Jackson Hole’s stump case

[tirolski]

Judge says off piste stump is inherent hazard, allegedly.

Jackson Hole Tree Stump Prevails as Judge Rules Ski Lawsuit Off Piste

Alpine skiing is an inherently dangerous sport. But does a stump hidden by freshly fallen snow count as an inherent risk? Or does the mountaintop ski resort which created the stump while managing its slopes have a duty to remove it? These questions are central to a case brought by a Californian...

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Harvey]

Judge says off piste stump is inherent hazard, allegedly.

Jackson Hole Tree Stump Prevails as Judge Rules Ski Lawsuit Off Piste

Alpine skiing is an inherently dangerous sport. But does a stump hidden by freshly fallen snow count as an inherent risk? Or does the mountaintop ski resort which created the stump while managing its slopes have a duty to remove it? These questions are central to a case brought by a Californian...

sports.yahoo.com

I called BS on the skier before clicking, but wow that does seem like a trap. The rub is the definition of "off piste."

 

[MarzNC]

Hmm . . . happened in January. But doesn't say exactly when. In general January can still be early season coverage at JH. A snowstorm dropped 45 inches of fresh snow. The remnant of the tree was 6 ft, with at most 3-4 feet on top. But if the guy hit the tree then the top must have been within a foot or three from the surface. Does that make sense?

According to the records on OpenSnow for Dec 2016 and Jan 2017, there was about 160 inches of snowfall before a big storm that started Jan. 8. The settled snowpack was obviously not anywhere near 160 inches.

Wouldn't the guy had to have been going pretty fast to do that much damage to his leg?

 

[x10003q]

The tree might have been cut when there was already 6 feet of snow down due to a problem with the tree. It was cut down to ground level the next off-season. It might have only been covered by a foot or 2 of powder when the skier hit it.

 

[Ripitz]

Don’t be piste off when you hit a stump off piste

Nothing a few dozen more miles of orange fence can’t fix

 

[Cornhead]

Don’t be piste off when you hit a stump off piste

Nothing a few dozen more miles of orange fence can’t fix

Looks to be on the edge of a trail.

 

[Ripitz]

Looks to be on the edge of a trail. View attachment 9458

It does appear to be on the side of a trail however the article says they were off piste in an area not maintained by equipment so it’s not exactly on the side of a groomer. I do feel for the guy. Having an accident like that is heavy stuff. After 45 inches though there’s all sorts of hazards waiting to be discovered. Big Sky has a run called Stump Farm. Much has changed over the years but it used to be an absolute minefield. It’s crazy to see what you ski over when hiking around in the Summer.

 

[MarzNC]

I went out west last Dec and skied at JH, GT before spending a week at Alta. It was the first time I experience early season conditions at those resorts. Now I can appreciate why I've read that JH is best skied after late January if what someone wants to do is ski off piste. Obviously in Dec, we weren't expecting to do much off groomers. Snow coverage was so low that no interesting black terrain was open. I had a semi-private lesson with my ski buddy with a long-time L3 instructor I'd worked with before. She made it very clear that a LOT more snow would be needed for some tempting looking trees on Apres Vous.

There are lots of mountain hosts around the base of JH. It's easy to ask for advice about conditions anywhere at the resort. The guy didn't know what he didn't know about what to ask.

 

[raisingarizona]

It also depends on what kind of snowpack you have.

An unsettled base of 45 inches that’s a rotten, upside down slide pack isn’t going to do much except hide the dangers in a pile of sugar. A 45 inch base of heavy, wet concrete that fell in succession without a long cold dry spell afterwords will be a bomber, confidence inspiring experience.

that photo of the cut tree is confirmed as the stump in question? If that was a forestry crew or mountain maintenance staff they did a shit job.

 

[Brownski]

The speculation seems to be that the tree might have cone down mid winter and was cut to the level of the current snowpack at the time. The resort didn’t know for sure when or by whom it was cut