Most skier deaths in NH happen in March

[LiquidFeet]

This is an article, written in 2017 for the Concord Monitor, full of numbers about skier/boarder deaths in NH. It's based on data collected by the NH State Medical Examiner’s Office about all examinations done on skiing accidents over the past decade. The Monitor was looking for patterns that could be identified, such as whether some ski areas are particularly deadly. I've quoted some of the details from the article.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/skiing-deaths-history-new-hampshrie-8357042

Since 2007, the state office has rendered an official cause of death for 18 people who were killed while skiing; snowboarding; or, in one case, cross-country skiing. Fully two-thirds of those deaths, or 12 cases, happened during the month of March....

During the 10-year period, New Hampshire Alpine ski areas reported more than 21 million total skier and snowboard visits. That works out to one death for every 1.23 million visits (a visit being one person spending one day at a ski area).

This is a bit worse than the national average of one death for every 1.45 million visits, but is still extremely rare. By contrast, more than twice as many people have died while hiking in New Hampshire’s mountains over that period, and approximately 100 times as many people die each year due to accidents on state roads.

Cannon Mountain had four deaths during the decade, including two in December 2010, and Wildcat Ski Area had two deaths. No other ski area was the site of more than one death.

 

[Mike Thomas]

.., so, shorter lift lines in April?!?!


(too soon?)

 

[scott43]

.., so, shorter lift lines in April?!?!


(too soon?)

I was gonna go with, best terrain in the east is at Cannon and Wildcat?

 

[TheArchitect]

I thought for sure this thread was because someone died at Cannon yesterday

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...-ski-resort/il8VY8r8tbIQmoApgYQSxJ/story.html

 

[Bill Miles]

So, I will be sure to not ski in New Hampshire in March.

 

[crgildart]

Spring Break..

 

[Erik Timmerman]

March is the month it is warm enough to ski Cannon and Wildcat?

 

[scott43]

March is the month it is warm enough to ski Cannon and Wildcat?

Windchill...

 

[Mike Thomas]

"I was in the pool!!!"

 

[jack97]

IMO, several factors. In general, NE has the warm/freeze cycles, even though a ski area reports pack powder, sections still have ice/boilerplate exposed especially at high traffic areas. March still has skier/rider volume but the sun's angle has made a significant move where the transition from sun to shade becomes a problem, I know it takes me a while for my eyes to adjust. Lastly, Cannon and Wildcat had and still has steep and narrow trails, catch an edge the wrong way and you can easily end up out of control in the trees.

 

[François Pugh]

Early season, a lot of skiers are cautious.
By March a lot of skiers are over-confident, and hence and hence more likely to lose it going mach schnell and hit a tree.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Realistically, I think it's so statistically rare that what month it happened in doesn't mean anything.

 

[James]

Beware the Ides of March!

 

[Mike Thomas]

Realistically, I think it's so statistically rare that what month it happened in doesn't mean anything.

Exactly. A couple of unfortunate deaths in November and November would become "Most skier deaths happen in..." and folks would speculate that it is due to 'early season, folks don't have the ski days in yet'.

When you are dealing with a small sample size, small changes in data can have big effects. It doesn't really mean much in the end.

What I really want to know is- if they removed deaths from heart attacks and other 'natural causes', what the heck happened to the XC skier who was killed?

 

[Ventura]

I thought for sure this thread was because someone died at Cannon yesterday

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...-ski-resort/il8VY8r8tbIQmoApgYQSxJ/story.html

I was skiing at Cannon yesterday and had an early morning lift ride conversation with a first responder who attended to the accident. I was thinking the same thing about this thread. Friday's fatality at Cannon makes 3 years in a row for fatalities there. Below article says 2 fatal accidents 2 years ago, but I think there was one last year as well. Anyway, here's another example of a NH March skier death:

Unfortunate and sad, but Friday's fatal accident seems to be a case of skiing out of control and/or not knowing the terrain. No helmet either, which might have saved the guy's life. 39 year old Mass guy lost control on Profile, lost his skis, and came flying into the bottom of the run. He hit something related to the lift before blowing through the ropes and flying over a 10 foot drop-off. Below the drop, there's a fair amount of slope so the guy may have flown quite a distance and likely dropped much more than 10 feet. While airborne he hit another Mass skier on Middle Ravine. I didn't want to push for any more detail and don't know if the initial impact at the lift or the final landing caused the fatality.

