The following footage epitomizes why skiers and snowboarders must always maintain awareness where they are heading at ski resorts and not absent-mindedly follow tracks into unknown areas to avoid situations like the one below.
This poor snowboarder got in way over his head after losing his way at Whistler Blackcomb and ended up clinging for dear life to a cliff face until patrol arrived on scene and lowered a rope to save him.
While we don’t see the conclusion of the rescue, he survived the ordeal uninjured and was spotted afterward drinking a beer at the Garibaldi Lift Company:
“I was coming out of the Spanky’s Ladder zone on Blackcomb with the group I’m coaching, when we saw a bit of commotion and, eventually, this poor guy perched halfway up a nasty cliff with no way up or down.
I had with me the camp video camera, so I was able to get a few good close-ups of him hanging on for his life. As comical as it was that anyone would keep going and get themself into such a bad spot, we were also all very worried for him. Shortly after, 6-7 patrollers started showing up with lots of ropes, but we had to leave before we could see the actual rescue.
I heard that after 1-2 hours they managed to get him out of there. He was seen later having a beer with his buddy at the GLC. He’s alright!”
Having a trail map in your pocket and knowing how to read it is wise move, especially when exploring a new resort. Here’s a quick video explaining how to read a ski resort trail map.
