As the parks grow in our country the amount of traffic in the parks is crazy, we need a solution. Im sure you are all familiar with the recent accident that happened in the Breck park. If not, a 33 year old doctor from Kansas(I think) who I’m guessing rides in the single digits every year, died after hitting a jump in the medium park. Last year the RCR mountains decided they would not have jumps anymore because of a huge lawsuit from an inexperienced rider who got hurt in one of their parks. These are just two of many accidents that happen from inexperienced and uneducated riders (gapers Joeys whatever you want to call them).
As funny and crazy we all think it is think if the girl in the “switch seven little girl tap” would have been 2 feet lower on the landing. He would have killed a 5 year old girl. Would it have been his fault? No not at all. Would he be able to live with what he did? Probably not.
Not only do the gapers get hurt because of their actions. There have been many times when a park rat will get hurt because of the actions of someone else. Last year I watched as a friend was dropping into an average sized table landed a smooth 5 before he could turn his head to see where he was going he collided with a mid aged woman who felt the best place on the mountain to stand would be just at the bottom of the landing.
Not only can they be dangerous but they are just annoying. After calling your drop and doing everything else right just to drop in an have a random hero come out of nowhere, snake your drop and hitting the side of the jump sucks.
There is a solution… Its easy, It has been done at select mountains and I’m sure you have all wanted one at your mountain. Park passes! The only mountain I know in the East that has one in use is Stratton. The last time I was there it was simple, Go sit in a hut and listen to a member of the park staff talk for about 20 minutes then your good to go for the day.
My idea…Why not try to get a nationwide park pass? Sure it most likely wouldn’t work so well the first few years but eventually I could see it catching on. Almost every mountain has the “Smart Style” program with the same signs, same messages and everything. They could help bring a change. Why not have a system where you could register with your own home mountain park staff, that once your in the system you would be good for the year no matter what mountain you go to. When you buy a ticket just say that you are in the system for their park pass, show your ID or other another pass that has the park pass on it and you would be good. It would have to be certified by the “smart style” or some other organization. If an individual Mountain wants extra instruction then fine but you would have to at least have the national certification.
What do you think? If NS got behind this I think it could help bring a change. Its hard to tell if it would do anything but why not try. It cant hurt.
Oh yeah, i know my thoughts jump around alot and some of it probably isnt great on grammer and all that but you can get the idea....
