Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 33
  1. #1
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Behind That Tree
    Posts
    1,627

    Canadian Kid Dies at SB

    Surprised this hasn't been discussed/posted:

    http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a.../NEWS/80108003



    Such a tragedy.

  2. #2
    On what trail did this happen?

    I feel horrible for the boy and his loved ones. What a tragedy.

    I also want to express my best wishes to the ski patrol and SB staff. While this boy did not survive, I'm sure they did everything they could to save him. I'm very greatful for the work they do.

  3. #3
    I'd heard about it but had nothing to discuss, as I really don't have many details.

    You're right. It is a tragedy.
    .
    Two roads diverged in a wood,

    and I- I took the one less traveled by,


    And that has made all the difference.

  4. #4
    I never really think about how dangerous this recreation can be, until I read something like this. First thing that comes to mind is well there must be a reason? Because that would never happen to me. I take this precaution or that precaution. Well it can.

    Very sad indeed. I can't even venture to phathom what his family or the ski patrol on site must be expierencing.
    "Quietly Heartbroken Tennis Player."

  5. #5

    Could happen to anyone...

    ...even on a groomer. If you wipe out and hit a tree or a tower, you can do all sorts of awful damage to your head, neck or torso.

  6. #6
    Does anyone know if the kid was wearing a helmet? Sometimes when I hit an open trail, I really let the skis rip and wonder if wearing a helmet even matters at those speeds.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Flatlands of Southern CT
    Posts
    293
    My deepest condolences to the boy's family, and those who helped him.

    This tragic dose of reality will hopefully help prevent future accidents of some others.

    In that vein I'd be interested in learning whether he was wearing a helmet. While a helmet is certainly no guarantee, it is a key piece of safety equipment when properly 'installed'. Assuming he was wearing a helmet, the lesson is especially poignant.

    I plan on sharing this story with my 10 year old son, in hopes it will underscore our 'safety first' mantra. Speaking for myself, when surrounded by all the on-trail or off-piste natural beauty and jazzed about simply being on the 'hill' I sometimes find myself feeling a bit impervious to danger...an that's never a good thing.
    No mountain too steep
    No powder too deep

    (well, not exactly)

  8. #8

    Re: Could happen to anyone...

    Quote Originally Posted by Fourwide
    ...even on a groomer. If you wipe out and hit a tree or a tower, you can do all sorts of awful damage to your head, neck or torso.

    Do you ski faster on a groomed trail or a bumped trail?
    Come on, think about it.
    As far as I know, the kid was not wearing a helmet. This is not the only reason to wear a helmet! I don't care how good a skier you are or think you are. There are inherent risks to the sport. Not the least of which is the fact that there are a lot of yahoos out there. People get hit by other skiers/riders more than people hit trees. Be aware of what's going on around you at all times.

    Before you all get too involved in this thread, please note that this is the first trauma related death at Sugarbush in several years.

    My heart goes out to all touched by this tragedy.

    Let's move on.
    "It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others."

  9. #9

    Not a pleasant topic...

    ....but one that will be discussed....very thoroughly.....in our household. My boys are 9 & 7, and I've tried to temper my enthusiasm for them "going for it" against my general parental paranoia for my kids, and my understanding, after all these years, of the inherent risks of the sport.

    Years ago I scratched a long time itch.....riding sport bikes. When the first Ninja's came on the scene in the early 1980's, I saw them and thought "I gotta get me one of those things". Lucky I didn't, or I'm sure I'd have likely become a statistic. But the itch remained, and in my mid-30's I decided it had to be scratched. Freaking out family and friends, I said "I'm going to ride". First thing out of everyone's mouth was "Isn't that dangerous ?" or "I know a guy who's brother....".

    It brought up the issue of Danger vs. Risk. Degrees of danger vs. management of calculated risk. And with riding motorcycles, there are about 5 major factors one can employ to take the risk of street riding and cut it down, statistically, to a fraction of what most riders face when they turn the key. I rode for 6 years, I scratched the itch over close to 20k of Sunday sport rides, and I stopped when my wife said, after having our third child, that she didn't breathe from the time I rode off until the garage door went up when I returned. She wasn't asking me to stop....but she was asking me to stop.

    Anyways, I've tried to be a teacher on the slopes for my boys with regard to thinking about risk and exposure as we ski. Beneath the joy of sliding on snow can be a foundation of managing the inherent risk that you face from the time you click in until you're sitting in the bathtub recalling another great day. I don't really know how many people on the slopes think like that. I bump into too many people these days who have never even heard of the skier's responsibility code. Scary.

    And many times, people's assumptions of inherent risk are based on a trail's rating. In many ways, Jester can be considered to be more dangerous than Rumble. Fall on rumble and the bumps, coutours, and likely speed you've been carrying while skiing it, can all actually help assure you'll be able to regain control. Fall in the wrong place on Jester, and your margin of safety can be non-existent with the trees as your stopping devices....and usually your speed is likely much higher than other trails.

    Anyways, sorry to ramble. These sad events always feel like a kick in the gut. But a discussion of risk factors, inherent dangers, and what we can do to try to minimize our exposure as skiers is something I will revisit with my boys, and girls, again. It shouldn't take this type of tragedy at SB, or any ski area for that matter, to remind us to try to think and ski in a way that anticipates, and avoids, as many of the potential danger points inherent to sliding on snow as possible. We can't eliminate danger or risk, but the way we think and ski can reduce, at least statistically, our exposure to risk.

