Bethel Citizen 1/26/17

Prime Time Ski Club News for Bethel Citizen 1/26/17
By Terri Messer

For further information contact:
Terri Messer at tmesser@aol.com or 207-671-0715

The skiing has been great this past week, especially last Wednesday with several inches of fresh powder and mild temperatures. Prime Time Ski Club members were out in full force but many found some of the slopes challenging as not all trails had not been groomed before the powder fell. The cloud-like powder on the lower trails was fun to ski until it got pushed around and piled up. By late morning many Prime Time skiers ended up at the Little White Cap area where the gentle slopes made skiing much less work and a lot more fun. During the night groomers brought most trails back to corduroy surfaces, providing great skiing mountain-wide for the rest of the week.

Despite the great conditions on Friday, I managed to fall straight downhill on a well-groomed, mellow slope, landing on my left arm and shoulder, fracturing the bone that attaches to my rotator cuff. Thank goodness I was skiing with a Prime Time friend who was able to assist me through the ski patrol and mountain clinic process and offer moral support while helping to collect and keep track of all my ski clothes and gear as I moved from the ski patrol sled to the patrol clinic to the Western Maine Mountain Clinic and then to my condo. There are several lessons that I’ve learned firsthand from my accident and would like to share with all you skiers. First of all, never ski alone. Our club motto is: “No one ever needs to ski alone” but maybe it should be: “No one should ever ski alone.’ Not only do club members provide camaraderie, they can also provide assistance should you have an accident or they can report you missing should you ski off a trail.

Number two is to carry identification while skiing. The least expensive and low-tech way to identify yourself is to carry a handmade card that lists your name, address, phone number, an emergency contact, medical conditions, list of medications, food or medication allergies and health insurance and primary care physician contact information. Put this information card in a see-thru zip-lock sandwich bag in your ski jacket pocket. If you carry a cellphone, it’s a good idea to list an emergency contact in your phone’s contact list under “ICE” (In Case of Emergency), an acronym that most first responders are trained to look for. If you have an iPhone, there is an app called “Health” where you can list emergency information that can be accessed even if you need a passcode to open your phone. Next week I’ll discuss more ways you can identify yourself while skiing or participating in other sports.

Those who drive to Sunday River from off-mountain locations oftentimes gather in the Mahoosuc Room at 8:30 a.m. at South Ridge Base Lodge to “boot up” before the lifts open at 9. It’s a good idea to identify your boot bag with a luggage tag and maybe put a note in your bag describing your car along with license number so a friend can find your car in the parking lot if someone needs to drive your vehicle to a medical facility for you. Remember that if you are looking for someone to ski with, you should come to Peak Lodge at 10 a.m. weekdays (lower level, to the left of staircase headed downstairs). After a brief time for announcements, members usually break into small groups, based on skiing ability as well as speed and terrain preference. Join us, be safe, have fun!