Mt. Washington in New Hampshire
Mt. Washington in New Hampshire is known as a great place for skiers to take trips and have fun. Despite how tall it is, this does not stop any skiers from enjoying the winter breeze skiing down the mountain. However, Mt. Washington is very steep, and not even professionals are encouraged to ski down this mountain.
There have already been several cases where people fall down the mountain and end up hitting rocks and ice. However, there is a professional group of snow rangers and emergency personnel in that are there to ensure the safety of their skiers. However, sometimes that may not be enough.
20-year-old Loses Their Life
What was supposed to be a fun experience at this mountain, turned deadly in a matter of seconds. 20-year-old Madison Saltsburg sadly lost her life whilst skiing. She fell more than 600 feet to her death. A lot of people enjoy going skiing around the spring, as the snow softens and makes it easier to ski in.
However, due to the lack of snowfall, there were many icy crevices that were in this mountain, that were unbeknownst to her and other skiers. As a result, this ended her life, and severely injured two other skiers as well. Therefore, this will surely spread awareness to others as to how bad not only the Earth is climate-wise, and how dangerous skiing can really be.
The Future of Skiing
Skiing is a very dangerous activity to partake in, and it should be done with absolute caution. This is especially more-so on extremely high-altitude mountains, such as this one. Furthermore, there should be more action taken to ensure that awareness is spread to other skiers as to the dangers of attempting such things.
However, not so much so that it is a testament to stopping skiing al-together. If people enjoy skiing, they should certainly enjoy it to the fullest of their ability, and of course keeping safety in mind.
It is really unfortunate that her life ended in this way. There should certainly be more protective measures for skiers, and certainly more enforcement of those protective measures.
Written by David Loran Jr
Sources:
BBC News: Tuckerman Ravine: Skier dies after 600ft fall down Mount Washington
Yahoo! News: 20-year-old skier killed in 600-foot fall on NH’s Mt. Washington attended college in New England
Featured Image Courtesy of Kris Arnold’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Barney Moss’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License