Keep the brakes on
Anyone thinking of letting `em rip on Baldy this weekend
needs to think again.
Nathan Hall let `em rip in Vail, Colorado, on April 20,
1997. A self-described expert skier, he hit and killed a man named Alan
Cobb.
Hall, just 21 years old, was convicted of criminally
negligent homicide by a jury that included skiers and snowboarders. A
judge recently sentenced him to 90 days in jail.
Observers called the sentence lenient, but it hardly tells
the tale.
The immediate price of recklessly flying down Vail’s
mountain was that Hall became the captive of the legal system for more
than three years. Yet that pales in comparison to the life sentence he
imposed on himself.
Even after he serves his sentence, he will never really be
free. He will always carry the knowledge that his reckless act killed an
innocent human being. He will be dogged by a criminal record.
The look of torment on Hall’s face at his sentencing
hearing said it all. His young life was forever changed in that instant
when speed overcame control.
It’s not just Colorado that is cracking down on the
slopes. So is Idaho.
Skiers who violate Blaine County’s reckless skiing
ordinance could find themselves facing a jail sentence.
Peter Schneeberger is a former ski instructor now
appealing a 180-day jail sentence, with 170-days suspended, and a $300
fine imposed last month. He was involved in an accident that injured two
people on Baldy.
Baldy’s long corduroy runs are a dream, but they may
also be an invitation to disaster. Wise skiers and boarders know that a
rock, a twig or an icy patch can turn an expert into an uncontrolled
flying object.
Skiers and boarders should remember Nathan Hall, keep the
brakes on and keep their eyes open.
