As you all may know, the west has been getting hammered with snow the last few weeks. Tahoe got a storm that dropped 3-5 feet, Utah got a storm that dropped 2-3 feet, and Colorado has already gotten a total of 8 1/2 feet! All the snow has been beyond our wildest dreams as skiers and snowboarders. Unfortunately, will all the fun that amount of snow brings, it also brings dangers.
On Monday, November 22nd, Wolf Creek Ski Resort in Colorado closed due to a fatality of one of their own. Director of ski patrol, Scott Kay (seen to the left with wife Chantelle), was caught in an avalanche around 7:45am "while working to protect others," a Wolf Creek representative said. "To our great sadness, he did not survive." The 41-year-old was a long time employee at Wolf Creek and leaves behind a wife and two sons; 6 and 8. If you would like to leave a message, you can do so on
Wolf Creek's facebook page.
My sincere condolences go out to his family and friends at Wolf Creek. You will all be in my thoughts and prayers this Thanksgiving.
I have expressed my strong feelings for safety equipment a lot in the past (avalungs, beacons, probes, etc). So many riders think they are safe when in the ski area boundaries because of avalanche control. But when such
large amounts of snow falls in such a
short amount of time, it doesn't matter where you are. It is true that sometimes safety equipment won't save you, but it's worth every penny to give yourself that chance.
I hope you all have a safe and fantastic Thanksgiving, and please continue to be safe the rest of the season!
