Jackson Hole’s stump case

[Brownski]

That’s a rough story, Rip. I hope he makes it back

 

[Campgottagopee]

My nephew spiral fractured his tib fib on day 25 of a 73 day trip to Big Sky. He lost half his blood on the operating table and almost lost his life not only his leg. When I went to see him in the hospital in Bozeman the next day he was white as a ghost and I could barely recognize him. He was skiing below Hollywood cliff on the Challenger chair coming out of St. Alfonse trees back onto the groomed trail of BRT road and hit the backside of an unmarked swale. He has two plates and 23 screws holding his leg together and it’s been a long road to recovery. The injury cut his military career short and he has ongoing physical therapy so he can maybe run again. He is my business partner and I am fortunate to work with him everyday. We never went back to check if the ditch was man made or not. Who gives a shit. We are just thankful to have him with us.

OUCH!
Glad he's on the mend

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

A lot of this article seems to talk about how the judge didn't let it go to a Jury? Looking at that picture if I were in a Jury I would have voted against JHMR and for the claimant. When I read off piste I was expecting to see something DEEP in the woods, not at the side of a trail. That was an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Ripitz]

It could be a natural clearing deep in the woods

 

[MarzNC]

A lot of this article seems to talk about how the judge didn't let it go to a Jury? Looking at that picture if I were in a Jury I would have voted against JHMR and for the claimant. When I read off piste I was expecting to see something DEEP in the woods, not at the side of a trail. That was an accident waiting to happen.

But what did it look like in Jan 2017 after the big snowstorm? That picture was provided by the plaintiff's lawyer.

 

[tirolski]

Blessings to your nephew and you Ripitz.

Here’s the judges ruling.

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/20/20-8045.pdf

 

[MarzNC]

Here’s the judges ruling.
https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/20/20-8045.pdf

Ah, that answers my questions about the exact dates and the snow depth at the time.

" . . .
In January 2017, California residents Thomas Standish and his then- fiancée, Megan Keiter, traveled to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort as part of a “bucket list” ski trip. From January 8 through 10—the three days prior to Standish’s arrival—Jackson Hole had received about 27 inches of new snow, and on the morning of January 11, Jackson Hole received an additional 18 inches of snow. Over these four days, the mid-mountain depth of the snow increased from 56 to 80 inches.1

. . .

About halfway down the mountain, Standish’s right ski hit the top of a six-and-a-half-foot-tall tree stump that was covered with about two inches2 of fresh snow. His ski came off on impact, and he broke multiple bones in his right leg.

-------------
1 Though the numbers do not add up precisely, this fact is undisputed. The discrepancy may be due to the variance in measurements between lift-base depth and mid-mountain depth, as well as other environmental factors like wind.

2 The district court came to this number by subtracting the height of the tree (78 inches) from the approximate depth of snow (80 inches). Neither party contests this finding on appeal.
. . ."

 

[x10003q]

A lot of this article seems to talk about how the judge didn't let it go to a Jury? Looking at that picture if I were in a Jury I would have voted against JHMR and for the claimant. When I read off piste I was expecting to see something DEEP in the woods, not at the side of a trail. That was an accident waiting to happen.

That whole area is supposed to be off piste.

 

[MarzNC]

That whole area is supposed to be off piste.

Which side of the resort is that?

Have only skied at JH a couple times so don't know the terrain well enough to figure it out from the picture. I was thinking about terrain off the Teton Lift, which was new for the 2015-16 season. It has a blue groomer from the top but that's more of an access trail to the trees than a trail for people who like to cruise the steep blues at JH. Last Dec my ski buddy and I took a look because the lift wasn't there the last time we skied JH. But there wasn't anywhere near enough snow to venture into the glades. Or off-piste anywhere for that matter.

 

[Ripitz]

Here’s an aerial of the Thunder chair

Not seeing many “trails” in that zone