By Philip Peterson II
Special to the Turnagain Times
By Philip Peterson II
Special to the Turnagain Times
Someone explain the disconnect here: On the one hand you have a journalist encouraging us to play it safe, limit our risks, telling us that extreme ski championships are foolish, yada, yada, yada. On the other hand this same journalist is encouraging us to get outside and enjoy the wilds of Alaska…where there are dangerously cold temperatures, powerful storms, deadly avalanches, sweeping tides, earth quakes, pissed off moose, and some of the largest carnivorous predators on the planet.
This contradiction may seem absurd…and it is, but I think it highlights a basic concept: Risk vs. reward is a deeply personal relationship. It’s like the old joke about how anyone who drives slower than you is a snail and everyone that drives faster than you is an idiot. Each of us sets our own limits and then we live and die by them.
Alaska is a place where people routinely disagree on what is an acceptable risk: When is the weather too bad to drive, when are the waves too big to hop in a skiff, guns vs. bear spray, snow-pack stability, guided vs. unguided trips. If one is looking for risky endeavors, this state is full of them. And for that matter, what is safe? I googled “safety” and got 532 million hits; topping the list were the hidden dangers in crossing the street, “Walkers tend to think that a crosswalk ensures safety in crossing, but unfortunately that’s just not the case” (www.safety.com).
Alyeska Resort hosted three extreme ski/snowboard competitions this spring, two of which were world championship events. They chose to open territory not open to the general public in order to give the competitors an appropriate venue to demonstrate their skills. Alyeska understood the risks involved and strategically stationed well trained pro-patrol to handle any accidents. Unfortunately accidents did happen.
All three events saw a major crash in which people were severely injured and in the final competition one man died. Each incident was tragic and my heart goes out to the injured athletes, and especially to the friends and family of John Nicoletta. The accidents were however within the realm of possibility for the competition and I believe all contestants were well aware of it.
Indeed most activities involving speed, jumps, or air carry a high risk of injury when things go wrong, be it ski racing, ski jumping, snow machining, motor-cross, para-gliding, bobsledding, scuba-diving, small aircraft aviation, or just driving to work. The list is endless. Of course the higher the level of competition the further the athletes push themselves. These were the World Championships, the highest level of competition and the athletes were pushing themselves to the limits.
I would argue that the relatively small size of the prize purse says something about the contestants. Although there were some great prizes, no one was getting rich. These athletes were competing for a higher ideal than just making money; they came to test themselves against some of the greatest skiers in the sport. Enjoying the competition for the sake of competition speaks of dignity not financial ignorance.
I have respect for all those that stepped forward to enter these events, researched and chose what they considered to be challenging lines, and skied to the limit of their skills. For the injured and deceased I say the same. I can’t say it is something I would do myself, but I admire them for their athleticism and celebrate their nerve.
I also applaud Alyeska for taking the chance in hosting the events. I fear that negative press will persuade management to think twice about holding such events in the future. I personally hope they don’t give in to the critics. These events give athletes an avenue for international competition, help promote state tourism (through which we all benefit), and will hopefully help the resort to turn a profit and continue to improve its infrastructure.
To those that imply that the athletes that enter the extreme ski/snowboard competitions are foolish, that they find death and injury funny, and are being used by the man, I would argue that you’re missing out on the spirit of the competitions. And one thing that might be worse than “being a tool for the man” is just being a tool.
Inherent risks are a part of skiing as well as nearly everything else we do in life. Be educated, think about potential risk, and consider your family before you climb your next mountain, paddle your next river, or go big and huck your next cliff…and then do what you need to do.
To wrap it up I’ll leave you with the skiing acumen of Girdwood resident Brooke Edwards when commenting on Ben Johnson’s fall during the World Telemark Free Skiing Championships (though I feel it applies to all three events), “This was world class skiing, and Ben took a world class fall.”