It's All Downhill: Chairlift incidents seize recent headlines

[View web version] [It's All Downhill] [Friday, January 6] [Follow Matt Pepin] [A rash of chairlift accidents] There have been several scary headlines about chairlift accidents lately, especially one about a mother who died after she and her two daughters fell off a chairlift at a Colorado ski area. To recap: -- A Texas mother and her two daughters [fell from a lift at Ski Granby in Colorado]. The mother died. [One report on People Magazine's website ] details the account of a witness who said the chair was "swinging" and the safety bar was not lowered. -- A boy ended up [dangling from a lift at Sundance Mountain in Utah] when his backpack got caught. -- A snowboarder at Mount Ashland in Oregon [was rescued after he wound up hanging from a lift upside-down] after he apparently clipped his safety leash to the chair to try and take some weight off his snowboard. -- At Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, a man who was hanging by his neck from a lift after his backpack got caught [was cut down from the lift when another person came to his aid]. The rescuer, Mickey Wilson, is also a professional slackliner and he reached the man by climbing a lift ladder and shimmying along the lift cable to the chair. While the circumstances, details, and causes of these incidents vary, there's an important reminder in each: chairlift safety can't be understated. It may seem like an obvious thing to follow safety procedures, yet it is not uncommon to see them ignored. I'm not saying anyone in these incidents is to blame, but a reminder to the rest of your group at the start of a ski day or while in the first line is never wasted breath. A request to put down the safety bar should never be scoffed at. Checking your gear and ability to get off the lift as you approach the station is always smart. Good chairlift etiquette is always appreciated, too, [as we are reminded in a recent Liftopia blog post]. Stay safe, and let's hope we've seen the last of these headlines. A WILD TIME: The modern amenities and infrastructure of a ski area can sometimes make us forget ski areas are basically out in the woods. Then you see a story [like the one from Colorado about a lynx strolling across a slope] at Purgatory. Only once have I ever seen something comparable - one spring-ish day in early March at Ski Butternut, I saw a black bear sauntering across one slope, go through some trees, and then across another trail below that. As it crossed the second trail, some skiers were fast approaching, but the bear hustled off and there was no confrontation. I was on a lift directly above the first trail. A startling, but not surprising, sight for sure. MEET THE YAWGOONS: The New York Times [profiled a group of snowboarders at Rhode Island's only ski area], Yawgoo Valley, and the creative ways they satisfy their need to ride. It's a fun piece, although I bet you could find countless other young skiers and riders who do the same thing at even smaller places like Backyard Mountain and Recreation Park Resort. UNIQUE GEAR: Ski and snowboard design has gotten to the point where it's rare to see two people in the same lift line with the same exact kind of equipment on thanks to a lot of new, unique brands on the market. Vermont Ski + Ride [recently profiled six Vermont brands] that are making their own impression on the industry, calling them microskieries and likening them to craft beer or other products that favor quality over quantity. WHOA NELLY: In case you missed it, Western ski areas were absolutely crushed with snow this week, especially places in California like Squaw Valley, where the [numerical assessment of radness] is high and the snowfall totals even higher. The excellent On The Snow website [put together a gallery of photos and videos that kinda sorta take you there]. WHAT A DAY: Halley O'Brien visited Waterville Valley for SnoCountry.com this week [and filed a pretty appetizing video report]. It's no Squaw Valley, but she definitely may have been the best rider on the mountain that day. THE MOUNTAIN REPORT: This week's visit is to Mont St. Anne in Quebec, which I've heard wonderful things about, [and this video confirms a lot of it. Take a look]. [Like It's All Downhill? Tell a friend to subscribe]. [Sign up for more Boston Globe newsletters]. About This Email You received this message because you signed up for the It's All Downhill newsletter. To automatically unsubscribe, [please click here.] If you wish to unsubscribe from all BostonGlobe.com newsletters, [please click here.] Please note: this will unsubscribe you from the newsletters only. If you wish to cancel your BostonGlobe.com subscription, please call 1-888-MY-GLOBE (1-888-694-5623). [Manage Your Account] | [Terms of Service] | [Privacy Policy] | [Help Center] | [Advertise] Address: The Boston Globe 135 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125 ©Copyright 2017 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC