Summit Daily 3 Part Series on Skier Deaths in CO

[blazes_boylan]

interesting read:

http://www.summitdaily.com/news/whit...-ski-industry/

[Benny Profane]

Wow. Well written and hard hitting from, of all papers, Summit Daily. I would expect this from the Denver Post.

[Notchtop]

Meh. Opening was pedestrian, kind of like starting an essay with a definition of a word as defined by Websters. Lost me. Overdrama.
And please, great colorado reporting died with rmn. RIP the big tab.
Fine idea for a story tho.

[galibier_numero_un]

All are facts Harry and Lynda Taylor of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, wish they'd have known before their 27-year-old son, Jay, lost his life while skiing at Keystone in January 2016.

"We couldn't make sense of it," said his mother, Lynda. "We were totally, totally shocked. And there's a lot of fallout — physical and psychological fallout — from these deaths within families. It is devastating, it is horrifying, and it's permanent."

With more information, maybe they'd have been able to steer Jay, an expert skier who lived in Boulder and loved heading to the mountains whenever he could, to a different resort. They never had the opportunity, and today they've become outspoken advocates for openness and accountability in the ski industry.

Sad for the family, but WTF kind of bullshit, phoning it in reporting was that - that this couple's son died because he chose to ski at Keystone, that disclosure about Summit County resorts will change anything ???

I stopped reading after that.

... Thom

[fastfred]

I don't get it

Not sure what the point is? People die skiing, so what? It's tragic that it has to happen. But it does. This article would have been better suited to come out over xmas break, the shock and awe for toursits, maybe vail will ask for a written apology for making they look bad if they don't get it they will threaten to pull their advertising from the paper.

The numbers are higher for summit because we have more resorts, we have more tourists, more beginners, more people etc. is that something ground breaking? There is a sort of a cover up by the resorts to limit the information about how exactly people died, etc, but that cover up is due to hipaa not necessary the resorts trying to hide info. The daily has some sort of grim fascination with ski resort deaths. Kind of odd. But they love to make it front page news all year long.

The summit daily is nothing short of rag, they have a constant turn over of reporters every 2-3 years. The reporting usually consists of scanning facebook and social media and then plugging that into an article. I swear that they hand all the new reporters a sheet of stories they can write about and they just go through the list. So the same shit is written about in two to three year cycles. Skier deaths is one of those, in a few months they will recycle the deaths of two girls who disappeared hitching to alma thirty years ago. The reporters back in the day had contacts at the resort, sheriffs department, they'd hang out in the bars and get the scoop. It's a small town, it's easy to know someone who knows the truth about something and you can get the low down. I've heard more f'd up shit over the years from first hand accounts than I'd care to know. Today it's nothing more than scanning someones facebook profile for info. Kind of sad.

[Elkhound Odin]

I always thought Keystone was the most dangerous ski resort.

[wolfelot]

All are facts Harry and Lynda Taylor of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, wish they'd have known before their 27-year-old son, Jay, lost his life while skiing at Keystone in January 2016.

"We couldn't make sense of it," said his mother, Lynda. "We were totally, totally shocked. And there's a lot of fallout — physical and psychological fallout — from these deaths within families. It is devastating, it is horrifying, and it's permanent."

With more information, maybe they'd have been able to steer Jay, an expert skier who lived in Boulder and loved heading to the mountains whenever he could, to a different resort. They never had the opportunity, and today they've become outspoken advocates for openness and accountability in the ski industry.

... Thom

This was pretty unbelievable to read. There is very little that is inherent about Keystone/Summit county that would have killed this guy. Its almost like they are suggesting that had they known their kid was going on vacation in Syria they would have tried to talk him into going to London instead since it is relatively safer.

[old goat]

I don't know what the law is in Colorado, but I doubt it's up to the ski area to decide whether a coroner's autopsy is done. In California all deaths--accidental, in a hospital or nursing home, all deaths--must be reported to the county coroner who decides whether or not an autopsy is done.

The "human toll" of skiing? The number of skiers who die yearly in the US is about 1% of the number who drown and a 1/3 of the number who die riding horses--and a lot more people ski than ride horses.

[hatchgreenchile]

If you go skiing at Keystone, yer gonna die!
#SchoolmarmSlaughter

[cmsummit]

Put me in the "I don't get it" camp as well. I can't figure out the point the reporter is attempting to make.....they're certainly not uncovering any damning evidence like the headline would lead you to believe. News flash....skiing is an inherently dangerous sport.

As other's have stated, to suggest that the 27 year old that died at Keystone, should have been possibly steered to another resort because of the fatality rate at Keystone is laughable. Yes, improve your odds of dying on the slopes from 1 in 600,000 to what?.......1 in 800,000! LOL. Other than raising some general awareness it's a total garbage story.

[Shredhead]

Bad way to start the day, especially since I'm flying in tonight.

I just went through the interactive map of deaths in Pitkin County and I knew at least half.
Most died in avalanches and two were patrollers.

RIP my Fallen Friends.

At least one was a maggot and another guy posted on Epic the day before, asking how to adjust his bindings. Threw a shoe and hit a tree.

