Freestyle, Freeski, or Freeride, the rules still apply on the mountain

CBMR struggles with recent crime

Evan Dawson

They may not be the streets normally patrolled by the police, but law enforcement is no stranger to the slopes of Crested Butte Mountain Resort. A string of serious crimes has recently occurred at the resort. 

On Saturday, a snowboarder was arrested after colliding with a 5-year-old girl, who suffered a fractured femur, in a slow skiing zone. Last week five people were cited into court for ducking a rope into Third Bowl above a pair of ski patrollers who were performing avalanche control work.  Additionally, CBMR is investigating an internal ticket scam where an employee was caught selling forged lift tickets.    
On Saturday, February 7, just before 2 p.m., a snowboarder collided with a young girl in a slow skiing zone near the “trough” of Paradise Bowl.  The girl was participating in a ski school class when the accident happened. According to a press release from the Mt. Crested Butte police, “The 28-year-old snowboarder, Larry Petroff from Douglas City, CA, was arrested for first degree assault and booked into Gunnison County Jail on a $60,000 bond.”  He has a court date on February 24 in Mt. Crested Butte. Police and the resort did not release the name of the child or her place of residence.  
Crested Butte emergency medical services transported the girl to Gunnison Valley Hospital, where she was treated for a broken femur.  She was also tested for traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, and internal bleeding, but the test results were negative.  
CBMR director of human resources and risk management Lilly Hughes says the collision occurred just above a “slow” sign. CBMR’s ski patrol is conducting a further investigation into the incident. “Any time there’s an incident of this type, given her age and the type of the injury… we go though an investigation process,” Hughes says.  She says the ski patrol investigates skier density at the time of the accident, the location, snow and weather conditions such as light and visibility.  
There is no information whether the snowboarder stopped at the scene of the accident, or attempted to flee, but there were several witnesses. “There were other people around. All the witness statements are all part of the investigation,” Hughes says.
In addition to ski patrol, CBMR also employs speed control personnel to monitor slow skiing zones, but there were recently cuts in the department.
CBMR chief operating officer Ken Stone says, “We did cut back in that department because it was a duplication of efforts to some degree. We’re looking at all cost savings, but not at the expense of safety.”  
Stone says employees in the guest services department also spend time on the slopes watching for speeding or reckless skiers and boarders. Other employees, whether in grooming or lift operations, are also asked to watch for reckless skiers.  
On January 31, five men were issued a summons into court after they were caught poaching Third Bowl. The men, whose ages range from 18 to 22, ducked a rope upslope of where two ski patrollers were performing avalanche control work. Due to the circumstances, the men were charged with reckless endangerment, as well as violations of skier codes.  
Hughes says ducking a rope is a violation of the Colorado Skier Safety Act and the national Skier and Snowboarder Responsibility Code. The Mt. Crested Butte police wrote in last week’s Mountain Mischief, “at Crested Butte, if terrain is closed, it’s closed for a good reason – don’t duck ropes.”
Reckless endangerment charges can range from misdemeanor to felony depending on the judge’s verdict.
CBMR has also been the victim of an internal ticket scam recently. Mt. Crested Butte police administrative assistant Julia Shirk says the police are currently investigating the matter.  
Stone says because of the ongoing investigation the resort cannot comment on what the ticket scam involved and who was behind it. “We did have someone internally that found a way around the system and had a method of selling tickets,” Stone says. “Things like ticket fraud and theft of services from this company, either internal or external, are not tolerated. This had been going on for some time, we don’t know how long, but obviously beyond this year.
“There probably have been, over the years, a lot of scams or people who found ways around the system, whether they worked for us or clipped tickets in the parking lot. We have a keen eye for that now. This was an assistance by the police department that saw it and knew it was theft of services,” Stone says.
He continues, “I think people sometimes view stealing a day of skiing differently from walking in a store and stealing an item off the shelf, but it is really the same thing.” Stone says when people steal services (ie: lift rides, groomed runs, ski patrol) from the ski company, just like any other business, it drives up the price of those services for other people.