinic of Innsbruck, race doctor Helmutt Obermoser said.
AUSTRIANS WANT SKI HELMET LAW PASSED
16th January 2009 - Source Austrian Times
An overwhelming majority of Austrians support a potential ski helmet law, according to a recent poll by Infoscreen-Monitors.In the poll, 46 per cent of respondents supported making helmets mandatory for all skiers, and 38 per cent supported making them mandatory for everyone younger than 14 years of age.Thirteen per cent opposed mandatory use of helmets, and three per cent had no opinion.The percentage of Austrians supporting mandatory use of helmets has increased since 2005, when 69 per cent did so. Austria is clearly clamouring for more order on its slopes. Some 56 per cent supported the idea of having a police presence on the slopes - skis and all - whilst 40 per cent opposed it. Ski police would be able to confiscate the lift tickets of people who ski too fast or too carelessly.
SKI ACCIDENT RE-IGNITES HELMET DEBATE
12th January 2009 - Source - www.skiclub.co.uk
A recent collision between two experienced skiers which killed a mother of four and seriously injured a senior German politician, has provoked another debate on wearing helmets.
The accident happened on New Years Day when a Slovak mother of four, Beata Christandl who was skiing on a blue piste, collided with senior German politician, Dieter Althaus who was wearing a helmet and descending a red run which crossed the blue.
Mrs Christandl, who was not wearing a helmet, died on the way to hospital whilst Mr Althaus was seriously injured but survived which doctors say is probably due to the helmet. Both skiers were reported to have been travelling quickly at around 50kph but conditions and visibility were good so it is unclear how the crash occurred.
The accident has sparked a national media debate in Germany and Austria on whether helmet wearing should be made compulsory as well as leading to a boom in sales of helmets in those countries. The Austrian tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung even ran the headline, "Should wearing a helmet be made compulsory?"
SKI TOURER IN SERIOUS CONDITION AFTER CORSICAN AVALANCHE
9th January 2008 - Source www.pistehors.com
Yesterday at a little after 15h00 the fire-brigade in Corte (Corsica) received an urgent call from a ski tourer somewhere between the lac du Melo and the farm at Grutelle. He had been involved in an avalanche and his buddy was still buried. on the east side of the Bocca Soglia ridge and the lac. The pair had left Grutelle to climb the GR 20.
Specialized units from fire service, assisted by mountaineers from Ajaccio, a Doctor and members of the high mountain police (PGHM) flew to the scene using three helicopters from the Civil Security service and PGHM. On the ground at 1600 meters there was a lot of snow and cloud cover and rescuers had to be lowered by winch.
The victim, Dumè Cappai wasn’t completely buried, rescue workers spotted an arm emerging from the snow. He had been under the avalanche for over an hour. After immediate medical attention he was evacuated by helicopter to Corte with a severe hypothermia, fractures and a collapsed lung. He was later transferred to Ajaccio
A drama could easily have turned into a catastrophe for both skiers. Dumè Giorgi was also caught by the slide but managed to save himself by grabbing a small tree. A representative of the French rescue services told Pistehors.com that, although he was unaware of the circumstances of this accident, it is important for skiers to search any slide for visual clues as to the location of an avalanche victim if they cannot get a signal using their avalanche beacon before leaving the scene to seek outside help. He has attended a number of incidents where the part of the victim or his equipment was visible on the surface but due to the delay the person was dead.
AVALANCHES KILL TWO ON CLOSED TERRAIN AT WHISTLER/BLACKCOMB
2nd January 2009 - Source www.saminfo.com
Two separate avalanches—in areas closed due to avalanche danger—have resulted in fatalities at Canada’s Whistler/Blackcomb resort. The incidents occurred on separate parts of the resort.
In the first case, a 37-year-old Whistler resident died after triggering a Class 2 avalanche with a three-foot crown, and which buried the skier under approximately six feet of debris. The victim was reported missing on Wednesday; his body was covered on Thursday morning. In the second incident, a 26-year old male snowboarder perished in a slide on other terrain that was closed due to high avalanche danger.
Yet another avalanche occurred approximately 90 minutes after the patrol had opened that particular section of the mountain on Thursday afternoon. There were no injuries reported, and the area was closed after the incident.
The snowpack in the B.C. area echoes the conditions that are responsible for a serious of slides in the Rocky Mountain region. “The current avalanche conditions are unusual for the coast,” says the backcountry report at www.whistlerblackcomb.com. “The skiable lines that have filled in are for the most part where the avalanche hazard is at its worst. Ongoing snowfall and sometimes very strong winds have loaded a variable series of hard and soft slabs over the weak lower snow pack. The underlying weaknesses are already reacting to small loads. Avalanches are being remotely triggered as people are approaching slopes, while lower-angle areas are settling or ‘whumphing’ repeatedly and even after explosives have been used in some areas.”
