Roughly 40 people die in ski accidents every year
By Eric Valentine
Plenty of powder and family-friendly festivities played backdrop to a fatal skiing accident involving a Boise man who reportedly clipped skis with another skier and then collided with a snowblower on Bald Mountain.
Sun Valley Company remained tight-lipped about the tragedy, releasing only this statement:
“At approximately 2:45 p.m. on November 30, 2019, the Sun Valley Ski Patrol responded to an injured male skier on Lower River Run. He was transported to the bottom of River Run, the base area of Bald Mountain. The individual was then transferred to the Ketchum Fire Department EMS and transported to St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center.”
Stuart Milus, 65, formerly of Peoria, Ill., had been living in Boise. Surviving him, according to his obituary on Legacy.com, are his wife; three sons, Joshua Milus, Aaron (Cristen) Milus, and Levi Jungkind; his father, Thomas; and two brothers, Thomas (JoAnn) Milus and John (Sherry) Milus, and sister, Kathy (Jim) Burdette. Milus apparently died from neck injuries, reports say, but the Blaine County Coroner’s Office said it could be several weeks before official findings could be determined.
“Stu was the love of my life, an answer to prayer, and my eternal soulmate. He was my best friend and the most kind, decent, and moral human I’ve ever known. His integrity and faith in the Almighty God was unmatched. He showed me what true love is and I will love him forever. I long for the day to see him again,” wrote his wife, Laura.
In other skiing-related matters, there was better news. The Sawtooth Avalanche Center (SAC) has launched three new developments aimed at bringing the most thorough information to Valley residents over the winter. The improvements include:
- Expanded forecast area—Thanks to a grant from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, staffing has been added to nearly double the area covered by avalanche forecasts.
- Website improvements: Thanks to a grant from the Nicholas Martin Jr. Family Foundation, users will see a clean, modern look, better viewing on mobile devices, improved media function, search features, and other improvements.
- New forecast template—Several major avalanche centers across the western U.S. pooled resources to develop a common avalanche forecast template. This collaborative effort aims to maximize avalanche centers’ financial resources while improving consistency among avalanche center products, making it easier for recreationists to use the products to stay safe while traveling in the backcountry.
SAC will begin publishing daily Backcountry Avalanche Forecasts at www.sawtoothavalanche.com when the snowpack is deep enough to keep skiers and snowmobilers off of the ground. Forecasts are issued each morning by 7:30 a.m. and are available on the website as well as by email subscription.
On weekday mornings, you can also tune into KECH 95.3 FM or KDPI 88.5 FM to hear a quick summary of the current avalanche conditions. The Sawtooth NF Facebook page (@sawtoothnationalforest) has daily updates, too.
And in ski-racing matters, there was positive news, as well. For 84 years the Sun Valley Ski Club has been a foundation for promoting ski racing at Sun Valley. This season, Sun Valley Company is teaming up with the Ski Club to bring a new adult race-training program to Warm Springs. This new program is designed for all levels of skiing experience.
Training venues will be Warm Springs, Hemingway, Cozy and Arc Park. Race courses will support Super-Giant Slalom, Giant Slalom and Slalom.
“The goal is to have courses that are user-friendly and set for all abilities,” club president Heidi Schernthanner said.
The Race Clinic begins Dec. 14 and runs through March. Training days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings beginning at 9:30 a.m. and running for about two hours.
For signup information, cost or questions, contact the club at SunValleySkiClub@gmail.com or sly@sunvalley.net.