Profile is the wide, straight run from the summit-

Note the lift building and drop-off 'lip' at bottom center of pic.

Profile appears much more tame than it really is. It's very wide by New England standards, practically straight down the fall line from the summit, and often groomed. However, the pitch is deceptively steep and there is essentially zero run-out area at the bottom and only a smallish space to line up for the Cannonball quad lift. It's very easy to generate a LOT of speed and you have to work to keep it in check. Supposedly the NH DNR designed and built this run, which may account for no run out area. That lift was down on Friday, otherwise the guy would have plowed through the line of skiers. The only other access to the summit is the tram, so it's possible the guy was not familiar with Profile and would not have seen it on the ride up. Clear skies and decent snow for Cannon in March, so conditions don't seem to be a factor. Might have been a little scraped off, but that's to be expected here in March.

https://www.unionleader.com/news/sa...cle_7e092b19-df5a-5f27-87e0-3f322f581d29.html

Just a rumor, but I heard that he went down well up the pitch and that slick nylon ski pants were a factor in not being able to stop after falling. Cannon did post 'SLOW' signs on the pitch quite a distance from the bottom, but not a bad idea anyway as a reminder for someone not paying attention to the run. Careful folks- and wear those helmets!

 

[jack97]

^^^ Yes, Profile is wide by NE standards and one can build up speed on that trail. In addition, that trail gets exposed to the wind, the other summit trails have more protection from the tree, so it's easily scraped off by noon on the weekends. Local or regulars ski the summit trails in the morning because of the fresh groom and migrate down to the mid and base trails for the afternoon runs.

 

[Ventura]

Exactly. A couple of unfortunate deaths in November and November would become "Most skier deaths happen in..." and folks would speculate that it is due to 'early season, folks don't have the ski days in yet'.

When you are dealing with a small sample size, small changes in data can have big effects. It doesn't really mean much in the end.

What I really want to know is- if they removed deaths from heart attacks and other 'natural causes', what the heck happened to the XC skier who was killed?

Total stats should be solid- skier days providing the sample size, fatalities the result. Breaking down only the fatalities into some sort of meaningful sub category? I agree with you that within the small number of fatalities, a couple incidents in one month could throw the result.

How to make sense of the stat relative to Cannon? However you slice it, averaging approx one skiing fatality per year for the last 3 or 4 years vs. ~115K skier visits is way higher than the national average of 1.06 fatalities per million skier visits. I'm curious if all or most are non-local skiers.

IIRC from foggy memory of local scuttlebutt, that XC skier went into a ravine.

^^^ Yes, Profile is wide by NE standards and one can build up speed on that trail. In addition, that trail gets exposed to the wind, the other summit trails have more protection from the tree, so it's easily scraped off by noon on the weekends. Local or regulars ski the summit trails in the morning because of the fresh groom and migrate down to the mid and base trails for the afternoon runs.

Ugh, that wind! I've skied there during a blizzard and 'enjoyed' conditions varying from 2 or more feet of mash potatoes to bare ice, depending upon where the wind is / isn't howling. Some of those tree protected runs have exposed areas that are good for a surprise or two, assuming one has been lulled into a hero snow induced coma. Yesterday was gorgeous, so count this moth 'in' for another trip to the flame.

 

[KevinF]

I agree that the bottom of Profile trail can be nasty.

I seem to recall them putting two rows of B-net at the bottom of Profile a couple years ago. There was a zigzag opening in the netting so there was no way to go straight through and a long sliding fall would be stopped prior to the lift line (or that drop off on the other side).

I guess they got tired of taking the netting down and putting it back up every night?

 

[Mike Thomas]

IIRC from foggy memory of local scuttlebutt, that XC skier went into a ravine.

Respect The Send <pouring out some 40>