ITALIAN YOUTH ADMITS HIT AND RUN DEATH ON THE SLOPES
28th December 2008 - Source www.guardian.co.uk
A 16-year-old Italian youth holidaying with his family in the Alps has confessed to being the hit-and-run skier sought by police for killing a man in a collision on Christmas Day.
Police called off the manhunt around the Italian ski resort of Obereggen after the youth admitted he had knocked down Arthur Lantschner, before fleeing as the 51-year-old cook died from cranial trauma in front of his daughter, Carolin, 12.
The youth, who has not been named, told police on Saturday he briefly lost consciousness in the collision and skied off after seeing other skiers coming to Lantschner's assistance. Only after learning from a news bulletin on television that Lantschner had died did he tell his parents, who called the police.
The youth will be investigated for manslaughter and failure to offer assistance.
Police had already identified him as a suspect from ski-pass records and were due to contact him. A photofit was also issued on Saturday based on an account of the collision by a witness.
The incident capped a dangerous start to the Italian ski season, which has seen 1,000 injuries and more than 100 fines handed out for dangerous skiing.
IN-BOUNDS SLIDE CLAIMS SQUAW VALLEY SKIER
27th December 2008- Source www.saminfo.com
In the second in-bounds avalanche fatality of the year, 21-year old Randall Davis died on December 21 after getting separated from a friend and caught in a slide in the Red Dog area. The victim was found by ski patrol who determined Davis had been caught by a slide after finding his ski protruding from a fresh debris field. Avalanche dogs and transceivers were used to locate the victim. The slide was the result of recent heavy snowfall, with totals exceeding four feet over 72 hours in some locations. The slide is the second in-bounds fatality of the season. Earlier in December, 27-year old Heather Gross of Salt Lake City, Utah, was buried just less than one hour in an in-bounds slide at Snowbird. Goss was alive and unconscious upon rescue. She died at an area hospital later that day.
MORE AMERICAN SKI AREAS ADOPT THE ETTLINGER ACL AWARENESS PROGRAM
24th December 2008 - Source www.saminfo.com
The recent adoption of the ACL Prevention Program by Arapahoe Basin is only the most recent case of what has been a broader spread of the program. Several resorts in Colorado and, more recently, California, are using it. So are Mt. Bachelor, Ore., Bogus Basin, Idaho, Red Lodge, Mont., and Park City.
The program supported by Wells Fargo Insurance Services and Pinnacol Assurance, a Colorado workers’ comp insurer, in conjunction with several ski school professionals. The 30-minute training session involves watching a video along with a demonstration of the basic “athletic stance” and discussion of safety tips. Follow-up safety meetings and a series of educational posters reinforce the initial training.
BLACKCOMB’S EXCALIBUR GONDOLA COLLAPSES; NO SERIOUS INJURIES REPORTED
16th December 2008 - Source www.saminfo.com
At approximately 2:30 p.m. PST, a tower on lower section of the Excalibur gondola at Blackcomb Mountain split and “bent over,” leaving several gondola cars dangling from the line and forcing an emergency evacuation that, at 5 p.m. PST, was still underway. Five people have received medical attention, but no serious injuries have been reported. Cause of the incident is still being investigated.
The 7,000-foot-long Excalibur rises about 1,200 vetical feet and is the main access lift out of Whistler Village for Blackcomb Mountain. It has an intermediate station about a quarter of the way up the line.
The incident occurred at tower four, between the base terminal and the mid-station. According to some reports, the tower snapped in half, and was said to be listing severely. Dozens of people were reported to be on the lift.
Reports have indicated that the line above the base terminal was sagging severely, with several of the eight-passenger gondolas dangling close to the ground. One had come to rest on a bus shelter, according to some reports. However, all injuries were said to be minor.
At the time of the incident, at least six people were trapped inside the cabin closest to the base of the mountain. That car was hovering a few feet above the ground before it came to rest on top of the bus shelter.
A second gondola, about 150 feet further up the mountain, was hovering 15 feet or so above Fitzsimmons Creek, between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains.
The section of the Excalibur above the midstation was evacuated without incident.
