Alaska ski resort bills injured skier for rescue

Source: MSNBC/AP

Operators of Alaska’s largest ski resort are taking the rare step of billing a 19-year-old skier for the cost of rescuing him after he was badly hurt striking a tree in an off-limits area.

Ben Habecker, an assistant patrol director at Alyeska Ski Resort south of Anchorage, says it took 13 highly trained ski patrollers to rescue Matt Davis, who had fractured his left leg.

Davis, of Eagle River, must pay $845 for the Feb. 28 rescue from the well-marked, roped-off stretch of 3,939-foot Mount Alyeska.

He also is banned from skiing on the mountain for a year.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29683965/

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I have no problem with this since he ignored the off limits ropes. I'd like to see more idiots who are told don't but do it anyway get billed for rescue.

safety rules. In turn this guy endangered the rescuers lives, they had to go into an unsafe area to get him.

I think this is appropriate.

the Paramedics here bill for calls

some times they are waived but most times they aren't


the medivac here is always billed


lost

There was a story a few weeks ago on the cable news networks like this. IIRC, some idiots decided to go ice fishing on ice that was clearly marked as being off-limits and too thin. Of course, it cracked and they needed to be rescued. The police had to call in choppers, etc., and the local police chief was understandably pissed and billed them for it.

I think if you're on the resort's marked trails, rescue operations should be an included courtesy service ("Come to our resort, we won't let you die." :P ), but the skiers have their own responsibilities to not put themselves in ridiculously unsafe situations.

I think if you read the fine print at most places, it's more "Come to our resort, we will attempt to not let you die, but if you do, it's your own damn fault."

Can't say that I blame them too much for the legal waivers with all the "X game" stuff or whatever they call it filling the minds of the teens thinking that anyone should be able to get "Big Air." Once upon a time, there would be a maintenance crew tearing down any little bumps that happened to appear on the slopes. ("No, Mr. Ski Patrol Man, I have no idea how that pile of snow got there.") Now they build jumps and put rails in the middle of the slope for the morons to bounce off of. Whatever sells lift tickets, I guess.

The Ski Patrol (paid some places, volunteer at others) will come scrape you off the slopes if you screw up, but skiing and snowboarding are at your own risk. Bottom line, you sign your life away the second you step onto the slopes.