🚀 go-pugleaf

I  dunno,  I'd  like  to  see  better  enforcement  of  mountain  safety
regulations,  but  it  sounds  like we're going a bit overboard here.  A
scarlet vest for  convicted  offenders?   Why  not  a  scarlet  letter??
Forced  viewing  of a safety film?  Will it be accompanied by the sounds
of Beethoven's Ninth??  And who's going to enforce these rules?  Are all
ski patrol members going to be deputized by the local sheriff???

Forgive  the sarcasm, and don't misunderstand me: On a crowded slope, my
greatest fear is being run into  by  some  jerk  who  thinks  he's  Bill
Johnson  but  whose  skill level is no better than Advanced Beginner (my
wife is a former member of the National Ski Patrol, and we've got  young
kids we're about to put on skis, so I'm pretty sensitive to this sort of
thing).  Still, I think the right way to  attack  this  problem  (or  at
least  to  start  attacking  it)  is  to IMPOSE THE PENALTY FOR RECKLESS
SKIING THAT ALREADY EXISTS (NAMELY,  LOSS  OF  TICKET)!!   Here  in  New
England  (I  can't speak for Oregon), it's been my observation that this
punishment is rarely  handed  out.   In  that  context,  stiffening  the
sentences  would grab a few headlines and no doubt stir controversy, but
would be essentially meaningless.

To summarize, I think better enforcement, not harsher penalties, is  the
way  to  go.  But, who knows?  Maybe the THREAT of all these ghastly and
embarrassing consequences will cause Joe Hotshot to think  twice  before
doing  his  Kamakazie  act (assuming he's not too drunk and/or stoned to
think, that is).  I hope it works.

Roger Fradenburgh
Cambridge, MA