[Benny Profane]

Well, to summarize, the reporter has found out that there are no laws or regulations that govern the data gathering of inbound skier deaths in Colorado. That's pretty interesting in itself, considering the size of that industry, and how important it is to the state's economy. Hell, as mentioned, there is much more transparency around backcountry avi deaths.
But, we do know the numbers, and, I suppose, in the next two articles, the reporter may try to figure out why so many die in Summit County. I have my own opinion, as I'm sure all others here do, but, let's see what he comes up with. This does take a ton of balls for that newspaper company to publish this, since they essentially survive off the economy that those ski areas, re: Vail Inc., operate within. I'll bet some phone calls were made. It is a surprise to see this, since, as Fred said above, the Summit Daily is not exactly a place you go to for good writing about local issues - just a place to check rental and RE prices, and the local dispensery deals.

[skifishbum]

put me in the shitty reporter with a broken grinding stone trying to grind an axe with shitty gonzo journalism camp
the equating the ski industry with the auto industry is fuckin laughable
ya know even the addicts aint being forced to partake in high risk activities
dont wanna die or be injured skiing?
well not going skiing is the surefire way to that zero fatality goal

[digitaldeath]

when you ascend and descend a mountain, you can die

[Kopi_Red]

Don't go skiing! You're gonna die!!!

[Skistack]

My takeaway is that skiing into trees can kill you.

[summit]

Summit Daily Bullshit

What a bunch of bottom feeding reporting.

They are making it out like there is some conspiracy and they are hell bent on scaring the crap out of the tourists that bring money to the community. They've been on a kick for about a year... I think it is new ownership. They've become very political, very partisan, and all about the muck racking dram infotainment articles like this trip.

Why don't they do an article on how the mountains aren't Disneyland, so don't pretend they are, but still enjoy them?

Instead we get a 3 part series on how there is some vague conspiracy when there isn't.

FUCK THE SUMMIT DAILY NEWS

(I do not nor have I ever worked for a ski resort).

[summit]

But, we do know the numbers, and, I suppose, in the next two articles, the reporter may try to figure out why so many die in Summit County.

Because Summit County has more skier days than the entire state of Utah?

WHERE IS MY FUCKING PULITZER PRIZE, BITCH?

[blazes_boylan]

the writer of this piece doesn't do the best job getting his point across, but it seems the point trying to be made here is that ski resorts try really hard to keep deaths on the slopes quiet (the article doesn't address this, but a number of resorts have gag rules for employees about on-mountain deaths), and promote the idea that resorts are disneyland with no danger. It does seem a little more honesty on this issue could result in more awareness of dangers and better overall safety. But yes, some of the premises, like choosing another resort over Keystone would save your life, is kinda ridiculously over the top [insert keystone joke here].

[skifishbum]

Because Summit County has more skier days than the entire state of Utah?

WHERE IS MY FUCKING PULITZER PRIZE, BITCH?

you forgot the part about the extra 150" of potential obstacle and hazard coverages
gotta give bro props for hitting the notes that resonate to his clickbait urinal cake audience of
bunny fluffering tourons whom personal responsibilities for there own actions dont matter.

[Benny Profane]

Because Summit County has more skier days than the entire state of Utah?

WHERE IS MY FUCKING PULITZER PRIZE, BITCH?

Well, so much for reasonable discussion. Major reason that this country is fucked. Everybody's shouting. Put your dicks back in your pants. Although it's good to see that hippie fishbum has been nudged out of his drug stupor to type some bad poetry. With one finger, of course.

As far as your simple "most ski days evah" argument, since you didn't read the article, I'll tell you to go back and check out the stat that the Aspen mountains actually have a higher death rate per "capita", or total visit numbers. Maybe somebody can find what that number is for Utah. Oh, wait, first there's that dangling dick problem.....

[digitaldeath]

for 160$ a day they better pad all the trees and foam all the rocks

[fastfred]

the resorts have lots of stats on injuries etc, I don't know why the public needs to know the details, I'm not sure what is to be gained
patrol has daily stats of how many taxi rides they give to people, how many minor injuries they cart off the mtn, and how many major traumas are carted off the mtn, again not sure the point of knowing these stats

I have heard lots of gruesome stories over the years but cannot remember one at this minute, a few years ago a seasonal resort employee "died" vail went way above and beyond anything they should do for the family, it was pretty crazy to hear what they did and there was not one peep in the news other than the constant repeating of this kids untimely self inflicted death.

A few years ago the daily did some sort of article, cannot remember the jist, but it was around xmas and it was shitting on the resorts, vail pulled all their advertising for a week or two until the paper apologized, it was pretty sad.

[old goat]

Well, so much for reasonable discussion. Major reason that this country is fucked. Everybody's shouting. Put your dicks back in your pants. Although it's good to see that hippie fishbum has been nudged out of his drug stupor to type some bad poetry. With one finger, of course.

As far as your simple "most ski days evah" argument, since you didn't read the article, I'll tell you to go back and check out the stat that the Aspen mountains actually have a higher death rate per "capita", or total visit numbers. Maybe somebody can find what that number is for Utah. Oh, wait, first there's that dangling dick problem.....

Colorado seems to be where one-week-a-year eastern and midwestern skiiers wind up. Utah, Montana and Wyoming seem to attract more hard core skiers (enthusiasm if not ability). You would think Squaw would have a lot of deaths, but when you consider the fact that it's never open . . .

I think that's someone pretending to be SFB--because I can understand him.

[pfluffenmeister]

My takeaway is that skiing into trees can kill you.

Yup.
Fuck trees.
Just one more reason to go above treeline.