Pete Thomas Outdoors

Video shows avalanche engulfing truck on Colorado highway

By Pete Thomas

An avalanche swept across a portion of Interstate 70 in Colorado on Sunday, briefly engulfing at least one vehicle and shoving several others across the highway.

The accompanying footage, captured by Shaune Golemon and shared with Denver 7 News, shows the snow slide seemingly burying a white truck with a family inside.Nobody inside the truck was injured, and later in the video the family can be seen outside the vehicle, trying to dig out.

KDVR reported that I-70 was temporarily closed because of the avalanche and that no injuries were reported, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The Denver Post reported that the avalanche occurred at about 5 p.m. as skiers were commuting home from the slopes in Summit County, between Frisco and Copper Mountain.

Colorado State Patrol Trooper Tim Schaefer is quoted a saying no cars were actually buried. Schaefer added, “It was more than a dusting of snow. There was also tree debris on the road.”

–Image is a video screen shot

Scary ordeal for young skier, who dangles from chairlift awaiting rescue (video)

Boy hangs by the straps of his backpack as rescuers try t reach him. Photo: Clint Ashmead

By Pete Thomas

For the second time in two weeks, a young skier at a Utah resort has found himself hanging high above ground from a chairlift and in dire need of a rescue.

In both cases, straps from a backpack became stuck on lifts at Sundance Ski Resort, leading to harrowing ordeals for the boys.

The latest incident occurred Monday afternoon (see video). The boy became stuck while trying to exit a chair at an elevated drop-off point, as the chair traveled down slope.

The chair continued for a moment, then stopped about 12 feet above ground, leaving the boy to dangle motionless in what represented an eerie scene for onlookers.

“I was scared for him, and it was a scary thing for me to witness,” Clint Ashmead, who was on an adjacent chair with his two sons, told Pete Thomas Outdoors. “But the boy remained calm. He managed to kick off his skis and throw his poles to his sides, in case he fell.”

Ashmead, who videotaped the rescue, said the lift operator was quick to stop the chair before it was dangerously high. He explained that ski patrollers laid out a cushioned mat and used a ladder to reach the boy and place him back on the chair. The rescue took about six minutes.

“Two of them rode to the base of the mountain with the boy,” Ashmead said, adding that he hopes his footage will raise awareness about safety while on the slopes. Last month at Sundance, a boy was rescued after his backpack became stuck on a different lift.

The use of backpacks by skiers and snowboarders is a relatively new phenomenon, and some resorts try to discourage customers from wearing them while riding chairlifts.

Sundance officials told Fox 13 that they strongly urge guests not to wear backpacks, or to wear them in front so the straps are less likely to get caught. 

Ashmead said he and his sons were not wearing backpacks on Monday, and described he incident as “a shock-and-awe” moment.

Snowboarder says he was pushed off chairlift by skier; 'I honestly thought I was dead'

Police are investigating a report by a snowboarder that he was shoved out of a chairlift by a skier Sunday at Aspen Highlands in Colorado.

Seth Beckton, the snowboarder, fell face-first 20 to 25 feet, but was fortunate to have landed in soft powder and was not injured. “I honestly thought I was dead,” he told the Aspen Times.

“Because I didn’t know where we were [or how high]. It’s not cool to think anyone would do that.” Beckton, 28, did not report the morning incident until the end of the day, at the urging of friends.

This will make it more difficult for police and ski patrollers to identify and locate the skier. But Aspen Highlands Resort and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that they’re reviewing video and have launched investigations.

“It’s not the kind of behavior we want on our mountain,” Jeff Hanle, spokesman for Aspen Skiing Co., told the Aspen Times.

The skier, a white man in his 20s or 30s, was wearing a helmet and goggles while talking to Beckton on the Loge Peak lift. It was near the top of the lift that the skier reacted to what Beckton thought was an innocuous comment, shoving the snowboarder before he had time to react.

The lift operator stopped the lift, but not until after the skier was able to exit the and ski away. There was a third person on the lift, who thought this was an argument between friends.

Said Beckton: “I was really shooken up. I was like, ‘Was that a joke? Did that really happen?”

–Generic image shows skiers and snowboarders at Aspen Highlands. Courtesy of James Hutchison/Aspen Highlands

Cody Townsend honored for 'insane' ski line on Alaskan slope

Cody Townsend (circled in red) descending a cavernous chute in Alaska; video screen grab

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Cody Townsend was honored Saturday at the 2014 Powder Awards for skiing what was deemed the most challenging line of the past year: a ridiculously steep and narrow tunnel-like chute in the Alaskan wilderness.

