A lift ticket shouldn't be a license to kill, maim, injure or assault.
The President's Day Weekend is a busy one here in Sun Valley, and Bald Mountain will be a lot more crowded than usual. With crowds should come caution.
Bald Mountain is big and magic-carpet grooming makes it tempting to ski or board at speeds that exceed anyone's ability to stop suddenly.
Yet, despite exhortations to abide by the Skier's Code, verbal warnings from courtesy patrol members, and huge orange "Slow" signs posted in congested areas, skiers and snowboarders endanger others with stupidity that would shock Darwin.
Many zip by the slow signs so fast, we wonder if they can read at all. We regularly see the heedless blast across popular runs crowded with people of all ages and abilities. We've seen them cut carelessly close to children and parents struggling down cat tracks. We've seen them lose control and collide with others. We've seen them deafened by ear buds, and distracted by skiing and talking on cell phones at the same time.
The dangerous acts are unacceptable. And, they are not limited to a single age group or skill level. Both snow boarders and skiers are guilty.
This week's globally televised sights of Olympians hurling themselves downhill will inspire snow riders to slide even faster than usual.
They shouldn't. The laws of physics are against them. Even expert skills won't change that.
For example, America's top female downhiller Lindsey Kildow was carted to the hospital in Italy after a crash that saw her hurtle through the air, twist and slam at odd angles in an Olympic training run.
Or, consider the news in Jackson, Wyo., last week where a snowboarder was charged with negligent homicide in the death of a skier there last year.
At a speed estimated between 35 and 60 mph, the male snowboarder collided with a female skier who was standing on a run. The impact knocked the skier out of her gloves, skis, poles, hat, goggles, and neck warmer, and catapulted her 25 feet down the hill, a sheriff's investigator reported. She died of head injuries.
Mammoth Mountain in California has seen eight deaths in just 17 days—several the result of excess speed, all but two the result of loss of control.
These events should make every skier and boarder stop and think.
Skiing and boarding are fun and still relatively safe, with a fatality rate of .72 per million skier/snowboarder visits, according to the National Ski Areas Association. They're much safer than swimming or bicycling.
To make sure winter sports stay that way, skiers and snow boarders should slow down, engage their brains, and treat others as more than annoying obstacles.
A lift ticket should be a license for skill and a great good time.