IN-BOUNDS AVALANCHE KILLS ONE AT SNOWBIRD: VAIL ALSO SEES INBOUNDS SLIDE ACTIVITY
16th January 2008 - Source www.saminfo.com
An in-bounds avalanche in the Eye of the Needle area of Snowbird’s Mt. Baldy claimed one life on Sunday in the wake of a storm that pounded both Utah and Colorado and pushed avalanche danger into the red zone. A similar in-bounds slide in the Lover’s Leap area of Vail’s Blue Sky Basin buried a man up to his waist.
In Snowbird, the slide occurred on the first day that the impacted terrain was opened. The area is steep and rocky, with a variety of terrain features. The area sees ample skier traffic and was controlled by Snowbird’s patrol prior to be opened by the public. The victim was named as 27-year-old Heather Gross. Gross was buried just less than one hour, but was alive and unconscious upon rescue. She died at an area hospital later that day.
In Vail, slide activity in the Lover’s Leap area also occurred after the area was controlled by ski patrol, catching one skier but resulting in no injuries. The incident resulted in the closure of the area, but it is expected to re-open on Monday after additional control work by the patrol. The slide, which ran for approximately 100 feet, fractured three feet deep and was approximately 150 feet wide.
OFF PISTE SNOWBOARDER INJURED BY AVALANCHE AT ALPE D'HUEZ
8th December 2008 - Source www.pistehors.com
A snowboarder has been seriously injured off piste in the ski resort of l’Alpe d’Huez. The man was alone at the time. He had originally planned to board with a friend but he had turned back, worried about the avalanche risk. The accident occurred in the early afternoon at 2500 meters in the Côtes Rivet / Sarenne sector. The large avalanche carried boarder 800 meters into a terrain trap close to the Sarenne road.
Two skiers who had witnessed the slide started a search using their avalanche beacons, after getting a signal they noticed that the victim was partially visible on the surface of the slide and were able to free him from the snow. The victim, a 28 year old season worker from the resort, is in a critical condition suffering from multiple injuries sustained in the slide. According to the French Weather Service the snow pack continues to be delicate due to weak layers and recent heavy snowfalls, thoughts echoed by both the rescue services and the resort directory who described the conditions as extremely unstable in places. A total of seven skiers died in the French and Italian alps in avalanches over the weekend.
OPERATOR FOUND NOT TO BLAME FOR SKI ACCIDENT
24th November 2008 - Source www.skiclub.co.uk
A judge ruled in the High Court last week that family tour operator, Snowbizz was not to blame for a tragic ski accident which has left a man wheelchair bound.The ski instructor Jerome Portejoie, was however found to be two-thirds liable, with the Claimant himself one-third responsible.
Wendy Lyotier of Snowbizz commented, “This is the first time that I have been allowed by lawyers to speak about the case since the accident occurred, in 2004. The most important thing to say is that we are desperately sorry that a customer of ours suffered such appalling injuries while on a skiing holiday in Puy St Vincent. While we all know and accept that skiing – as with many sports – can be dangerous, in all 22 years of operating there we have never before been involved in a similar incident.”
Mr Justice Foskett, said in his Judgment that he felt Mr Portejoie, the instructor, “took his eye off the ball on this particular occasion”, but tempered this comment by saying “it may be of some comfort to Mr Portejoie to know that there are very many distinguished and ordinarily highly competent and conscientious doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, surveyors and the like who, on an isolated occasion in their lives, are found to have been negligent within the meaning of the law. He should look on this as one of those isolated occasions.”
Editor of Ski+board, Arnie Wilson commented, “We should all, of course, be morally and intellectually responsible for our own safety. Unfortunately, just as wearing a helmet can lull you into a false sense of security, a similar feeling of being less vulnerable can apply when you are accompanied by a ski instructor, regardless of how professional he or she might be."
He added, "The mantra of every skier should be that they alone know their capabilities, and they alone can judge if skiing a particular slope is within their comfort zone or not. But, of course, if you are with an instructor there are certain aspects of skiing you have to take on trust. It’s important to remember, too, that serious accidents involving tree collisions can also occur on so-called easy or nursery runs. Skiing requires 100% concentration, 100% of the time; it takes place in a beautiful but potentially dangerous environment, and there will always be a risk factor involved.”
In closing, the Judge urged skiers to take out adequate insurance cover that would provide substantial funds if permanent serious injury, including paralysis, should occur.
Mr Portejoie's French insurers have agreed to make a 100% contribution to the award and damages will be assessed at a later date.
Graham Anderson was injured towards the end of a week-long holiday with Snowbizz in Puy St Vincent, France with his wife Lesley and two sons, in February 2004. While skiing off-piste, he lost control and sped into a tree at the bottom of the slope, losing consciousness on impact. As a result of the accident, he is now a wheelchair-bound tetraplegic.
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