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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2015)
www.hoodrivernews.com Hood River News, Saturday, January 10, 2015 Backcountry Film Festival in HR Jan. 14 K IRK Continued from Page A1 ever, Monday morning after a long day of patrolling can be very difficult.” A day on patrol starts early, with an “all-hands meeting before the sun comes up with (Mt. Hood Meadow’s) pro patrol to get briefed on the day ahead,” he said. Briefing includes weather and snow condi- tions, groups on the moun- tain that day, and “anything else the patrol leads feel the group should be aware of,” he said. Next, patrollers are given an opening assignment and spend the next couple of hours preparing for the day’s guests. “The rest of the day is spent actively engaged with whatever the mountain can throw at us,” he said. “Week- ends can be very busy, with a steady stream of patients in need of on-mountain med- ical assistance, skiers or snowboarders to be found, rope lines to be fixed, and a wide assortment of related activity. “The last hour or so is spent closing the resort, with the primary responsibly being to make sure everyone has made it safely off the slopes.” He finds ski patrol “an in- teresting and unique blend of being part of a team dynam- ic, yet you are out there on your own, to a large extent, and it’s up to you how that case is going to go,” Miller explained. “Perhaps the analogy is a tennis team, but the cause can be dead seri- ous at times.” When a call for help comes over the radio, “as a first re- sponder to a case, your focus begins by taking an immedi- ate assessment of the situa- tion at hand and determin- ing how to safely secure the patient, as well as yourself,” Miller said. After an initial evaluation to determine the seriousness of the injury, the patroller “takes a more de- tailed assessment of the pa- tient’s condition, determines what equipment and/or as- sistance is needed, and then works to get the patient to a higher level of care as quick- ly and safely as possible.” The most common injuries Miller sees are lower leg in- juries (such as sprained A7 Submitted photo VOLUNTEER MEMBERS of the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol participate in an avalanche training. Volunteers are required to spend six months in training before becoming part of the squad — both in the class- room and on the mountain — with additional hours in training af- terwards. knees) for skiers and sprained or broken wrists for snowboarders. Concus- sions are on the rise, too — “The park contains large ramps and other obstacles, and hard landings are not uncommon,” he said. Ski patrollers are sta- tioned at various locations around the resort, with at least one, but usually sever- al, in an area. If a patroller is not at the station, “they are likely skiing around the re- sort providing a visible and active presence. Many cases are responded to by a pa- troller out on the hill who happens to be close to the scene,” he said. He trained for the position five seasons ago, an intense process that took six months, “which is done in both the classroom as well as on the mountain at each of the re- sorts located on Mount Hood (Timberline, Ski Bowl and Mt. Hood Meadows),” he said. The weekly four-hour classroom sessions involved medical first-responder training geared towards an alpine setting; another full day each week was spent on the mountain, “learning how to deal with the equipment and patients, in all snow con- ditions, and in any type of weather,” he said. His first case on the moun- tain involved a young boy who had fallen 37 feet from a chair lift, and he remembers it well. “My radio cracked to life detailing where this hap- pened and I gulped, and took a deep breath as it dawned on me that the location was around the next bend and it was me who would be re- sponding first,” he said. “As I skied up to the scene, not only was the child laying on the snow with obvious bro- ken bones, but a half dozen onlookers, with camera phones out and taking it all in, were waiting as well. Thankfully, the boy’s in- juries were not life threaten- ing.” His interest in the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol took shape, in part, thanks to his oldest son, Hayden, now 19. (He and wife, Jocelyn, also have son Nate, 16.) “(The year before train- ing), I had found myself at Mt. Hood Meadows every weekend, playing taxi driver for my (then) 14-year-old son, who had landed his first job at the resort,” Miller said. “Spending all of that time up there, I found myself watch- ing the ski patrol more close- ly, and it struck me as a chal- lenging way to take my love of skiing to the next level, and a great way to be part of something bigger than the somewhat selfish pursuit of endless skiing. “What keeps me coming back is that sense of being part of something very real and meaningful, but at the