The accompanying footage is provided by MSP Films, which describes Townsend's chosen route as the “Most insane ski line EVER.”

 

Most viewers, whether they ski or not, probably will agree that it requires a high skill level and a touch of craziness to even contemplate negotiating a chute so ominously vertical, dark and narrow, with rock walls only inches away, and with an exit window visible only as a thin crack of light.

Townsend, before his descent, can be heard saying, “Oohh, I’m getting nervous,” but his run was completed stylishly and without consequence, other than to further establish the freeskier as a major talent among his peers.

The exit window is visible as a mere crack of light; photo via Facebook

The chute is located in the Tordrillo Mountains in south-central Alaska.   Townsend was honored, along with other top male and female skiers, by Powder magazine during its annual awards gala on Saturday night at Salt Lake City.

Townsend, who lives in Squaw Valley, California, claimed three awards, including Best Male Performance, based on his many segments (including the footage shown here) in MSP Films’ “Days of My Youth.”

Cody Townsend at the podium during the Powder Awards; photo via Powder magazine

The night was a validation of sorts for an athlete who needs to update the Awards section of his Facebook page, which at the time of this post read: “Three-time Powder Award nominee … Zero-time winner.”

Of a year that also included cover appearances in four different ski magazines, Townsend told Powder, “It’s one of those things where the snow ball just picked up speed real fast. I never skied to win an award. I’ve always just kind of followed what I want to do. So many things that went into it this year, it was because that’s what I thought was going to be the most fun.”

As for reaction to the accompanying footage, which is being widely shared via social media, perhaps a comment by Brian Cano on the MSP Films Facebook page sums up the general feeling: “Good GOD!!!”

Lindsey Vonn's newest best friend is a rescue dog named Leo

A day after announcing that she would not be competing in the Winter Olympics next month because of a lingering knee injury, downhill skier Lindsey Vonn on Wednesday announced that she has adopted a rescue dog who also is recovering from a leg injury.

Vonn posted the news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, each with a different photo of "Leo," and with the hashtag #bumkneebuddies."

She explained that Leo, who is 9 months old, had been struck by a car as a puppy.

On Facebook Vonn wrote: "This definitely brightened my day–I adopted this 9 month old cutie from an animal shelter.

"He has a bad knee from being hit by a car when he was a puppy and no one wanted him... but I do!! I encourage anyone looking for an animal to adopt from a shelter and save a life! #bumkneebuddies."

On Twitter: Leo brightened my day-adopted him from an animal shelter. Has a bum knee bc a car hit him #bumkneebuddies #puppylove pic.twitter.com/ctx6NFDdzd

Instagram: "I adopted Leo today from an animal shelter and he has cheered me up so much! He was hit by a car and has a bad knee. Maybe we can do rehab together! #meantforeachother #bumkneebuddies."

Here's hoping for a swift recovery for Vonn and her furry new sweetheart. Another gold medal performance, to be sure.

–Pete Thomas

–Top photo is courtesy of USSA. Second photo is via Lindsey Vonn's Facebook page

–Hat Tip to GrindTv

 

 

Freeskier Aymar Navarro survives powerful avalanche with the help of airbag

Aymar Navarro is fortunate to be alive after being swept up by a massive avalanche that he triggered during a film shoot in the Spanish Pyrenees. The slide was so vast and swift that Navarro was skiing on top of it briefly before tumbling head over heels and becoming enveloped by snow.

 

The freeskier was fortunate because he was wearing an avalanche airbag. These devices inflate when activated to help prevent victims from becoming buried too deeply.

While the footage might appear to some to be a commercial for airbags–one of the YouTube comments was an inquiry about this–it almost certainly was not and, in fact, ABS Avalanche Airbags replied to the comment with this:

"For sure not: Avalanches are dangerous and always potentially life-threatening. This happened during a production for a TV commercial for a car brand."

To be sure, airbags do not guarantee survival, even with film crews on site.

The incident occurred shortly after Navarro began his descent from the Tuc de Barloguera peak. The run was filmed from the air and with a helmet-cam worn by Navarro, under the direction of Nil Torremocha of Bumpyfilms.com.

–Note: This post also appears at GrindTv Action Sports

–Hat tip to Adventure Journal

June Mountain sets Dec. 14 as opening day, will allow children to ski and snowboard free of charge through 2013-14 season

June Mountain, which was not open for skiing and snowboarding last winter, will resume operations Dec. 14 and allow children 12 and younger to use the slopes free of charge throughout the 2013-14 season.

