Responsibility on slopes for all

Thursday, January 18, 2007

By Bob Henderson

    In a December 28 letter to the editor, Floridian Jason Thompson commented on the February 23, 2005 accident in which skier Heather Donahue was killed in Laramie Bowl by snowboarder Greg Doda. His letter reminds me of a quotation from an unnamed writer: “an uninformed opinion is much better than doing any research for facts. Much easier to sit on one’s posterior and pontificate on the ills of the world.”
Thompson charges Donahue with “blatant disregard” for  her safety and others, and blames her fiancé for “not making clear” the danger of stopping in the middle of a ski slope. Additionally, he criticizes Prosecutor Weichman for bringing charges against Doda and Judge Day for blaming “only one of the participants at fault.”
I witnessed the accident from the Sublette chair. Donahue was one of many skiers when Doda, out of control at high speed, blindsided her. Had he been in control, Doda could and should have avoided her.
    The violent collision broke Doda’s snowboard in half and tore off Donahue’s skis, poles, gloves and hat. The noise was plainly audible from the chairlift. Despite valiant efforts by our skilled Ski Patrollers, who revived her at least once, she died the next day.
    I’ve been skiing the Village since 1978. Laramie Bowl, an intermediate run open to skiers and snowboarders, is steep at the top and easy to build up speed on, but visibility is clear, with no depressions to conceal stopped skiers.
The “Skiers Responsibility Code” governing skiers and snowboarders provides in part:
n Always stay in control and be able to stop or avoid objects.
n People ahead of you have the right of way. It’s your responsibility to avoid them.
n Don’t stop where you obstruct the trail or are not visible from above.
    People wishing to ski Laramie Bowl fast arrive early. The accident happened after 11 a.m. when numerous skiers were on the slope in addition to Donahue and Doda. The run requires considerable energy to ski and people commonly stop to catch their breath.
 As the Ski Corporation’s own spokesperson said after the accident, “we have seen and experienced a lot … of people going too fast or out of control.” Skiers and snowboarders are responsible for the consequences of their actions. Thus, with such egregious misconduct, it’s no surprise that the Prosecutor decided there was a “compelling reason” to charge Doda.
    Though Doda was 16 and not a criminal in the customary sense, many would be disappointed had he not been charged. Further, I believe Judge Day’s thoughtful and innovative sentence requiring Doda, who pled guilty, to spend the Christmas holidays in jail, was appropriate, fair and sent the right message. Even Doda’s own attorney was quoted as praising “the thoughtfulness and wisdom of Judge Day.”
Thompson’s criticism of Donahue and her fiancé demonstrates ignorance of the facts and of skiing in claiming that stopping in the middle of a ski slope “in an area in front of a snowboarding run” is dangerous and that she should have pulled over to the side or at an “official designated stopping place.” Actually, the Village has no “designated snowboard runs” or “official designated stopping places” and it would have been more dangerous if Donahue had traversed across the hill in front of traffic to pull over to the side.
    The National Ski Areas Association reports that most fatal accidents involve skiers and snowboarders traveling at high rates of speed on the margins of intermediate trails. In a curious irony, one week after witnessing the accident, I was skiing at the extreme right side of Lower Gros Ventre – a busy run.  I was trying to stay as far away from other skiers as possible. Nevertheless, a skier slammed into me, fracturing my right thumb and necessitating a fusion of the middle joint.
    I don’t know what motivated Thompson to send his letter, but placing any of the blame for this tragic accident on the unfortunate victim and her fiancé demonstrates not only ignorance but a callousness that can only magnify the pain and heartache suffered by her family. In the future, maybe he should stick to commenting on events in Florida, where, as he says, they get about one inch of snow every ten years or so.
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Responsibility on slopes for all | Planet JH News Article: Left Wing Local

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