Our sport is dangerous

William wrote in RecSkiingAlpine on Tue, Jan 4, 2005:

Just got back from a week in Summit County (Breckenridge) and wanted to
relate this story since it really shook me up. . .


http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pb...501040405/1002
KILLINGTON -- A 27-year-old Massachusetts man tumbled to his death Sunday
after losing control on one of Killington Ski Resort's most challenging
trails.

Vermont State Police said Andrew Begley of Cambridge, Mass. apparently
lost control while skiing on the Double Dipper trail, which is rated a
"double black diamond" run.

"Our initial interviews indicate that the victim was a fairly
experienced skier," said Lt. David Covell of the State Police. "From
witness accounts, he was skiing on one of the more advanced trails and
simply lost control."

Covell said Begley slid "a significant distance," going off the Double
Dipper trail through a roped-off area where Killington snow guns were
stored and into the Big Dipper trail before a tree stopped his slide.

"It looks possible that he may have collided with some equipment in that
initial closed area he entered," Covell said.

Brian Connolly of Scituate, Mass., a frequent Killington skier, said he
and several friends saw the end of Begley's slide, watching him rolling
down the Big Dipper trail, apparently unconscious.

"We saw him tumbling out of control down the trail," Connolly said. "We
saw him on the last several hundred yards. He was going at a very fast
pace and obviously couldn't stop."

Connolly said that while several from his group summoned the ski patrol,
he and a companion hiked up the mountain. They found Begley unconscious
and seriously injured, with bruises visible on his head and on one leg
where his ski pants had been ripped off.

Connolly said his friends later found Begley's skis lodged, facing
downhill, in the hoses for Killington's snow guns.

"We had skied that trail several times that morning and as the day went
on it started to get polished," he said. "When we found his pass, a
Mount Snow pass, we speculated that maybe he didn't know the
(Killington) trail. There was a section there that was extremely icy so
we could see how easily someone could get into trouble."He said it
seemed likely Begley had fallen near the top of the mountain and slid,
tumbling almost all the way to the bottom of that section of trails.

Covell said that because the accident happened prior to 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, the icy weather that blanketed the mountain that evening did not
play a role.

"The conditions on that trail that day were frozen granular and hard
packed," Covell said. "But there's no way to determine at this point if
that was a factor."

Begley, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the Rutland Regional
Medical Center, likely died due to blunt trauma, Covell said. He would
not speculate about specific injuries, pending an autopsy.

"It appeared like he suffered a series of injuries resulting from the
fall and the acts that followed," he said. "We're waiting for the
autopsy results to determine the exact cause of death."

Covell said Begley seemed to have traveled to Vermont alone and that his
next of kin had been contacted.

Tom Horrocks, a spokesman for the resort, said Begley's death was a
"very unfortunate accident."

He said the Double Dipper trail had been machine-groomed the previous
night and was rated a black diamond based on its steepness.

"It's mostly because of the pitch of it," he said. "We groom the trail
to provide a smooth, even skiing surface."

Horrocks said the resort hasn't seen any more accidents on the Double
Dipper than on any other trail.

"It was an open ski trail like every trail on the mountain. We don't see
more accidents on any one of them," he said. "Skiing is an inherently
dangerous sport and we ask everyone who comes to Killington and Pico to
know the responsibility code for safe skiing."

Horrocks added that the resort incorporates safety messages in all of
its trail maps and many of its signs and joins with resorts around the
country to promote safe skiing in Ski Safe Week, the third week of January.

Neither Covell nor Horrocks could say for certain when the mountain last
saw a fatal accident, but Covell said such accidents are "not very common."

My recollection of the days were that Fri & Sat
were warm and that Sunday was colder. Trail could
have been icy.

Note that he slid off DD through a closed off area
under the lift onto Big Dipper. Big Dipper is Killington's
only true glade trail. Trees spaced wide apart.

It would have been at quite an angle to the fall line
for the trajectory described to have been accomplished.

DD, while steep, has a pretty good fall line, straight
down the hill, unlike, say, Cascade, which, if you fall
you will go into the woods if the fence doesn't stop you.

A Middletown Springs, Vt., skier was killed in February 2003 after he
skied into a rope stretched across a trail on Bear Mountain at
Killington. Police said at the time that the man tried to duck under the
3-foot-high rope, but instead it caught him by his neck.

I was at this one. My skiing buddy who is an attorney
took witness statements.

Covell said the investigation into Begley's death was "nearly complete."
He added that a few more follow-up interviews might be needed after
police receive the autopsy.

posted by VtSkier

On 2005-01-04, VtSkier penned:
William wrote in RecSkiingAlpine on Tue, Jan 4, 2005:

Just got back from a week in Summit County (Breckenridge) and wanted to
relate this story since it really shook me up. . .


http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pb...501040405/1002
KILLINGTON -- A 27-year-old Massachusetts man tumbled to his death Sunday
after losing control on one of Killington Ski Resort's most challenging
trails.

It's sad that someone died, but I don't think that it comes as any surprise to
skiers that it's dangerous. At least, I hope not. I've never had a serious
injury while skiing, but I've gotten close enough to be aware of the risk I'm
taking. I went off a jump *during a lesson* a few years ago, landed too far
back and fell onto my tails. The weight distribution flipped my skis around
and I was on my back, head-first, hurtling down the trail. No matter what I
tried, I couldn't stop. I started laughing, then, because I knew I might get
seriously injured but there wasn't anything I could do about it, so I might as
well enjoy the ride. And in fact, when I finally did get stopped, it turns
out my path led straight into a large rock. I wasn't even wearing a helmet.
Anyway, that's just one time when I could have bitten it, though it's
certainly the most memorable.

I hope that every skier is aware that there are dangers inherent to the sport.
We choose to accept that risk for the pleasure we experience.

That being said, if it's a run that you commonly ski, I can well imagine this
article would freak you out. Just remember that most accidents happen within
5 miles of home. People can die in all sorts of crazy ways, and the vast
majority of people who ski that run come out of the experience just fine.

--
monique
Longmont, CO

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 10:06:22 -0600, "Monique Y. Mudama"
wrote:

On 2005-01-04, VtSkier penned:

That being said, if it's a run that you commonly ski, I can well imagine this
article would freak you out.

No doubt. This one happened at the hill where I cut my skiing teeth:
http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews...0_20050104.htm
Another tragedy. Just a little midwestern molehill, but a tree is a
tree is a tree....seems like sad news from all around, lately.

bw