Ski area deaths.

[jared 0]

I just heard a story about a snowboarder that died crashing into a tree at Geto a couple of years back, and also recently read that Niseko didn't have a single fatality last year as if it was an accomplishment and couldn't help but wonder how many people die in the average japanese ski season? At home in NZ the odd climber comes unstuck in the mountains somewhere but I havent heard of any resort deaths that I can remember. Is it a common occourance here of are they just rare events blown up into scary stories to keep you out of the trees?

[SnowJapan.Com#2 0]

There always seems to be some deaths at resorts.

 

Just in this region, last year there was a fatal accident at GALA here in Yuzawa, and another at Ishiuchi Maruyama the season before.

 

Here's a post from last season about the death at GALA:

 

http://www.skijapanguide.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002296#000000

[Ocean11 0]

Local news reported a skier died at Nozawa last season. Either a tree hit him or he hit a tree - dunno which. It wasn't reported as a big item.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

I remember hearing a Ski Patrol (who was actually a boarder) doing a final check of the course lost control at went into a tree at Mizuho (Hiroshima Ken) last year. I can see how people riding off piste and on a bigger mountain have a greater chance of injury but on a groomed run?? Wish I had more facts about what happened...

[mogski 0]

There was 3 baroders killed in a avalanche in the BC near Happo about 2 years ago. 2 Kiwis and an Aussie if my memory is correct. Turns out they didn't have the correct equipment, but there was also a big lot of time wasting done on the S&R peoples part too that got some real bad press back in NZ.

[sachiko 0]

It's too bad, so people dying at their fun sports.

[snobee 0]

Not availing myself to statistics, but probably to keep the NZ to Japan situation in perspective, the # of snow deaths per XXX+millions of ski/boarding days here, when compared to the, I assume considerably less days in NZ's case, would surely be a very critical factor. And the # of days alone are only 1 factor. We'd have to work in other influences such as conditions at the time, crowding, habits (eg downing beers from the crack o') etc, etc. SnowJapan - are you privy to such data or the whereabouts of such???

[NoFakie 45]

There have been several deaths in the Arai area, some of them in the out of bounds areas within the external boundaries of the resort. Last season, at least, they had detailed descriptions of what happened in Japanese on their website. I seem to recall one of them involving a two-day search.

 

As for the guys in Hakuba, I heard that the closest police helicopter (based at Matsumoto) went over the site about an hour after the slide, but they found nothing. Several other riders were on that part of the hill at that time, which would have been the guys' best hope of survival had they been carrying beacons. In the Hakuba region, there is no local-based search and rescue to speak of, and I believe the mix up occurred with establishing who was going to pay for a private search party. In the end, one did go out, but they too found nothing. The final body was found in mid-June, four months to the day from the accident.

[jared 0]

A lack of trees (and some might say snow) may also help NZs low death rate.

[barok 0]

yeah, death sucks - nobody likes it when people die, and with skiing & snowboarding - it`s usually a young person dying - but to put it into some perspective - at least people die doing what they love - if I go young, I would like it to be from snowboarding. That`s not to say I`m not careful.

 

I know that sounds kinda morbid, but I would rather that it be from snowboarding than from a car accident, drowning, mad-cow, AIDS, terrorist attack, drive-by shooting or hot-air balloon accident.

 

There have been a few famous people who died skiing in the past few years - Sonny Bono (of Sonny and Cher fame) hit a tree full bore, and one of the Kennedy children also hit a tree whilst playing drunken ski football (not careful).

[Fattwins 0]

Always take care outside and sometimes inside the ropes.

 

Remember those blue bird pow days can sometimes heat up the snow and make it weak.

 

Try to stay away from BC runs after huge dumps let them settle.

 

Look around for signs of Avalanches.

 

Look at what you are going to ride before you do or ride damm slow.

 

Go with people who know the area.

 

BC or dangerous terrain should be skied with a beacon and gear probe shovel etc. Ride one at a time and let the person who is finished get to a safe zone.

 

Dont cut hard on top of you buddies.

 

Check out with Patrol when possible or tell friends.

 

Ride the good stuff but dont be afraid to turn back and ride nothing.

[aviemed 0]

for the truth about ski and snowboard deaths (without the media hype) check out

www.ski-injury.com/intro.htm

[snobee 0]

DOC - great site for the info freeeks. Puts some relativity to it all. Thanks.

[snowboard_freak 0]

Im with barok on ths one. Snowbaording would be a good way to go. I'd rather die young than live to be really old and have my brain turn into vegetable matter. Thats no way to "live".

 

When your times up, your times up!

 

Just my opinion though!!!

[Fattwins 0]

To Die sking is my nightmare here is why. Sking riding whatever is my dream I fantasize and live to ski. The last thought in my mind i hope would not be oh f k !!!!!!!!!!!

 

If your not sponsered and you dont want to be ride within your abiltities push your limits but live to ride another day.

 

There is so much to live for. like living

[seando 0]

Two years ago at Happo 3 NZ boarders died in an Avalanche. They were Craig Mowat, Chris Coaster and James Gordon.

[Fattwins 0]

I Have heard of deaths inbounds at 47 too?

[RamenTaro 0]

Riding some snow is surely never worth a life. That's my thoughts anyway.

[blinkin'ek 0]

I'll agree with most of the points here.

Nice link there too, cheers

[zwelgen 0]

Yeah I remember being in NZ when those guys died near Happo and there was a bit of a fuss in the media because the hold up was who was going to pay. The big stink was that paying for the search shouldnt be an issue and if a Japanese boarder had got avalanched on a NZ mountain the pay would be sorted out later, after the search had finished. At the time I remember thinking that some poor bastard is running around an office somewhere trying desperately to get a few hankos on a piece of paper...

 

I agree with fattwins, make sure you are prepared but as for ways to die wayheey it would beat most of them!