Editor’s note: Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com for the past week.
1. Backcountry skier died Sunday on Quandary Peak
A backcountry skier died after being critically injured at about 13,400 feet elevation on Quandary Peak. The Summit County Rescue Group responded to the incident, using a Flight For Life helicopter to reach 22-year-old Peter Jacob Wing of Denver. The rescuers tried to provide advanced life support but were not able to save him. Summit County Coroner Regan Wood said that the manner of death was accidental and caused by blunt force injuries suffered during a fall. Wing is the county’s fifth fatality on the ski slopes this season.
2. Suspect in custody after officer-involved shooting near Whole Foods in Frisco
Frisco Police Department responded last week to a call regarding a person acting “erratically” at the Whole Foods Market in Frisco. The suspect was identified as 33-year-old Derek Perry Baker of Loveland, who reportedly told witnesses that he had a gun, and pretended to pull a gun near the cashier stations inside the store. Baker allegedly left the store, got in his vehicle and began driving towards one of the arriving officers to the scene. As reported in the affidavit, the officer fired two shots through the windshield, hitting Baker in the forearm. Baker has been initially charged with three felonies, including attempted vehicular assault, menacing and vehicular eluding. He was also charged with disorderly conduct.
3. Family remembers skier who died at Breckenridge Ski Resort on Jan. 7
Recommended Stories For You
William James Hass, 71, was remembered by family and friends as an inventor, writer and entrepreneur with a passion for skiing. Hass passed away on Jan. 7 at Breckenridge Ski Resort following a cardiac event. Knowing that he died on the ski slopes during one of his annual voyages out West is something of a comfort for his family, as he got to spend his final moments reveling in perhaps his most adored pastime. Hass grew up on the north side of Chicago and was working alongside his son, Charles, at his property management company. In the late 1970s Hass invented a wearable radio and an early version of the stereo jacket, along with co-authoring two books.
“He wasn’t just an anecdote, he was bigger than life,” said Debby Hass, William’s wife. “He was a man well-loved, deeply and richly loved. And not only by his family, but he was admired and revered by his business colleagues. It’s a testament to the man he was.”
4. Breckenridge Ski Resort’s ‘epic’ winter keeps getting better as it nears 200 inches for the season
The winter weather is piling up across Summit County, boosting area snowpack and putting Breckenridge Ski Resort dangerously close to surpassing 200 inches for the season so far. Resort spokeswoman Sara Lococo called all that snowfall “incredible,” especially considering the resort didn’t reach 200 inches during the 2017-18 ski season until March 24 last year. Short for “snow telemetry,” the SNOTEL totals in and around Summit County are showing above average snowpack for winter 2018-19. Statewide, Colorado’s snowpack is about 95 percent of normal.
“This time last year, snowpack was not very good at all,” said Brian Domonkos, snow survey supervisor for Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Will 80 percent of normal help overcome deficits of last year? No, but it’s definitely an aim in the right direction.”
5. Misjudgments led to avalanche that killed Longmont man in southwestern Colorado, according to report
An avalanche that swept six skiers participating in an advanced avalanche safety course downslope this month, killing a 40-year-old man, was triggered as the skiers failed to follow a basic procedure aimed at minimizing avalanche risk, according to investigators. As reported by The Denver Post, Peter Marshall of Longmont was the first person killed by an avalanche this year in Colorado. The group on the mountain was with the Silverton Avalanche School. A safety measure of traveling one at a time through avalanche-prone areas was not followed, and as one skier started down, and a second skier followed before the first skier had cleared a prone area. The rest of the skiers began “sidestepping down the slope so they could see” the pair who were descending, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center report. All six were caught in the avalanche.
Social Calls are comments pulled from the Summit Daily’s website and Facebook page.
“Please ban these eye sores. They are littered all over the place. People can walk or use the bus system.” — Russell Epstein on “Will Breckenridge backpedal on e-bikes?”
“I am vehemently opposed to E-Bikes. The cities and county can’t even manage the bikepath as it is now, let alone adding motorized vehicles. Someone will get killed using an E-Bike, wait and see.” — Terrence Power on “Will Breckenridge backpedal on e-bikes?”
“Love my Ebikes. Have replaced my car, use is in all weather all year. Buses don’t go to all destinations. Make people realize the cost of their cars and the infrastructure required.” —Duncan Parrishon on “Will Breckenridge backpedal on e-bikes?”
“Having been in San Antonio recently, e-scooters are thick. They have wider streets and sidewalks. There are regulations that no one knows, few obey, and little if any enforcement. The assumption they take cars off the road might be accurate if every vehicle had only one occupant. What is the effect when 4-6 people want to ride? More congestion. Many riders rent them because they are fun and require little if any effort. I’ve never seen any enforcement of bicycle regulations in Summit County and don’t believe anything would change with e-vehicles” —Peter Caldwell on “Will Breckenridge backpedal on e-bikes?”
“How does that work when DPS teachers are ready to go on strike, due to low wages? If our economy is doing so good, why can’t the teachers be taken care of, so they can afford to live in CO? Where’s the money going to come from, really, increased taxes?” — Todd Woelfel on “Gov. Jared Polis unveils plan to pay for full-day kindergarten — but Democratic lawmakers want to pump the brankes”
“That’s a long weird way of saying ‘increase state sales tax’” — Neil Wade Harlow on “Gov. Jared Polis unveils plan to pay for full-day kindergarten — but Democratic lawmakers want to pump the brankes”
“I really wish the resorts or whomever would make it mandatory that everyone must wear a helmet.” — Jennifer Saxon on “ThinkFirst program reminds skiers of the need for helmets, rules for skier safety”
“common sense…essential gear. should be required and enforced for resort ski/riding. however, there might be a psychological factor of “invincibility” felt in wearing a helmet. it is a false presumption to believe a level of protection exists beyond 10-15 mph. Michael Schumacher is an example of sustained coma for many years after hitting his helmeted head on a rock. similarly, hard-packed snow can be as dangerous.
the final paragraph is a qualifier – ‘It should be noted that helmets do not offer safety all the time or at all speeds; for an impact at high speed, there is little that can save a person from mortal injury.’” — Lynda Weston Taylor on “ThinkFirst program reminds skiers of the need for helmets, rules for skier safety”
“Soft on crime. Plea deals shouldn’t go to those who repeatedly commit crimes – like the whizanator.” — Chris Logan on “Justin Erwin accepts plea agreement in 2016 Silverthorne sexual assault case”
“I’d happily “give up” 4th it July fireworks to not set off a wildfire. Not worth people losing homes and displacing animals just for 30 minutes of pretty explosions. If your patriotism is ruined because you don’t see some fireworks, you’ve got bigger problems to work on.” — Lisa Robinson on “Ever-present threat of wildfire leads Breckenridge to rethink Fourth of July fireworks”
“New year’s fireworks are great. Something safer for the 4th has my family’s full support.” — Tracy Dodds Larson on “Ever-present threat of wildfire leads Breckenridge to rethink Fourth of July fireworks”