Another skiing death...

[playoutside]

Just saw this on the news. John McWethy a reporter for ABC news died today skiing in CO. So sad, seems too many accidents/deaths this year.

https://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_8186864

Please Divas try to stay safe while you are enjoying the slopes.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

:(
Always very sad to read this kind of news......

 

[snowbunny1976]

Tell me about it. I just got lectured by one of my colleagues (who's like a mother hen to us all in the office). She tried to talk me out of skiing the rest of the season (didn't work, obviously!), but then just gave the big long speech of being safe.

Nevertheless, it's still very sad to hear these stories. Although I always think, "at least they were doing something they love". I'd hate to die doing something I absolutely despise, like scrubbing the tub. Not to mention, it'd be awful to be found like that too!

 

[Robyn]

Tell me about it. I just got lectured by one of my colleagues (who's like a mother hen to us all in the office). She tried to talk me out of skiing the rest of the season (didn't work, obviously!), but then just gave the big long speech of being safe.

Nevertheless, it's still very sad to hear these stories. Although I always think, "at least they were doing something they love". I'd hate to die doing something I absolutely despise, like scrubbing the tub. Not to mention, it'd be awful to be found like that too!

That's funny, I think the same way. If I've got to go someway other than naturally I hope it's doing something like skiing!

It is very sad to hear of yet another death and a good reminder that things can happen at any moment.

 

[num]

Yeah, I read about this yesterday. He grew up in a Chicago suburb. It's interesting that he was in a lot of 'dangerous' situations (the Pentagon on 9/11, reporting from Iraq, etc) but died during a leisure activity. I guess you never know how it'll go. My heart goes out to his loved ones.

My mother heard of his death and promptly called me to say I need to "be careful with this skiing thing". An anchorman died quite recently in a snowmobiling accident, and that got her extra on edge about my winter recreation, despite me telling her that I don't snowmobile, and hearing of McWethy's death really fueled her fire.

 

[FLGIRL]

This is really sad news. I have seen John McWethy on the news many times. I had no idea this happened until I read this here. Does anyone know what type of skier he was? I thought I was going to read he wasn't wearing a helmet but I was surprised he was.

I've never been on that trail he was on either.

 

[alaski]

You have to really be hauling to "miss a turn" on an intermediate run and crash so hard you die. Jeez.

 

[CMCM]

So sad. An almost identical accident happened when we were at Squaw last Tuesday. A 52 year old local man went down the Headwall run, which is a black diamond and very steep, and he must have been hauling and lost it.....he body slammed into a tree and it killed him. He was wearing a helmet, but it was the impact of his body hitting a tree that did him in. We saw the helicopter come in and wondered what was going on, only later read about it in the paper.

 

[Native Vail Gal]

Very sad. I just can't believe how many people are dying hitting trees. I have to say it, again...I really believe it comes down to new ski technology and not learning how to properly control your ability to ski. You NEVER used to hear of people dying skiing so much, but now....it happens so often.

When the ski does the work for you, and you don't have to learn HOW to ski properly, including controlling your speed and the ability to stop properly....then tragedy may be the result.

My sympathies to his family and friends.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

It's not just skiing. Maine just reported its 5th SNOWMOBILING fatality over the last FOUR days (Fri-Mon) - new record, not a good statistic.

 

[dloveski]

speed kills (or maims). I am not a great skier, as far as form goes, but I can get down most terrain, one way or another.

I've always maintained that nice slow turns and frequent stops beat the hauling/hucking down the hill. Not as showy, but safer.

I just hate to hear of these crashes taking out these wonderful people. And the big air tragedies just make me sad. As I tell my kids, the mountain will win, if you don't play it right (and they say yeah, whatever).