The remote Eastern Sierra resort was closed for 2012-13 because of financial problems endured by Mammoth Mountain, the parent company, located in Mammoth Lakes 20 miles to the south.

June had been losing money each season and the new focus will be on improving the experience for beginners and those with intermediate-level abilities.

Part of that will be offering first-time beginner packages at a substantial discount.

"Personally, and I think I can speak for the June Lake community, in saying that we’re really excited to see those lifts turn again,” Carl Williams, June Mountain’s general manager, said in a news release issued Wednesday.

"Visitors are going to notice a couple changes, but we’re really focusing on what has always made June a special place and that's the family experience. We have terrain for all abilities and some really great parks, but June’s charm is its accessibility. This a great place to learn, and to really be comfortable and have fun while you’re doing it."

June Mountain, which is located just off U.S. 395, is considerably smaller and less high-tech than Mammoth. It's attractive, in part, because it does not lure the type of crowds that can make parking and accessibility difficult.

June, which boasts about 500 acres and some expert-level terrain, plans to enhance its snow-making capability and to upgrade Chair 1, which delivers skiers and snowboarders to other lifts that lead to the upper slopes.

It's not yet clear when these improvements will be made.

June Mountain to re-open for skiing, boarding next winter

In news sure to please skiers and snowboarders, June Mountain in the Eastern Sierra will re-open for the 2013-14 winter season.

The resort, which is owned by Mammoth Mountain 30 miles to the south, was closed this past winter for financial reasons. It was losing money and Mammoth was hurting financially because of slow business caused by poor snowfall and a struggling economy.

But what a difference a year makes.

Last June, Mammoth CEO Rusty Gregory stated in a news release: "June has operated at an annual deficit each year since its purchase in 1986. It is time to invest some of this subsidy into the analysis and planning required to position the resort for a sustainable future, then secure the approvals and financing required to create it."

On Tuesday Carl Williams, general manager at June, stated: "We couldn’t be more pleased to announce that June Mountain will be back in operation for the 2013-14 season.

"Next winter we look forward to bringing skiers and snowboarders a great on-mountain experience while also planning for June’s future, including the possibility of a new lift and enhanced snowmaking."

There were few details offered and and the long-term strategic plan for June Mountain has yet to be finalized. It probably will be announced in early summer.

But for skiers and boarders the only important news is that this remote hidden gem of a resort will again open its slopes. The opening is slated for mid-December.

Mammoth currently has eight lifts operating and will remain open at least through Memorial Day weekend.

--Images are courtesy of June Mountain

Right or wrong, skier's monumental crash is put to music

 

Let the first video clip (posted above) serve as example to skiers that trying to obtain huge air for the first time could result in major consequences for those who are not fully prepared.

And let the second video clip (posted below) serve as an example that someone who possesses basic editing skills, and knows how to poach original footage, might poke fun at the fallen skier.

The skier in both clips is Sebastian Olsen, a Norwegian, who (according to the original video description) was fortunate only to have suffered a broken leg during the crash. Watch these if you will, and either laugh or sigh.

Skier, 17, videotaped falling 45 feet from chairlift

 

A 17-year-old skier who might have been trying to throw a snowball from a chairlift at a New Mexico resort was videotaped falling about 45 feet.

The teen, who dangled for several seconds before plummeting to the snow, was airlifted to a local hospital after the Feb. 2 mishap at Ski Santa Fe, but he's said to be OK.

"Basically, the kid is home and he is fine," Cody Sheppard, the ski patrol director at Ski Santa Fe, told the Santa Fe New Mexican. "It was kind of a dramatic deal. I guess he was attempting to throw a snowball to the chair in front of him, where some friends were, and when he threw the snowball, the momentum just carried him out of the chair. He did hang on for awhile, but then he had to drop."

Footage of the incident was uploaded to YouTube this week by a user named TriipyHD, and has since garnered more than 500,000 views.

Sheppard did not identify the teen. TriipyHD stated in the video description that injuries included "a concussion, skull fracture, collapsed lung and a lacerated liver."

Sheppard, however, said none of the injuries required surgery.

"They kept him for observation for a couple of days, and then he was released," the patrol director said. "I'd probably shatter. There is something about being young and flexible, I guess, and just lucky the way you land."

--Find Pete Thomas Outdoors on Facebook

--Hat tip to Jason Blevins of the Denver Post