| Runaway snowboard could've
killed someone The snow-covered slopes at White Hills, Clarenville, were packed with skiers and snowboarders on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22. Snow conditions were good and, at the bottom of the hill, long lines of men, women and children were waiting patiently for their turn on the chair lift. Little did they know that an event had just happened halfway up the hill that put them all at great risk. Some 300 feet up, a snowboard had just dropped from the ski lift. While its owner remained firmly on the lift, no doubt stunned by what had happened, or perhaps just stunned, the snowboard plummeted about 70 feet to the ground. Thankfully the snowboard, with its sharp steel edges, did not decapitate anyone as it fell. When it hit the ground, it bounced, landed upright then took off down the steep hill. Unattended, snowboards, unlike skies, have no braking system. A loud cry for help came from the snowboard owner to an innocent skier on the ground, Hey buddy, can you stop my snowboard? The skier just happened to be stopped about 100 feet below the level of the runaway snowboard as it hurtled down the hill. The innocent skier had little time to react, and had very few options. The board hit him, wiping him off his feet, before coming to a halt. I was shocked by the force of what I had witnessed, and frightened by what could have happened had that snowboard continued its accelerating path down the hill. To the innocent skier who stopped the snowboard, I salute you. You are an unsung hero. Perhaps you had little time to react, or perhaps you deliberately stood your ground to stop that snowboard, sensing that the many people at the bottom of the hill would be in far greater danger if you allowed it to past. To the careless owner of the snowboard, I offer you a piece of advice: next time you use your snowboard, attach a leash. It costs less than $10, and is specifically designed to stop a snowboard from turning into a deadly weapon. Liam McErlean St. John's |