Whiteface Snowmaker Accident

Help him out.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/charles-st-pierre-complete-facial-reconstruction

I can't imagine

Link doesn't work, but maybe this will help....

https://www.gofundme.com/f/charles-st-pierre-complete-facial-reconstruction

Fixed. Thanks Jon.

Link worked.  How terrible.

I have it on good authority that this is legit.  The mountain hosts are stepping up.

Ugh

That is sad, it’s a dangerous job.

PeeTex wrote

That is sad, it’s a dangerous job.

It sure is dangerous --- what I found surprising is the link said he was by himself. I know when I made snow we always were in groups of 2. Not that it would changed anything other than maybe he would've gotten medical attention sooner.

Wow! So sad, and tragic.  Please, if you have any funds available, donate to the gofundme page.
God bless Charles...

Done.  What an awful story.

Wow - what the fuck was he doing alone performing this super dangerous job? That's really f'd up...
 
I bet OSHA is all over that place.   We had some snowmakers get hurt at Hunter and they were there that week.  Not a Ski Patroller needs to be on staff for first aid all night when they are on..   People gotta be careful and buddy up.

If anyone knows Chris's family, please tell them to reach out to the North Country Hardship Fund,
https://northcountryhardshipfund.org/home.html.
They are a non-profit based here in North Creek that helps out people who have had emergency issues like Chris. The woman that runs the organization with her husband, is Tammy Bukovinsky, who is the head of Lift Ops at Gore.

Almost up to $5000!

Sad story, but sounds like the guy is in good hands, and has maintained a positive attitude.  Glad he is on a road to recovery.

The thought of that kind of pressure behind a simple cam-lock fitting has always concerned me...

Ethan Snow wrote

The thought of that kind of pressure behind a simple cam-lock fitting has always concerned me...

Macker talks about exactly this at the beginning of Snowfarmers.  This is what scares him most.

Ethan Snow wrote

The thought of that kind of pressure behind a simple cam-lock fitting has always concerned me...

I don't think cam lock fittings are allowed. Even 50 years ago we used a twist fitting with a safety wire to prevent it from coming apart. That was for small bore stuff, and I think the big hoses like the ones snowmakers use need a steel pin for the same purpose.  
If ORDA is subject to OSHA, there'a gonna be some changes, and some fines.

mm

During my time, everything was quick connects, no safety pins. All the supervisors talked about during training was how much pressure there was in the system and how dangerous it could be and how important it was to make sure it was all tight before opening the valves. I haven’t stopped to look at any snowmaking gear up close in awhile but from a distance it still looks like the same gear more or less, at least the ground guns that are still in use.

Brownski wrote

During my time, everything was quick connects, no safety pins.

It’s amazing to me that it depends on workers to be diligent when you can easily design an idiot proof coupling, especially for high energy equipment.

mm

Brownski wrote

During my time, everything was quick connects, no safety pins. All the supervisors talked about during training was how much pressure there was in the system and how dangerous it could be and how important it was to make sure it was all tight before opening the valves.

Same here. In fact we were given a demonstration as to what would happen if they weren't connected properly. I can't even imagine getting hit with one of those hoses, not to mention getting hit directly in the face.