One of the most difficult parts of journalism is reporting on tragedy.
This is made even more difficult in a small town, where everyone knows each other. Sometimes, when reporting, it could be about someone you know, or a friend of a friend.
A good reporter can put their emotions aside to report fairly and accurately about hard-hitting events in a community.
This week, a 30-year-old male who recently moved to Golden lost his life on the ski hill. The same day I was out there, enjoying the slopes.
This is a likely scenario for many residents in Golden. Most of us enjoy a good ski day.
The sky was grey, and the lighting was flat. The snow was amazing. It was so much fun. But, there are dangers involved when skiing or snowboarding alone, especially if there are any environmental factors, like bad visibility.
While reporting on the death of this man, a lump formed in my throat. The RCMP won’t give out the name of the deceased.
I couldn’t shut my brain off. Who was out there that day? Were there friends skiing that I didn’t know about?
As of writing this, I still don’t know who he was. My condolences go out to the family and friends of this man. His life was cut too short with such a tragic ending.
There have been many times in my decade of writing as a journalist that I have had to report on devastating and sad events like this one. It gets easier over time to become detached from the situation, but events like what happened on Sunday always hit too close to home.
There’s no doubt this accident will rock our community. It will make its way into our hearts. We lost one of our own.
Remember, together we are better and stronger. Hug your friends and family. Remember that every day of skiing is a blessing, and please be safe out there. Playing around in the snow can be so much fun, but it comes with its fair share of dangers as well. This accident may not have been preventable, but there are safety precautions skiers and riders can take. To protect you if you fall, wear a helmet. For even more safety, carry a whistle in case you fall somewhere that you might not be seen, like a tree well or an embankment. If you’re skiing or snowboarding alone, let someone know you have gone for the day, and will be back later.
We have a great ski patrol team at the ski hill that was able to locate the missing skier fairly quickly after he was reported missing, but it was too late for him. Thank you to the patrols and the paramedics who worked hard to revive the man. Thank you to the RCMP for assisting in the rescue. These people work so hard to keep us all safe, and went out onto the mountain in the dark to locate the skier.
