Skiing Safety

By Mike Thompson, an Eagle Scout, student at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the Ski Patrol.

When I was 15, I nearly killed myself skiing. I compressed a vertebra, cracked three ribs and was fairly certain I was going to die on that mountain just after I hit the ground. It was a very simple accident, I ducked to avoid a tree branch just before I hit a jump at high speeds, unintentionally flipped in the air and proceeded to bounce across the snow like a stone skipping on a pond. While I did get out of PE for three weeks, I hope to never repeat the experience again. All it took was an instant of misjudgment to nearly end my life, and it could have happened to anyone.

However, I was very lucky: my injuries could have been a lot worse. Like any other sport, skiing is usually a safe sport as long as people use some caution and common sense while they participate. Perhaps the best guide to some common sense rules for skiing and snowboarding safely can be found in the Skier's Responsibility Code. There are a few things not covered in the Code that are definitely worthwhile to consider, though.

First - Don't push yourself if you get tired: the more exhausted you get, the more difficult it will become to go down the mountain and stay in control, thus endangering both yourself and others.

Second - Know your limits: don't throw yourself down the hardest run on the mountain with a few or no lessons; feel free to take your time and develop your skill level at your own pace.

Third - Make sure you have the proper safety equipment. Remember, no matter how much fun these alpine sports are, we're still strapping planks to our feet and hurtling down a mountain as fast as we can.

For both skiers and boarders, helmets are almost a necessity these days. As a ski patroller, I've seen them save people's lives numerous times in what would have been fatal situations otherwise. Almost every professional in these fields wears one, and the cost has dropped significantly over the past few years.

Several ski resorts have started to offer lift ticket discounts to helmeted riders, and a few in the Tahoe area (Northstar At Tahoe in particular) have staff that offer coupons and other treats to children who wear them.

Also, make sure that you have a good pair of UV protective sunglasses or goggles: sunlight reflected off snow is very harmful to the eyes.

For snowboarders, another strong recommendation is a pair of wrist guards. When a person on a board falls, they tend to put their arms out and can often hurt their wrists. These can be found at just about any sporting apparel shop, since rollerbladers use them a lot as well.

I realize that no amount of caution or equipment is a guaranteed prevention from injury on the slopes, but I hope that this information helps provide most of you with a safe and (most importantly) fun-filled winter season on the slopes.