Skier deaths at Hunter Mt

Z wrote

Huntah is 6 deep at the bar at 9 am
It’s a tort lawyers wet dream

Coach..this isn't true...I have been skiing there since 77..It's a after lunch bar crowd..That said , I see college aged kids drinking beer while on the lift all of the time..

Support your local ski instructor.

https://youtu.be/14-ifN8aTu4

JasonWx wrote

Z wrote

Huntah is 6 deep at the bar at 9 am
It’s a tort lawyers wet dream

Coach..this isn't true...I have been skiing there since 77..It's a after lunch bar crowd..That said , I see college aged kids drinking beer while on the lift all of the time..

I've seen a lot of activity in that bar at 10am. Hunter is a drunk's mountain. Unsafe on Saturdays.

I agree with Hunter being an after lunch bar crowd.  I was there 2 saturday's ago and the bar was still empty around noon.  By 1:30pm good luck getting a drink. With that said, alcohol wasn't considered a factor in these incidents. Having a few comes with the culture though.  I usually enjoy 2-3 beers throughout the day on the lift

not passing judgement here..

unless you spread those beers over the entire day 9-3..you would fail a breathalyzer test..

Hello. I am the mother of the young man who was the first of the three to die. He had no alcohol (nor anything else) in his system. (They tested, as is routine). He was a 27 yo marine research biologist, experienced skier, safety-conscious, wearing a helmet. They had already skied double black diamonds that day. Twilight had only been open 1 week; our understanding is that there were spots of essentially no snow that afternoon, just ice. Other troubling trail factors as well. Each of the 3 accidents was 3pm on a Sat.
We have asked and asked for the investigation report—the one the resort tells the media clears them, but which we still have not seen. Why has it been shared with the resort and not the family of the person who died? The same county sherriff’s office which (we’re told) hasn’t done a ski accident investigation before (or at least in recent years), that the state police usually handle it. The resort knew that our son was wearing a helmet, but their media rep (the one who told the media that Hunter is “completely devastated” and would do anything to help the families) didn’t step in and correct the sheriff’s office when they erroneously initially stated he didn’t have a helmet on, and this falsehood was then picked up and amplified by other news sources. In the middle of losing our son, *we* had to contact reporters, ski patrol, and sheriff to get the erroneous statements corrected, even though Hunter and the sheriff knew of the errors. (Witnesses to the accident had also called Hunter, upset about the “no helmet” reporting; to our knowledge, Hunter took no action—not even returning the calls).
There are about 40 ski deaths/yr in the US, over almost 500 resorts. This year, Hunter had 3 (and had 2 in 2017). All three in seven weeks on trails open just weeks. If one of these young men was your son, I think you would have concerns also. Thank you for listening; we are grieving parents but also very worried about the other families now suffering. Three bright promising young adults gone.

JasonWx wrote

not passing judgement here..

unless you spread those beers over the entire day 9-3..you would fail a breathalyzer test..

we do, but the goal isn't to pass one when I am not driving.  

Fam wrote

Hello. I am the mother of the young man who was the first of the three to die. He had no alcohol (nor anything else) in his system. (They tested, as is routine). He was a 27 yo marine research biologist, experienced skier, safety-conscious, wearing a helmet. They had already skied double black diamonds that day. Twilight had only been open 1 week; our understanding is that there were spots of essentially no snow that afternoon, just ice. Other troubling trail factors as well. Each of the 3 accidents was 3pm on a Sat.
We have asked and asked for the investigation report—the one the resort tells the media clears them, but which we still have not seen. Why has it been shared with the resort and not the family of the person who died? The same county sherriff’s office which (we’re told) hasn’t done a ski accident investigation before (or at least in recent years), that the state police usually handle it. The resort knew that our son was wearing a helmet, but their media rep (the one who told the media that Hunter is “completely devastated” and would do anything to help the families) didn’t step in and correct the sheriff’s office when they erroneously initially stated he didn’t have a helmet on, and this falsehood was then picked up and amplified by other news sources. In the middle of losing our son, *we* had to contact reporters, ski patrol, and sheriff to get the erroneous statements corrected, even though Hunter and the sheriff knew of the errors. (Witnesses to the accident had also called Hunter, upset about the “no helmet” reporting; to our knowledge, Hunter took no action—not even returning the calls).
There are about 40 ski deaths/yr in the US, over almost 500 resorts. This year, Hunter had 3 (and had 2 in 2017). All three in seven weeks on trails open just weeks. If one of these young men was your son, I think you would have concerns also. Thank you for listening; we are grieving parents but also very worried about the other families now suffering. Three bright promising young adults gone.

