There is a fundamental excess in winter sports. Instead of curling up with a book or watching Netflix when the weather turns cold, winter athletes struggle with extra layers and high-tech gear to get through the day without getting frostbite. They hurtle across the ice with knives strapped to their feet, racing down mountains at speeds typically designated for interstate highways. They fall off the ski lift—Or be locked up overnight. Show me any experienced winter recreation enthusiast. Then we’ll introduce you to someone who has slipped, skidded, or crashed and suffered a broken tailbone, a sprained knee, and maybe a concussion or two.
But in recent years, a combination of climate change, social media and a pandemic-era obsession with the outdoors have made an already intense sport even more extreme. Experienced athletes have long been trying their hand at bunny slopes and indoor ice rinks, backcountry skiing (sweeping through trees on pristine powder, and sometimes getting there by jumping out of a helicopter) and remote glaciers. I’ve always thought of it as just a gateway to the “wild” and fresh ice skating that takes place above. frozen lake. Now beginners are starting to emulate them, and the consequences can be deadly.
Since the rise of remote work enabled an exodus of people from large cities in 2020 and 2021; record number People visit ski resorts in the United States every winter. The resort is so crowded that he sometimes waits 45 minutes for a lift, where four years ago he waited in line for only three minutes. No wonder skiers are looking further and further afield for their fix. Greg Poschman, chairman of the Colorado Pitkin County Board of Commissioners, said he has seen more people venture out into remote areas and frozen lakes and rivers in the past few seasons alone than he has seen while living near Aspen. He said he saw it. This sentiment is echoed by athletes and officials across the United States. All you need to do is post your impressive enough stunts on social media. In a few days, this once deserted corner of nature will be filled with enthusiasts.
In the wilderness, or even in “side country” just outside resort boundaries, athletes are exposed to dangers that are rare in more controlled environments. Miles from civilization, there’s no one to watch for holes in the ice, buried rocks and twigs, and surprising cliffs, not to mention avalanches and avalanches. ice dam. Perhaps most importantly, staying away from roads and public transportation means staying away from help when things get tough. “They may be doing low-risk sports like ice skating or snowshoeing, but the impact is huge,” Poschman said.
Even sports that have not traditionally relied on hand-picked resorts for success are becoming increasingly dangerous. Cale Casey, who co-captained his USA dog sled sports team five times, said the unpredictable winter season has forced the team to move away from the traditional route across Alaska, which has become unsafe. He said that it has been done.Part of the famous 1,000 miles Iditarod race The route has been changed. Mushers strategically run certain parts of the race at night to prevent the dogs, which are bred for temperatures around -20 degrees Celsius, from getting too hot. As the world warms and the snowpack on Alaska’s tundra dwindles, mushers are taking advantage of what little snow remains to engage in other winter sports. This season, five dogs have been killed by people riding snowmobiles (known locally as snow machines). Five other dogs were also injured in the crash. “During the lockdown, snow blowers were not available in Alaska,” Casey told me. “Everyone bought it, so it has to go somewhere. Where are they going? They’re going where we’re going.”
Climate change isn’t just pushing winter athletes to more crowded and remote locations. Predictions in that area are also becoming more difficult. The almost identical refrain I heard from all over the Northern Hemisphere was: Until about five years ago, snow season started around Thanksgiving. It started slowly, with the odd storm occurring once or twice and ice and snowpack gradually forming as the temperature dropped. You can be pretty sure of the quality of the frigid surface you’ll be skiing, climbing, or skating on any given day. Even if the weather isn’t great, the next day will bring snow and ice.
But now everyone I’ve talked to, whether it’s in Iceland or in the high mountains of California, says the first storm won’t arrive until January. Weather is unpredictable. Record-breaking snowstorms are interspersed with snow-melting rain. A dry early season is followed by rain and wet snow. The perfect recipe for an avalanchesaid Poschman. Shannon Finch, who worked as an avalanche rescue dog handler in Utah for 12 years before becoming a heli-skiing guide, said that even experts now feel “bewildered, confused, and confused” in the environments they’ve been navigating with. It catches me off guard,” he said. easily. Her dog, Leif, struggled in these new circumstances. When an avalanche buries a person, the wet snow and warm temperatures make it difficult for the person’s scent to linger. As a result, Leif had to cover quite a large area before making a rescue.
Shorter seasons also wreak havoc due to a uniquely human reason called FOMO. “People are desperate to get out” and are willing to take big risks for good snow and ice, said Travis White, a tourist fisherman in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. . As a result, even a relatively leisurely activity like ice fishing suddenly becomes an extreme sport. Fewer waterways are freezing over, and more people are suddenly flocking to just a few lakes from places that no longer freeze regularly. These newcomers aren’t just watching the water gradually freeze. They don’t know where to look out for eddies and currents that can destabilize the ice, or how to avoid recently frozen parts, which are also the most dangerous.
The tale of ice fishers, figure skaterand hockey player There is a lot to fall for and even die from. Accidents on the snow are also common. Early this month, 23 people need rescue After a particularly spectacular powder day in Killington, Vermont, where I dodged boundary ropes and skied and snowboarded outside the boundaries, this is starting to become less common in the Northeast.
Like many other winter enthusiasts I spoke to, White blames social media for the radicalization of his sport. Inexperienced ice fishing enthusiasts might see cool spots posted on Instagram and find them easily thanks to geolocation. The same goes for wild ice skating, snowmobiling, and backcountry skiing. Athletes also worry that impressive, engagement-focused stunts posted online could encourage inexperienced people to attempt extreme moves in remote locations. “All you see on social media are people jumping off cliffs on skis,” Ben Graves, a Colorado-based outdoor educator and avid backcountry skier, told me. But only a few skiers are able to find that cliff and jump off with anything close to safety.
That percentage could soon become even smaller. Ivar Finnbogason, manager of Icelandic Mountain Guides, is deeply concerned about the decline in technology he has seen over the past decade. When he became a father, he took a break from his career as an ice climber. This was partly because of the risks, but mainly because he could not train effectively by waiting for the right conditions. “As an athlete, as someone with ambition, that’s not the way to build momentum,” he told me.
By the end of this century, snow and ice may become so scarce that only the most well-resourced and dedicated athletes will even be able to venture to these new extremes. Many areas of the Northern Hemisphere are expected to lose large amounts of snow if temperatures rise just one or two more degrees. If that happens, the only way to reach the snow may be by helicopter or multi-day hike.
If winter sports decline dramatically, there may be fewer accidents. But we will also lose something that makes us human. For many winter recreation enthusiasts, these sports are more than just a time-killing activity. They are a way of life that goes back a long way. 8000 BC Perhaps those who test their skills against the forces of Mother Nature are right. For winter athletes, it may be time to take their passion to dangerous new heights before they lose their options forever.
