Dr. Peter Millett helped put Patrish Koenig back together. He figured out that she had been hit, and had not fallen over her crossed ski tips. Millett is an avid skier, as time allows. He’s also the medical director with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and many other athletic organizations, including USA Olympic Team and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. He’s a consultant for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association and a consultant with the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
“I love skiing, but there’s risk with it,” Millett said.
He said awareness of where you are and who’s around you is important.
“Skiers can slow down by snowplowing. A snowboarder has to turn to slow down,” Millett said. “Giving snowboarders enough space to do that is important.”
Many on-mountain injuries occur on easier terrain or even catwalks, instead of where you might expect them — in the trees and steeps.
“They catch an edge or collide with another skier,” Millett said.
Then there’s what Millett calls the “GoPro-ization” of the sport.
“They can capture everything on video. The peer pressure is not just from the kids who are there at the time, it’s from the whole world,” Millett said.
Millett said Vail Resorts and other ski companies have taken safety steps with things such as slow skiing zones.
Full Article: Local’s Recovery is One Painful Step at a Time After Skiing Collision