So sorry for you loss. Thank you for correcting the errors.  

Fam I am also very sorry for what your family has gone through.  It is so sad.

I can understand why the misinformation is troubling and I can't understand why you can't see the report.

Thank you. We have been promised the report multiple times but still do not have it yet. For weeks we could not even get a call from the sheriff's office returned, even as the Hunter PR rep was all over the news saying the sheriff's investigation cleared them. Hunter also told reporters that there are Dept of Labor reports that cleared them of any errors in signage. We have also not seen those reports, and have been told (by DOL) that we have to submit Freedom of Information Act requests to see them. We don't understand why the next-of-kin are not entitled to automatically see whatever Hunter has been given, at the same time it is given to Hunter. This seems like common sense and basic decency.


Thank you all for your thoughts and kind words. We know people enjoy (and will continue to enjoy) skiing. We just want the true risks to be known, and where those risks might differ significantly from one resort to another, or between trails at the same resort, we think that is information that the skiing public has a right to know.

JasonWx wrote

not passing judgement here..

unless you spread those beers over the entire day 9-3..you would fail a breathalyzer test..

I always though it was generally a drink per hour (within reason, not hours on end) that your body could metabolize.  Two beers over an hour lunch would get you tipsy and fail the breathalyzer I guess, but you wouldn’t have to spread them over 6 hours.

louie.mirags wrote

JasonWx wrote

not passing judgement here..

unless you spread those beers over the entire day 9-3..you would fail a breathalyzer test..

we do, but the goal isn't to pass one when I am not driving.

The point sure to be made is that drunk skiing is as dangerous as drunk driving, potentially, I guess.

Fam, so sorry for your loss.

Fam, I’m terribly sorry.  ☮️

JTG4eva! wrote

louie.mirags wrote

JasonWx wrote

not passing judgement here..

unless you spread those beers over the entire day 9-3..you would fail a breathalyzer test..

we do, but the goal isn't to pass one when I am not driving.

The point sure to be made is that drunk skiing is as dangerous as drunk driving, potentially, I guess.

That's my point..Hunter is a busy mountain with many levels of skiers skiing together. Drinking doesn't help the situation.
yep one hour to metabolize 1oz of liquor..


Fam..my condolences to you and your family..

.....1oz hard liquor=1 (12 oz) beer= 1 glass of wine.

Most mountain beers are a pint, not 12oz.

Yes, Hunter seems dangerous enough (in my experience) on the weekends, what with the crowds, and (in my experience) many skiers putting themselves on terrain above their ski level.  Adding even a small buzz could make the safety situation exponentially worse.   Not that I’m sure the mountain can do anything about it, but throw some ice in the mix (manmade tends to get icy) and it’s even harder to stay safe.

Of course, skiing is an inherently dangerous sport.  

JTG4eva! wrote

louie.mirags wrote

JasonWx wrote

not passing judgement here..

unless you spread those beers over the entire day 9-3..you would fail a breathalyzer test..

we do, but the goal isn't to pass one when I am not driving.

The point sure to be made is that drunk skiing is as dangerous as drunk driving, potentially, I guess.

well thankfully there are no DUI checkpoints on the mtn .  I get your point though but again, it is a part of the culture. And it is that way because it is fun and relaxing.  And I can't recall a skiers death being blamed on alcohol.  I am sure we can find one but in most cases, there are a bunch of factors at play.  If alcohol made it that much more dangerous, they shouldn't open the bar til 4pm.  

So sorry for your loss Fam. No parent should ever experience seeing their child go before they do. I can’t imagine what you and yours are going through.

A lot of people seem to think that back country skiing is a seriously risky activity. Some people think it should be against the law even.

Strangely I find skiing at areas on busy weekends on groomed ski trails to be SO much more scarier and dangerous.