A hobbling ski injury to a former Vancouver city councillor has sparked a debate over whether older skiers are safe on the hills.
Peter Ladner, a former Vancouver mayoral candidate and longtime skier at Whistler, broke both his legs after a younger skier crashed into him last month, Pique Newsmagazine reported.
The skier apparently got pushed off a mogul (a hard bump in the snow), lost control and struck Ladner, who is 64. The younger skier had his pass revoked for the season.
Ladner ended up with a fractured left kneecap and "a compound fracture with protruding bone of the right tibia," reported The Vancouver Sun.
Ladner's injury, which has ended his ski season and possibly the next one, has stirred a "lively debate" on the skier's Facebook page and a broader one about skier safety.
Older skiers are becoming increasingly concerned about being hit on the hills by younger skiers. However, crashes aren't trending up in any meaningful way; they're actually down this year from last, Whistler Blackcomb safety manager Brian Leighton told The Vancouver Sun.
But Ladner says that skiing has become a "contact sport," and that there need to be more consequences for people who cause accidents, CBC News reported.
What do you think?
Also on HuffPost
