Please Ski Safely!

This season has provided us with incredible amounts of snow which makes for great skiing and riding opportunities. With these opportunities there is often significant risk. Yesterday some skiers were out of bounds at Snowbowl and were caught in a slide...they are pretty lucky! A skier at Discovery was killed when he hit a tree.

Today I read that a 16 year-old is in critical condition after he was pulled from a tree well up at Big Mountain. Check this out for tree well safety: http://www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/index.php

Avy conditions are dangerous right now with an avalanche warning in effect for the mountains of west central Montana. Seriously folks...please play it safe when you head out to ski or ride.

Who Loves the K-Hole?

The Kettlehouse Brewery here in Missoula rocks! Plain and simple. They work with local agencies, businesses, and non-profits to raise funds through pint nights at the K-Hole North. In fact, on January 26th, a portion of every pint of beer purchased (I think it's $0.50 per pint) goes to the Snowbowl Pro Patrol to help them upgrade some of their well used equipment. Hey, these guys are out there EVEY DAY OF THE SEASON doing maintenance, marking obstacles, fixing rope/fence lines, assessing snow/avalanche conditions, evacuating you all off the lift when it stops running, and much, much more! For Pete's sake...go drink a few pints on the 26th to show your support for these guys (and gal) who work hard to keep the skiing public safe. Next time you need a toboggan ride off the hill, you'll be glad you did!

Pictorial Atlas of Freezing Cold Injury

So, the time of year has come around again where we need to put more thought into cold injuries. I was recently sent a pretty cool military article on cold injuries and as the title states, it has some pictures...some of which are pretty gruesome! Give it a look; let me know what you think. The hand on page 588 is particularly gnarly looking!

http://www.bordeninstitute.army.mil/published_volumes/harshEnv1/Atlas.pdf