A memorial was held on 5 January for Patricia Mae “Patsy” Hileman of Snowmass Village, Colorado. Patsy, a 26-year veteran of the Aspen Ski Patrol, died in an avalanche on 30 December in the Ship’s Prow Glade, a backcountry skiing spot at Aspen’s Snowmass area. The memorial service celebrating her life was held on at the Elk Camp restaurant at Snowmass Mountain.
Hileman appears to have inadvertently triggered a portion of the “crown” from a previous avalanche that pushed her off the edge. She was skiing in a section of the Snowmass backcountry that is not explicitly open to the skiing public due to its inherent dangers. A previous avalanche at that location had been triggered with explosives by the patrol on 27 December 2012, three days before Hileman’s incident. While the avalanche was very small, it appears to have been of sufficient size to sweep Hileman, an expert skier familiar with that area, off the cliff’s edge. Continue reading Last First Tracks: Snowmass Memorial Held for Patsy Hileman→
Emily Anderson was enjoying one of the best runs of her life on more than 3 feet of fresh powder at Crystal Mountain in Washington on 18 December. Suddenly, everything changed. Emily could literally feel and hear a massive fissure form and break loose, triggering an avalanche. According to Emily, “You know, you hear a little pop when it starts to go.” Within seconds Emily was pushed into a tree and “encased”, unable to move in a seated position under several feet of snow. She had no transponder or avi air supply, and there was no indication that anyone had been on the trail. Ski Patrol “avi” experts know that only one in 3 survive under those circumstances. Emily noted in the ABC report, “I felt alone, like this could be it.” She added, “I’m very lucky. Everything about it went my way; that’s for sure.” Continue reading Thanks to a Few Friends and the Crystal Mountain Patrol, Emily Anderson Lives to Ski Again→
Long-time Copper Mountain Colorado ski patroller, Sally Francklyn, has been awarded a High Fives Foundation Winter Empowerment Program Service grant of $5,820 to help with her recovery from a traumatic brain injury sustained in a March 2012 backcountry skiing incident.
To continue raising funds toward her recovery, a “Super Sally Celebration” will take place at the Pink Garter Theatre in Jackson, Wyoming on 8 December 2012 from 6–10 p.m. The event will raise funds for the Teton County Search & Rescue, Jackson Hole Ski Patrol and those who have helped Sally in her continued recovery. Continue reading Injured Copper Patroller Receives High Fives Foundation Grant→
The NSP officials that filed the NSP v NSP Complaint in August have now settled all matters related to that suit. The member list has been provided to the plaintiffs without the restrictions originally imposed by the NSP that violated Colorado law. The Colorado District Court for Jefferson County approved the parties’ requested dismissal, with each side agreeing to pay its respective court costs and attorney fees.
From the settlement filing approved by the court:
“The concerns of the plaintiffs have been resolved and all of the parties who have appeared in this action stipulate and agree, by their respective attorneys, pursuant to C.R.C.P. 41(a)(1)(B), that the Complaint and action herein shall be and is hereby dismissed, with prejudice, and that each party shall bear its own costs and attorney fees.”
Theo Meiners, 59, a well-known Alaska heli-guide tour leader and snow science expert, died in an incident at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska on 20 September. Meiners fell more than 30 feet to his death when, according to witnesses, he appeared to be sliding-down the escalator rails between floors. Police are investigating the incident, and are seeking information from anyone that may have interacted with Meiners at the International Snow Science Workshop banquet being held at the facility that night.
NSP Rocky Mountain Division Alpine Toboggan Supervisor, Mark Gage, died on Wednesday August 29 of a heart attack while on a mountain bike ride in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Gage, 53, was a 25-year member of the Loveland Volunteer ski patrol and in his “day job” was a community development director and senior planner for the Town of Frisco, Colorado. His wife Karen is also a member of the patrol. Colleagues, friends and family are invited to celebrate Mark’s life at 2:30 pm on September 15th at the Loveland Basin Lodge. The facility is located at Loveland Ski Area, exit 216, I-70, Colorado. A reception will follow the Saturday service. Continue reading Obituary: Service Planned for Loveland Ski Patroller, Mark Gage→
BROOMFIELD, Colo. Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) the owner of Breckenridge, has received approval from the US Forest Service (USFS) for a 543-acre terrain expansion in the Peak 6 area of Breckenridge Ski Resort. Breckenridge Peak 6 Expansion Area
Peak 6 will include 400 acres of lift-served terrain and 143 acres of terrain that skiers and boarders can hike-to. The Company expects to open the new terrain for the 2013-2014 ski season, including adding a new high-speed, six person chairlift and a new fixed-grip chairlift to access the Peak 6 area. A ski patrol warming hut with bathrooms is also planned.
Copper Mountain, Colorado ski patroller Rocky Scott Miles died on 5 August in a house fire in Fenton Falls, Ontario, Canada. A memorial service will be held at the outdoor chapel by Solitude Station at Copper Mountain Ski Resort on Friday, 17 August at 10:30 AM.
Miles, 31, was a long-time resident of Summit County and an eight-year patroller at Copper Mountain. He is survived by his wife, Cecilia, and his three-year-old son, Oliver. Miles is originally from Abilene, Kansas, and graduated from Thornton High School in 1999. He has lived in Colorado since 1983. In addition to his ski patrol duties, he was a ski instructor and a firefighter at the Keystone Fire Department and ski tech at Precision Ski & Golf. He also worked for Alem International as a senior product specialist, marketing high-end exotic cars. He was also a jazz trumpet and guitar player, and a charcoal artist. Continue reading Obituary: Service Planned for Copper Mountain Patroller→
Minnie, they’re at it again! The organization founded in 1938 by Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole, the National Ski Patrol (NSP), has been sued again by 6 patrollers, 5 of whom serve on the 28,000-member organization’s National Board of directors. Minnie Dole, 1940s
NSP watchers and members couldn’t forget, as much as they might like to, the last time this happened just 7 years ago. A group of Division Directors and patrollers was forced to sue the NSP in 2005 to have a say in how the organization was run, by electing their representatives on the NSP National Board. That group ultimately represented just under 8,000 NSP members before the organization relented and settled the litigation. That resolution led to a complete turnover of the NSP’s Board and National leadership team over 18 months. The settlement agreement resulted in a re-write of the NSP’s bylaws as it relates to member voting. Well, apparently old habits die hard.