    Anyways, and on a lighter note, some fond summer memories. I loved that Duc.....the greatest Banana yellow machine ever.

  10. #10

    Re: Not a pleasant topic...

    Quote Originally Posted by smootharc
    ....but one that will be discussed....very thoroughly.....in our household. My boys are 9 & 7, and I've tried to temper my enthusiasm for them "going for it" against my general parental paranoia for my kids, and my understanding, after all these years, of the inherent risks of the sport.

    Years ago I scratched a long time itch.....riding sport bikes. When the first Ninja's came on the scene in the early 1980's, I saw them and thought "I gotta get me one of those things". Lucky I didn't, or I'm sure I'd have likely become a statistic. But the itch remained, and in my mid-30's I decided it had to be scratched. Freaking out family and friends, I said "I'm going to ride". First thing out of everyone's mouth was "Isn't that dangerous ?" or "I know a guy who's brother....".

    It brought up the issue of Danger vs. Risk. Degrees of danger vs. management of calculated risk. And with riding motorcycles, there are about 5 major factors one can employ to take the risk of street riding and cut it down, statistically, to a fraction of what most riders face when they turn the key. I rode for 6 years, I scratched the itch over close to 20k of Sunday sport rides, and I stopped when my wife said, after having our third child, that she didn't breathe from the time I rode off until the garage door went up when I returned. She wasn't asking me to stop....but she was asking me to stop.

    Anyways, I've tried to be a teacher on the slopes for my boys with regard to thinking about risk and exposure as we ski. Beneath the joy of sliding on snow can be a foundation of managing the inherent risk that you face from the time you click in until you're sitting in the bathtub recalling another great day. I don't really know how many people on the slopes think like that. I bump into too many people these days who have never even heard of the skier's responsibility code. Scary.

    And many times, people's assumptions of inherent risk are based on a trail's rating. In many ways, Jester can be considered to be more dangerous than Rumble. Fall on rumble and the bumps, coutours, and likely speed you've been carrying while skiing it, can all actually help assure you'll be able to regain control. Fall in the wrong place on Jester, and your margin of safety can be non-existent with the trees as your stopping devices....and usually your speed is likely much higher than other trails.

    Anyways, sorry to ramble. These sad events always feel like a kick in the gut. But a discussion of risk factors, inherent dangers, and what we can do to try to minimize our exposure as skiers is something I will revisit with my boys, and girls, again. It shouldn't take this type of tragedy at SB, or any ski area for that matter, to remind us to try to think and ski in a way that anticipates, and avoids, as many of the potential danger points inherent to sliding on snow as possible. We can't eliminate danger or risk, but the way we think and ski can reduce, at least statistically, our exposure to risk.

    Anyways, and on a lighter note, some fond summer memories. I loved that Duc.....the greatest Banana yellow machine ever.
    Your wife was right. I'm a personal injury lawyer and deal with accidents everyday. You do not want to be on a roadway without some serious metal between you and the surroundings. Motorcycle accidents almost invariable end badly for the rider. No matter how good a rider you are and what you do to reduce your risk, there are way too many other idiots driving.

  11. #11

    Agreed.

    Quote Originally Posted by HowieT2
    Your wife was right. I'm a personal injury lawyer and deal with accidents everyday. You do not want to be on a roadway without some serious metal between you and the surroundings. Motorcycle accidents almost invariable end badly for the rider. No matter how good a rider you are and what you do to reduce your risk, there are way too many other idiots driving.
    Safest way to ride sportbikes....join a club and hit their track days. Controlled environment....no cars/trucks....and, at least in theory, everyone pointed in the same direction.

    In all my miles, I only felt twice that I'd been really lucky with an idiot. But imagining every driver I saw was an idiot....a good way to think. Unfortunately, sometimes the idiot was the guy on my bike with his hand on the throttle.....me !

  12. #12
    How and where did this tragic accident happen?

  13. #13

    Re: Agreed.

    Quote Originally Posted by smootharc
    Quote Originally Posted by HowieT2
    Your wife was right. I'm a personal injury lawyer and deal with accidents everyday. You do not want to be on a roadway without some serious metal between you and the surroundings. Motorcycle accidents almost invariable end badly for the rider. No matter how good a rider you are and what you do to reduce your risk, there are way too many other idiots driving.
    Safest way to ride sportbikes....join a club and hit their track days. Controlled environment....no cars/trucks....and, at least in theory, everyone pointed in the same direction.

    In all my miles, I only felt twice that I'd been really lucky with an idiot. But imagining every driver I saw was an idiot....a good way to think. Unfortunately, sometimes the idiot was the guy on my bike with his hand on the throttle.....me !
    I owned a "Donor-cycle" in my youth.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by madhavok
    How and where did this tragic accident happen?
    I believe it was Lower Organgrinder, but not positive. I do know he was not wearing a helmet.

  15. #15

    reply

    When it comes to ski safety, a helmet is just 1/4 of the pie. For starters: 1. Never ski when your tired, 2. Avoid high traffic slopes. I hate to say this, but a pack of teenage boys can be pretty reckless. They lack a certain judgement and maturity. Young boys are always trying to one up each other.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Ski Gear | Snowboard Gear | Cycling Gear | Camping/Hiking Gear | Ski & Snowboard Racks | Gear Outlet | Men's Clothing | Women's Clothing | Kids' Clothing

Ski Vermont | Whiteface / Gore Message Boards