The grand opening of Revelstoke Mountain Resort went off better than anyone could have planned in a boardroom. Business people, politicians and dirt bags rallied shoulder to shoulder to ski for the first time, on what could easily be best powder hill in the world.
It was that good. And to the credit of the operations staff it went off with hardly a glitch. I have to be honest, I expected a gong show. And one can hardly see how it could be anything but. With acres and acres of open glades with cliffs and soft landings, the most hyped opening of the decade attracted hordes of people. Throw into the mix recent snowfall snowfall of epic proportions, the Revelstoke Mountain Resort opening was a beacon of light to the freeskiing world.
Things went smoothly and the terrain tired out most of the followers before the lifts stopped spinning. In fact, by the time the lift closed at 2:50pm, there was hardly anyone still riding. Not that all the pow had gone- late in the day it was filling back in.
There was the usual rush for great snow but it was fun to see everyone with the same advantage. From the best freeskiers in the world to the local families, no one had more beta than the other person as they exited the 'Stoke:' the upper high speed quad chair. What everyone found was anabundance of great tree skiing and a cliff hucker's paradise; all covered with deep snow.
The mountain skis really playful. Think a combination between Red Mountain and Blackcomb. That Blackcomb analogy could also come from the misty snow that fell all day. No one could really see what lay beyond the boundaries yesterday and I can't wait to get back here to find out.
Today was the grand opening, but tomorrow will be just another pow day. It's late at night and after a big day and a good dinner I'm just trying to get ready for tomorrow. It has snowed probably 10 cms in town since I've been down.
But that's just life in Revy. 'There is only 60% chance of flurries out right now,' says Revy locals Eric and Chris, 'You should see it when it dumps.' Every one else in the room kinda of shrivels in the shadow to the truth just spoken. From Rockies boys to Fernie heads, Nelson diehards to Whistler pioneers, no body was able to say too much in retort. Everyone had to acknowledge it was a pretty amazing experience they had just had and to be ready to shred in Revelstoke this winter is to put oneself in the right place at the right time.
Thanks to the Comfort Inn in Revelstoke for a cosy place to rest our weary legs after a day on the hill.
Found 5 comments.
1
by killinit on Jan 1, 2008
The thing about the media is they blur the truth. The missing persons report was filled out while all 4 of the lifts were spinning, before 3:00pm. And the young man who passed away was skiing with friends, he was not alone. People can put blame onto the mountain, but what about putting some of the blame on the young man himself? It's a tragedy, but did the young man have the proper back country equipment you need while skiing that terrain (ie; a beacon, or a small day pack with a shovel in it to dig himself out?) NOTE: he was in glades, not on an open runs. With a beacon on transmitting a signal, he would have been found within a few hours. YES it was in bounds, and YES it is the mountains responisibilty to take care of the customers, but when does that stop people from thinking for themselves? Mt. Mackenzie (RMR) is not your typical family resort. It's gonna smash your ego into peices if you don't treat it with respect. It's a mountain, bottom line, resort or no resort. It's steep, and snow loaded. There are 1500 square kms of open terrain... 27 cut runs... that means there's alot of trees to smash yourself into and fall into tree wells. People have to be aware of what they're doing, and take responsiblity into their own hands.
2
by waxman on Dec 27, 2007
greybeard, of all the people i know that have died skiing in every case but a heart attack the outcome was avoidable if they had stayed home and played nintendo and turned into Epsilons from a Brave New World.
i would like to think they would prefer to be alive today, but given the choice they went out with their boots on
plus peaks article was "published" before any of this came to light.....
3
by greybeard on Dec 27, 2007
It is sad news and sorry if it came across like I was pointing fingers at Peakz or anyone else. While accidents happen, the news of the young man being missing that day hit a little to close to home for me as a parent. One of our children knew him form boarding. So on reflection, I'm thinking that my earlier post reflected that parental anxiety.
On another note, and to quote your reply "... no-one wants to hear of an avoidable fatality, but they do happen ... ". And they generally have a root cause. From what I've gleaned from a Globe and Mail article today, all the right steps were taken from the point of him being missing. What's important here is to learn from this tragedy, not point fingers.
So to be a bit redundant, "Higher risk sports are just that, risky. With risk comes responsibility to yourself and your friends, the responsibility to not be reckess, and to mitigate those risks." "This doesn't mean avoiding risk, that's part of life. It just means taking on the challenge without ignoring the risks, doing what you can to avoid the awful downside that can, on occasion, happen."
In the case at hand (and only based on the bits and pieces of information from the press articles) it's starting to look like the root cause was a along the lines of a quick decision to take a last run alone on difficult terrain. But that's for the coroner to determine. As for what can be learned, perhaps it's a reminder that [u]there's good risks and bad risks, and it's up to the skier/boarder to make those decisions[/u]. While it's the individual that largely suffers the consequences, friends and parents will also suffer from bad decisions gone horribly wrong.
4
by Down and Left on Dec 26, 2007
This is sad news, but it sounds like you are pointing the finger at Peakz for excessive promotional hype? Certainly your comments represent those of most Bigliners - no-one wants to hear of an avoidable fatality, but they do happen and I would suggest Peakz is one of a number of regulars here who promote alpine safety at every opportunity. Inbounds deaths are a fact of the sport. Sorry to hear it has come to Revy so early in the expansion.
5
by greybeard on Dec 26, 2007
According to this article, the first day at the new Revelstoke Mountain Resort "... went off with hardly a glitch". Call me cynical, but the loss of a young skier in bounds on the first day of operations is a trajedy, not a glitch. And the article sounds like a real estate promo.
According to the Edmonton Journal today, a 24 year-old-man failed to meet up with friends Saturday at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort; and was last seen skiing the "Jalapeno" run on the first day of operations. As the missing man's body was recovered within the boundary of the ski hill, it doesn't sound like an "out of bounds" incident.
It's no surpise that the case has been turned over to the B.C. Coroners Service; as I'm sure there'll be many questions and perhaps a few lessons to be learned. For him, his family and friends it's too late. For us though, it's a reminder of mortality, a very much distant concept when we're young and haven't experienced the loss ... from the bad things that can happen to good people.
Was it just a freak accident with no chance of another outcome? I hope so, but I doubt it. I hope the BC Coroners Office asks the hard questions and digs for the answers. Did the resort have adequate plans, trained people, the necessary tools and the commitment to locate missing persons on the hill, even if its late, cold, windy and snowing?
While not corroborated, I understand that a missing persons report was filed about 5:30 pm that day. You might ask why the 2+ hour delay in filing a report on the hill, given the lifts shutting down around 2:50pm? And was he skiing alone or with good friends, who look out for each other. And did they? Or was he less than cautious in the circumstances of the day? I hope the Coroner asks these questions and more. There's much to be learned here. Higher risk sports are just that, risky. With risk comes responsibility to yourself and your friends, the responsibility to not be reckess, and to mitigate those risks. This doesn't mean avoiding risk, that's part of life. It just means taking on the challenge without ignoring the riks, doing what you can to avoid the awful downside that can, on occasion, happen.
On a more personal note (& by now you probably guessed I'm a parent), I heard the observation that "at least he died doing what he loved". I doubt it, unless he was very fortunate and avoided the wait for help that never came over 3 days. Life is short, but it's too sweet to lose. My profound sympathy goes out to this young man's family.
