Let’s be clear from the outset: Skiing and snowboarding are extremely safe activities, even with the inherent risks. Your chances of being killed on the slopes literally are less than one in a million, according to statistics provided by the National Ski Areas Association.
But the death of a Massachusetts skier at Winter Park last week made us reflect on what to do in the event of a serious injury.
If you get hurt on a busy slope, you’re going to be seen, and ski patrol probably will reach you very quickly. But the 25-year-old victim at Winter Park last Saturday skied into the trees late in the day and wasn’t located until three hours later. When the ski patrol found him, he was unresponsive due to head and facial trauma, according to a news release by the Fraser Winter Park Police Department.
Today, skiers routinely carry a rescue tool in their pockets that they didn’t have 20 years ago: a cellphone. But who do you call if you crash in the trees, and you need medical assistance in a hurry?
Most ski areas publish emergency numbers on their trail maps, but some recommend calling 911 first.
“Calling 911 is the best plan,” Arapahoe Basin ski patrol director Tony Cammarata said in an email. “The communications center in Frisco would likely be able to ping the cellphone and give us decent coordinates that we can plug into a mapping application at PHQ (patrol headquarters) and begin a search. I would also recommend that if skiers tend to ski in trees, they have a partner and/or a loud whistle to attract attention if we are on sweep.”
Loveland also recommends calling 911 first. So do Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons and Fraser Winter Park Police Chief Glen Trainor.
“In situations where it truly is an emergency, 911 is always your best avenue to call because of the GPS location service,” Trainor said. “On the other hand, I don’t ever want 911 to be burdened with, ‘Hey, I just broke my ski,’ or, ‘I twisted my ankle,’ because we’re going to immediately refer that to ski patrol at the resort.”
For Vail Resorts mountains (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte), you can also use the , clicking on the Ski Patrol cross logo in the upper right corner and selecting the resort where you are skiing or riding. Aspen Snowmass (Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass) also where you can click on your mountain and place an emergency call immediately.
Over the past decade, there was an average of 38 fatalities per year in the United States, while skier days averaged 55.85 million. That means the fatality rate was, in fact, less than one in a million (0.69, to be exact).
Emergency numbers for Colorado resorts:
Arapahoe Basin: 911
Aspen Highlands: 970-544-3052
Aspen Mountain: 970-920-0723
Beaver Creek: 970-754-6911
Breckenridge: 970-496-7911
Buttermilk: 970-920-0969
Copper Mountain: 970-968-3311
Crested Butte: 970-349-2236
Echo Mountain: 720-899-2100
Eldora: 303-258-8102
Granby Ranch: 970-887-5170
Hesperus: 911
Howelsen Hill: 911
Keystone: 970-496-6911
Loveland: 303-571-5580, ext. 101 (911 preferred)
Monarch: 719-530-5111
Powderhorn: 970-268-5355
Purgatory: 970-385-2178
Ski Cooper: No cell service
Snowmass: 970-923-0530
Steamboat: 970:871-5911
Sunlight: 911 preferred
Telluride: 970-728-7585 or 911
Vail: 970-754-1911
Winter Park/Mary Jane:970-726-1480
Wolf Creek: 970-264-5639
