Club Colorado  

One of Wolf Creek Ski Area’s Ski Patrollers has some particularly bad breath. I’ve just watched Rico execute a rescue of a buried avalanche victim in a training drill put on by Wolf Creek, and as I congratulate him on a job well done, Rico’s halitosis washes over me and I’m struggling for fresh air, much like the simulated avalanche victim he just rescued. I can’t help but wonder what he had for breakfast.

Having smelled Rico’s breath, my guess would be dog food. And I’d be right, because Rico is one of Wolf Creek Ski Area’s avalanche dogs.

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Skiing is inherently silly. As stated by Dexter Rutecki in Aspen Extreme: “We’re not curing cancer here, we’re sliding down a mountain with sticks on our feet.” Skiing is fun, it’s silly, and it’s not to be taken too seriously.

Unless you’re a member of Colorado’s Ski Patrol.

For Ski Patrollers, skiing isn’t just a fun activity; it’s their job. Colorado’s Ski Patrol represent one of the most comprehensively trained groups in all of outdoor recreation. Medical training, mountain travel, search and rescue, evacuation, incident response and evidence gathering – you name it, the Ski Patrol is trained for it and ready to respond.

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Colorado’s skiers and snowboarders were recently presented with a misleading article that stated:

“When someone dies or is seriously injured on a Colorado ski slope, it is ski patrollers — not trained police officers, sheriff’s deputies or forest rangers — who document and determine what happened.”

That’s true, and it’s exactly the way you, as a skier, should want it. Here’s why:

Allow me to extrapolate:

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The following was submitted to the Denver Post by National Ski Areas Association President Michael Berry, but it is unclear whether it will be published by the newspaper.

To the Editors:

In Karen Crummy’s three part series on ski safety, billed as an “investigative” series, Ms. Crummy and the Denver Post do a terrible disservice to readers by what they omit in their coverage, and, in turn, reveal the bias and predetermined conclusions underpinning this distorted piece of journalism. Readers, especially skiers and snowboarders, deserve more from the Denver Post on a series dedicated to Colorado’s favorite pastime.  Quite frankly, so does the ski industry, especially in light of their significant efforts on slope safety. (continue reading…)

This blog comes to Colorado Ski Country from Kristen Lummis, founder of BraveSkiMom.com

In the past, when I’ve written about skiing and riding safety, I received some comments that skiing with me might be “boring” or a “bummer.”

I beg to differ.

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This blog comes to Colorado Ski Country from Amber Johnson, editor of MileHighMamas.

As a mom, I have a lot of discussions with my peers about teaching my kids to ski. My fellow skiers understand the benefits (health, fun, active lifestyle) and even my non-skiing friends don’t question these and instead cite drawback reasons like “it’s too difficult or expensive.”

But never once have I been asked, “Don’t you think it’s too dangerous?”

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It’s that time of year again. Time to highlight that when on the slopes, it’s always Safety First! Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) and its 21 member resorts are hosting safety themed events in an effort to raise awareness of ski safety among skiers and snowboarders. In conjunction with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), CSCUSA resorts will recognize National Safety Awareness Week that begins on Saturday, January 19, and runs through January 27.

Arapahoe Basin Avalanche Dogs Ride The Chairlift

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