GomerD

Hey, I'm looking to buy at least one ice axe, and hopefully two. I don't have the kind of cash to go and buy brand new ice axes (plus all my other gear) so hopefully somebody has a decent ice axe around the 60cm-65cm range preferably, or up to 70cm. Ideally not too heavy and not too old; something more recent would be nice, but used is great. Looking to spend around $30 an axe (if possible). Also looking for some snow pickets. $20 a picket is a bit steep for my blood, so good used pickets would be perfect. 24" is best. For both, I can meet in the Seattle area or will pay for shipping if it's reasonable.

That pretty much encompasses the types of riders that were so prevalent (and to some degree still present) at Snoqualmie. I find it amazing that so many people say that jump was not safe for use, with some concocted notion of “proper engineering.” I hit that same jump only two days before that one guy died on it, and roughly around the same time when Kenny went ahead and got paralyzed. Despite being far less experienced than I am now, that thing was barely a blip on my radar screen; it just wasn't much of a jump. The manner that they hit the jump put them at serious risk. It is just absurd that they could put the blame onto others, and in Kenny’s case, win over $14 million. Most seem to forget the liability of the rider, albeit the original lawsuit was for over $30 million, and it was bumped down because Kenny was found to have some fault (but $14 million is still astronomical). It is interesting and rather scary, that even when somebody essentially put their actions into their own hands, waived liability, etc. that they can sue like this... and more importantly: win. This will (and already has) a strong negative impact on many ski areas, and other sports as well. Snoqualmie already has to have most of their expansion plan on hold, which may or may not be a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Many ski areas are now faced with a dilemma to either pay higher premiums for insurance, or just drop terrain parks all together. Of course, they could have waivers (such as Whistler/Blackcomb and most likely Stevens Pass next season) but that might not necessarily stop these lawsuits from happening. Imagine the other implications that this sort of bs could have. Anyway, hopefully Snoqualmie wins the appeal, but with so many brainless people out there, its practically impossible not to get a jury that isn’t sympathetic.