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Hard slopes take toll on skiers, riders in Summit County |
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012 09:25 |
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Photo by Mark Fox, Summit Daily News
By JANICE KURBJUN, SUMMIT DAILY NEWS
On Friday, Copper Mountain's patrol base area bustled with sleds coming off the hill hauling human cargo.
It was a sunny, warm day that softened the snow, but limited terrain mean holiday crowds were sharing fewer trails. Lack of snow and the man-made substitute combined with slope-scouring winds meant slippery runs with variable snow conditions. It's a scene that's common across Summit County in what's been a meager snow season thus far.
On Friday, Copper's makeshift cargo-truck ambulance spent the day running between the St. Anthony clinic and the sled stop alongside the American Flyer lift a quarter-mile away, where injured guests awaited transport.
On Wednesday last week, the nine-bed clinic saw 45 patients. Typical traffic is 27 patients daily during the holidays, Denver Post's Jason Blevins reported.
“Conditions do play a factor” in the number of injuries reported at resorts, said Troy Hawks, spokesman with the National Ski Areas Association. However, actual statistics vary by resort, he said, adding that the NSAA's statistics for serious accidents remain steady throughout the decades — with some seasonal variation.
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