Vermont police and rescue teams are getting tired of rescuing "weekend warriors" who ski out of bounds at ski areas and then get lost. The cost of finding people can be quite high. A typical search and rescue can cost almost $10,000 if it involves a helicopter and goes on for more than 8 hours. Every year, people seem to get lost at Vermont ski areas. In one instance during the 2004-2005 season at Stowe, a young woman was lost for more than eight hours on Spruce Peak. No one missed her for hours and when she was found, merely by chance, she was in a coma!
Vermont law doesn't forbid skiers from skiing out of bounds, but Vermont law also states that a lost person who skis out of bounds is responsible for costs of a search and rescue. Typically, people who recklessly ski out of bounds are billed. Others who simply get lost by accident are not. But, as the instances of lost skiers goes up and the costs keep rising you can expect fines and the cost of the rescue to be passed on to "rescuees." Vermont is not a rich state with many ancillary services. Someone has to pay, but perhaps it should be the ski industry itself. Let the resorts take the responsibility for enforcement and the costs of the rescues. After all , is this not the true Republican way of doing things? Leave the state out of it!
Four Pennsylvania men who skied out of bounds in December 2004 at Killington and spent a cold night in the woods did get a bill for $4,000. More than three dozen rescue workers took part in the effort to rescue the men, which also involved a Vermont National Guard helicopter.
If you are going to ski out of bounds, be prepared to get lost and know how you are going to extricate yourself from the situation. Here is a brief check list. It is mostly common sense.
- Carry a backpack with warm clothing and basic survival gear
- Carry a cell phone with extra battery packs..in some areas the cell phones do work
- Never ski alone!
- Tell someone not skiing with you where you are going. If you don't contact them at a pre-arranged time, instruct them to raise the alarm
- Wear a helmet
