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Tag: ski accident

  • Olga Filkin, 44, Dies In Tragic Ski Lift Accident

    Olga Filkin, a 44-year old Brooklyn woman, has been identified as the victim in a bizarre ski lift accident in the Catskills on Sunday.

    Filkin was reportedly on the chair lift alone on Sunday afternoon when she fell roughly 25 feet on Hunter Mountain; authorities believe one of her skis got caught on a lift support pole, which pulled her under the restraint bar. They have officially ruled her death an accident.

    “This is a terrible tragedy. We can only imagine what the family is going through, and we stand ready to assist them in any way that we can,” said resort president Russ Coloton.

    According to the New York Post, Filkin fell about 100 feet from the loading post and was taken immediately to the resort’s first aid room, where she was pronounced dead.

    “She was getting ready to get off the chairlift and she fell,” coroner Hassan Basagic III said.

    There were reportedly about 3,000 people on the mountain over the weekend, but the resort issued a statement saying they had many safety protocols in place in order to reduce worry.

    “Safety is a top priority for Hunter Mountain, and we have a wide variety of programs and protocols in place. These touch every aspect of our operations. There are always going to be elements of risk involved in skiing and snowboarding, but our staff works hard to make sure that guests can enjoy the mountain as safely as possible,” said Gerry Tschinkel, Hunter Mountain vice president of sales, marketing and sponsorships.

    Filkin is survived by her husband and 20-year old daughter, who have declined to speak to the media thus far.

  • Sarah Burke’s Memory Lives On Despite Sticker Ban

    Torah Bright, an Australian snowboarder, was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from wearing a memorial sticker of her friend’s name on her helmet during competition. The sticker was worn to honor Canadian skier, Sarah Burke, who died while training back in 2012. According to the IOC spokesperson Mark Adams, the Olympics is an inappropriate place to mourn, as it is an event where people celebrate. The IOC has also instructed all athletes to do away with any type of memorial for their lost competitors and comrades.

    Burke died 9 days after an accident, due to injuries resulting from a crash that happened on a halfpipe while training in Utah. She was a forerunner in freestyle skiing and is one of the reasons why the sport is now part of the Winter Olympics Games.

    Bright and Burke were good friends and as a sign of protest to the IOC, Bright posted an image on Instagram saying that she always rides with a sticker on her helmet and snowboard. Sarah still remains an inspiration to her despite the IOC having banned athletes wearing the memorial sticker.

    Although the IOC has permitted the Olympians to wear a memorial tape on the bootstraps with Burke’s name, they have decided that wearing a sticker on the helmet was too noticeable and deemed it as a political statement.

    Through the years, the IOC have always banned the display of political messages during the Olympics. However, the public may not have the same sentiment when it comes to memorials for lost athletes.

    Apart from the said incident, the IOC also warned the Norwegian Olympic Committee about the armbands that 4 Norwegian girls wore during the 15-kilometer skiathlon as a tribute to cross-country skier Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen’ brother, who unexpectedly died on the eve of the Olympics opening ceremonies.

    Image via YouTube

  • Lindsey Vonn Airlifted After Horrific Mountain Crash

    Lindsey Vonn has been airlifted out of the super-G race in Austria today after sustaining injuries in a crash.

    The 28-year old reportedly landed on the side of one ski after a jump and it threw her off balance. Details are sketchy as of now, but early reports say she may have a bad injury to her knee.

    Unfortunately for the athlete, it’s only the first day of the world championships, so Vonn hasn’t had a chance to show off her skills. She did mention in a blog post before the competition that the weather conditions were not ideal on the mountain.

    “I’ve been trying to be patient and stay calm, but it’s pretty tough with the way the weather has been,” she wrote. “It snowed a lot Sunday night, there was no training possible Monday on the race hill, then it rained most of Monday afternoon and evening. I know they’re going to try really hard to get the race off Tuesday. I have to try to stay positive and prepare for a race that I hope will happen. If it doesn’t happen Tuesday, I hear it will be moved to next Monday. We were supposed to have free skiing on the race course Monday, which means two or three runs for you to learn about the terrain and snow conditions. But because it snowed so much, they closed it to everyone including coaches. None of our staff has been on the hill. We don’t know what shape the hill is in. We don’t know anything about it.”