Article: Why it's difficult to get detailed information when skiers die at California resorts

[Dougb]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/culture...c_baybriefing_am&sid=5476b1183b35d0d7548e5d35

Why it's difficult to get detailed information when skiers die at California resorts
Gregory Thomas May 5, 2021 Updated: May 5, 2021 9:02 a.m. Comments
Gregory ThomasMay 5, 2021

Ski patrollers at Bear Valley Ski Resort in April.
Max Whittaker / The Chronicle

Late on the afternoon of Feb. 18, Vera Ares was at home in San Francisco when she received a phone call from her teenage son, Milo, who was in tears.
Her husband, 53-year-old career scientist Gustavo Pesce, and Milo had left home the day before for a trip to Bear Valley Ski Resort in the Sierra Nevada, 70 miles south of Lake Tahoe.
On a run down the resort’s terrain park, a collection of ramps, rails and icy features isolated from the main slopes, Pesce had inadvertently back-flipped on a ramp and landed on his chest. As he lay unresponsive in the snow, nearby skiers and snowboarders came to his aid, and the resort’s ski patrol rushed to administer CPR. But it was too late.

“He died within minutes,” Ares said.
Bear Valley managers told Ares all that they knew about the accident. She hoped the resort or local authorities would inspect the terrain park feature, called the Volcano, and follow up with her. But no new information ever emerged.
“It’s like it never happened,” Ares said. “There was nothing. No news.”

Please see the link for the rest of the article...

 

[Cols714]

If there are things ski areas can do to make things safer without taking the fun out of skiing they should do it and if they won't (note: they won't) they should be compelled to do it by the government. It's like the auto industry knew for years that lead poisoning was horrible but it took government action to make them eliminate lead from gasoline.

And yes, obviously there is also a huge personal responsibility part of it. But you need both things. Resorts need to be held accountable and people need to ski responsibly. Right now we can't even get skier death/injury information and that alone would be helpful.

 

[pchewn]

What more detail is needed?

 

[SBrown]

I don't know much about terrain parks. That seems to be the focus of this one. I might consider manmade jumps closer to the same lines as manmade chairlifts, though, as opposed to the more "natural" parts of the mountain. (Yes, things are groomed, gladed, fenced ... not entirely natural, but more so than rails and gondolas etc.) So, I can't speak to how terrain parks should be managed. I would like more information on the "inadvertent backflip," however. Did he think it was just a jump, but the angle led him higher than anticipated? Are they sure it was inadvertent if they couldn't ask him afterward?

 

[François Pugh]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/culture...c_baybriefing_am&sid=5476b1183b35d0d7548e5d35


Please see the link for the rest of the article...

Except I can't without giving them my financial info along with 99 cents (that will rise in price and turn into a life-time subscription if I have troubling cancelling).

If I understand what I read, her kid was there; maybe he could provide more information. Doing a back flip, isn't the safest thing to do, regardless of where and what park features were involved.
Call the tune; pay the piper.

 

[dbostedo]

Except I can't without giving them my financial info along with 99 cents (that will rise in price and turn into a life-time subscription if I have troubling cancelling).

Strange... it wasn't behind a paywall earlier for me, and I could see the whole thing. But now I get the paywall.

 

[Tricia]

I'm sure that risk management has a lot to do with it.
I know when I was the risk management officer at a motocross track we were trained to not give out any information that wasn't absolutely necessary.
We were also trained to not alter features on the track after an incident to avoid the appearance of being at fault or the need for a change.

 

[Dwight]

I'm sure that risk management has a lot to do with it.
I know when I was the risk management officer at a motocross track we were trained to not give out any information that wasn't absolutely necessary.
We were also trained to not alter features on the track after an incident to avoid the appearance of being at fault or the need for a change.

Bingo!

I also know after every accident, at my hill, management goes and measures and takes pictures of everything. Sometimes the insurance company comes out too. They have never lost any lawsuit yet, not that they have many. I also know ski patrol/management keeps in contact with people too, until a lawyer gets involved.

It is dependent on the skier to check all features first and never assume a feature hasn't changed or not what you expected.

 

[newboots]

I know when I was the risk management officer at a motocross track we were trained to not give out any information that wasn't absolutely necessary.
We were also trained to not alter features on the track after an incident to avoid the appearance of being at fault or the need for a change.

More CYA than compassion.

 

[scott43]

Well nothing good comes out of saying anything of substance. Even words with good intentions can sink you.

 

[pchewn]

I'm still not understanding what detailed information is missing or not available in this case?

 

[raytseng]

More CYA than compassion.

Perhaps I'm just arguing over word semantics but there is a lot of compassion from ski patrol who take care of you for free; which is the cheapest medical expense you will have in your major accident.

The issue is more no evidence or papertrail to go along with the incident, but that doesn't mean a lack of compassion. It's just an outcome of having to work within the medical/legal system, that can be so financially ruinous.

Potentially if you wish for papertrail and the ability dive into it ends up having the unintended consequence meaning a bill for $3000 for the sledrides off the hill. (unless you also wish for systemic reform in the Healthcare and Law complexes at the same time)

 

[scott43]

Except I can't without giving them my financial info along with 99 cents (that will rise in price and turn into a life-time subscription if I have troubling cancelling).

www.outline.com

 

[François Pugh]

I'm still not understanding what detailed information is missing or not available in this case?

Well, not being a park rat, I would like to know what exactly a "volcano jump" is, and if having rails in the landing zone, is an advanced combined-feature deliberately put there so folks can combine tricks. (my idea of a successful trick is if I take a jump and end up air-borne, I follow it up by coming back down and landing the jump - coming back down is the easy part ) .

 

[scott43]

I'm still not understanding what detailed information is missing or not available in this case?

I'm curious if he was partaking in the terrain park fun intentionally...or if he wandered in unknowingly.. Poorly marked features? Or did he simply not pull of his stunt. It matters I think.

 

[François Pugh]

www.outline.com

Thanks for that. The article says he did an inadvertent back flip, landed on his chest and burst his aorta.
I would say that's on him.

Note to self: don't land jumps on chest. (I'll add this to my previous note about not skiing on face.)

 

[Ogg]

As others have said or alluded to I'm having a hard time understanding how an "unintended backflip" occurs.

 

[pchewn]

Well, not being a park rat, I would like to know what exactly a "volcano jump" is, and if having rails in the landing zone, is an advanced combined-feature deliberately put there so folks can combine tricks. (my idea of a successful trick is if I take a jump and end up air-borne, I follow it up by coming back down and landing the jump - coming back down is the easy part ) .

As others have said or alluded to I'm having a hard time understanding how an "unintended backflip" occurs.

Here's a volcano feature in a terrain park. (With a real volcano in the background). It is a very steep multi-sided feature. If you hit it fast and slightly back-seat you will do an unintended backflip.

There are smaller versions of these volcano features. Here's a smaller one.

And here is the skateboard park equivalent:

 

[KingGrump]

people need to ski responsibly.

Haven't heard much on that issue. Is that also on the resort?

 

[Cols714]

Haven't heard much on that issue. Is that also on the resort?

Most people ski responsibly. Otherwise there would be way way way more deaths and injuries than there already are. And while it's mostly on the individual, there is definitely a place for the resort to encourage safe skiing, especially for those who are less experienced.