same time, very loose and fun, with a band of brothers and sisters enduring the same challenges together,” Miller said. “In the end, ski patrol gets in to your DNA.” The Winter Wildlands Al- liance Backcountry Film Festival comes to Hood River Jan. 14, with a free showing of the festival’s nine video pieces starting at 7 p.m. at Double Mountain Brewery. In its 10th year running, the festival celebrates the human powered winter expe- rience through film. It aims to entertain while helping to raise funds and awareness for Winter Wildlands and their like-minded partners. The festival premieres in Boise, then travels to more than 100 locations world- wide. Along the way it raises money for local organiza- tions working on advocacy, snow safety, outdoor educa- tion and SnowSchool pro- grams. Films start at 7 p.m. but pa- trons are encouraged to come early to get seats and participate in the raffle. This year’s lineup: ■ From the Road (21:00): Fischer Creative; Join the Dynafit team on a journey to Alaska. Afterglow (11:35): Sweet- grass Production; This visu- ally spectacular film lights up the backcountry like never before ■ Backcountry Baker (5:15): Jeremy Lurgio; The story of Labrador retriever, Baker, and his owner as they pursue their love of moun- tains through backcountry skiing in Montana’s Bitter- root Mountains. ■ Out on a Limb (6:44): T- bar Films; The story of Vasu, whose love for skiing and the backcountry overcomes all obstacles. ■ 95 to Infinity (3:30): Doglotion Media; Follow brothers Andy and Mike Traslin as keep the torch lit for 95 months of winter turns. ■ IRS Traverse (8:00): Luc Mehl; A fun and corky ad- venture through the Alaska Wilderness ■ Powder Pilg rima g e (20:00): Joey Howell; Two friends ventures of ski bum- ming it to Valdez, a trip we should all take just once. ■ Sundog (5:15): Sturge Films; Capturing the dog days of skiing in Patagonia. ■ Higher (20:00): Teton Gravity Research; Continu- ing the journey of athlete Je- remy Jones as he reaches new heights. LOOSE CHANGE, NO DAMAGE Police report at least six car prowls Friday morning in Heights neighborhood By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor Hood River Police spent an hour combing a Heights neighborhood early Friday morning following reports of car prowls along June and Pine streets between Fifth and Seventh. Officers Andy Frasier, Jake Ferrer and Erin Mason responded at about 6:30 a.m. to two reports of unlawful entering of vehicles, and found indications of four more once they started inves- tigating. In all cases, the cars had been unlocked and had likely been entered sometime be- tween 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., ac- cording to Frasier. He said the main items taken were loose change and in one case a coin purse, according to Frasier. Police had no suspects at press time, and in none of the cases was anyone seen in or around the vehicles. One homeowner reported a set of golf clubs taken from a car, and the bag and clubs were found in bushes nearby, apparently shaken down for change. “This person isn’t into breaking car windows, but is going for loose change and rummaging through un- locked cars,” Frasier said. “Once we got up there we found doors open and dome lights on,” he said. There was no apparent damage to any of the vehicles. Frasier offered this advice to prevent a similar crime: lock your car and take out any valuables. “Park your car as close to the house as possible,” Frasi- er said. “If you have a porch light, park the car under it or near it — light is a discour- agement.” The Dec. 3 Hood River News reported 10 car prowls in a two-week period, pri- marily in a west Hood River neighborhood. Police chief Neal Holste had described these as crimes of “the walk- ing alongside” variety, in which rather than breaking in, the car burglars check for unlocked doors and then slip inside to see what they can find. Bicyclist hits pedestrian at 12th and May On Jan. 8, 2015, at about 1:24 p.m., Hood River Police Officers and Hood River Fire/EMS responded to a crash involving a bicyclist verses a pedestrian at the in- tersection of 12th and May streets. The investigation concluded that the bicyclist, Richard Christie, 23, of Hood River, was riding north- bound on the sidewalk of 12th Street. Christie struck the pedestrian, Susan Mas- sart, 68, of Hood River. Mas- sart was waiting to cross the street at the intersection of May and 12th. Both Massart and Christie were transported to Provi- dence Hood River Memorial Hospital by Hood River EMS. Massart sustained head in- juries and a large laceration to her right lower le g. Christie was not wearing a helmet and sustained head and face injuries. Christie was issued a cita- tion for Unsafe Operation of a Bicycle, which is a Class D violation. The maximum penalty is $110. H O U R S A L E ! 8 L O W E S T P R I C E S ! 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