FALL ON SNOW

British Columbia, Coast Mountains, Powder Mountain

On May 26, 1983, Scott Hagarty (21) was ski mountaineering with three friends on the Powder Mountain snowfield. He fell while skiing down a 30 degree corn snow slope. His ski bindings released and he attempted to slow his fall with the picks on his self-arrest ski poles. As he rolled over onto his right hand, the diamond shaped foregrip of the ski pole handle was pressed onto the top of his hand, breaking the center metacarpal. He later had to have an operation to correct the fracture. (Source: S. Hagarty)

Analysis

This is the first reported accident involving the use of the relatively new self-arrest ski poles. (Source: R. Reader)