Dangers of walking alone at night in ski resorts

A snowHead

Nadenoodlee, Yes I see your point. Did the girl who received the text do anything about it? Did the text convey the danger of the situation? cc_7up, makes the very valid point about respecting the dangers of hypothermia; it may be that such trips may well include a briefing on etiquette when out on the lash in the mountains in winter.

A snowHead

Frosty the Snowman, As far as im aware they tried to call her back - didnt get a reply. The french police were thinking of charging the friends at one stage - I dont know what has happened since.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

There's a couple of points I'd make, having walked around Val d'Isere on numerous ski trips since 1970. I once spent a month there with friends.

1. I can remember not knowing the resort, as a 17-year-old. Ski resorts aren't huge places, but their streets often have twists and turns and you can get lost.

2. You don't expect to die when walking home in a ski resort, and you don't expect anyone else to die. On a calm night (this was presumably a clear starry night) everything seems very peaceful. There are thousands of people around, even if most of them are in bed.

3. We don't know what level of alcohol was in Rachel Ward's blood, and we therefore don't know whether she was influenced by it.

4. We don't know if her friends had any particular reason to fear for her safety if they knew she had left the venue, assuming her friends were in the venue.

5. We don't know if Rachel left the building unannounced, and therefore whether anyone else could be expected to know that she was leaving.

In terms of cities (mainly) I agree that it's best if people look after each other late at night. I've two student daughters, and it's always reassuring to know that they're often taken home - or near home - by friends. But even in London, at night, that doesn't always happen.

Essentially, in this terrible tragedy, we know very little ... and harsh judgements are best kept unsaid until the facts are known. There's a fair chance that a reliable writer is on to this one. RIP to Rachel.

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David Goldsmith, Very nicely put

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

David Goldsmith, well said.

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The French police would love to charge the friends, because it would mean they could point the blame at somebody, rather than pointing the blame at the (tourist-frightening) reality that a ski resort is a dangerous place.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Is what happened in this case really a danger of walking alone at night in ski resorts, or is it a danger of drunken carelessness?

After all it is free

We know that Rachel was lost. We know that she died in a river.

We don't know whether she was sober, drunk, or anything in-between.

The police have reportedly ruled out foul play, but it's not unknown for people to be pushed into rivers.

What do we actually know?

The Telegraph reports today (in a feature article) that she was reportedly not "drunk". She had been drinking.

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David Goldsmith, Absolutely - so before anyone gets holier than thou and state anyone cares more about their friends than the next person please take these points into account! These friends will be re-living and going over and over what happened for the rest of their lives, and until a tragedy like this happens to you, or you happen to know the people concerned it's really not for anyone to judge!

snow reports

I can just imagine some other scenarios, Nadenoodlee:

1. The boy who left his mobile back in the chalet and had a missed call from her, rang her when he got back & no response. Should he have gone in, uninvited, into a girl's room???

2. At what point, when you're out with a group, and come home in dribs and drabs, does the non-arrival of another person become a call-the-police moment? Perhaps when the first person gets back and finds he's ahead of all the others???

It is dangerous out there in a ski resort. It is a truly sad tale, but I don't think from available evidence that blame is attributable - though those involved will blame themselves for ever. With luck, for a couple of weeks(...), people will be more careful.

I sincerely hope that her friends don't ever find one or two posts on this thread.

You know it makes sense.

davidof,

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Nadenoodlee, yeah... actually the local pharmacist here is a guy I rescued twice when we saw him staggering around after a drinking session... Even folks we did not know that well - we always made sure they were put somewhere safe to recover... sometimes that meant "removing" them from strangers that may have been well meaning but no-one was too sure it was wise given the state of inebriation of the participant and the fact that no-one could ID the stranger...

A snowHead

This sort of thing happens far more often than most holiday skiers realise unfortunately. Sad

Sad, but preditable

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

First and foremost is that each of us has to take responsibility for our own safety.

However,

Tour operator's Reps could highlight the danger of hypothermia as part of their initial briefing en route to the resort.

Resort Bars could also put up warning posters along the lines of;

COLD KILLS

c/w a hard hitting picture of someone that froze to death in a ski resort.

People might just get the message.

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Its not just young'uns either. Last week (week before?) a ski instructor in Saas Fee died. She was 48 I think, walking home and slipped on a path. Rumour had it that she hit her head, fell unconscious and was found the next morning, dead. There was a funeral service with many of the red-jacketed ski school instructors at the church.

Very sad.

Help!!

Dangers of walking alone at night in ski resorts

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