February 19, 2025
February 18, 2025
February 14, 2025
BMR Morning Alert!
February 13, 2025
Ski Accident Shocks B.C. Community
7:45 am Pacific
Dear Subscribers and Non-Subscribers:
It’s rare we bring you a story like this, and a call for immediate help, though in more than 15 years of focusing on money-making opportunities in the speculative capital markets we’ve also highlighted the importance of “community” and how each of us should share some of what we make in order to be a blessing in the lives of others.
There are times when we can really make a difference, and NOW is 1 of those moments.
BMR is stepping up to the plate, and we’re asking you to as well – whatever your heart tells you to give.
Whistler, where BMR is now based, is reeling from a horrific ski accident that has left an experienced 38 year-old instructor paralyzed.
Chris Song, who was teaching an advanced group of 3 teens including a 15 year-old boy brought to Canada 6 years ago by BMR’s founder and editor, slipped on a patch of ice skiing toward the entrance of a double-black diamond run at Blackcomb, hit a rock and tumbled 150 meters over a cliff. By the grace of God, Chris managed to survive this harrowing fall. Despite his helmet splitting in half, he suffered no brain injuries, no cognitive impairment – another miracle. However, his life – and the lives of his shocked young family – have been altered dramatically. Chris is paralyzed from the waist down and faces a challenging and expensive rehab period and adjustment.
This story became public last weekend and a GoFundMe campaign for Chris was launched by Whistler Blackcomb Ski School Kids Manager Donna Kerr. The response to date has been impressive, with just over $100,000 in donations as of this morning, but the 15 year-old boy who was 1 of Chris’ students on the day of his accident – and watched with horror as he saw his instructor go over the cliff – has brought a powerful new perspective to this tragedy and is pleading for additional help for Chris and his family.
“The ski instructors at Whistler, including Chris, helped changed my life for the good when I came to Canada from Argentina 6 years ago,” stated Santiago Vizhnay, “so I felt I needed to share this story because of what has happened to Chris. He and his family really need our help and I decided it was important for me to talk about this, because I was there and witnessed what happened. Hopefully we can spread the word and raise a lot more for Chris’ GoFundMe campaign. It was a miracle he even survived – I thought he was going to die – and I’m hoping for another miracle that we raise so much money that he gets the proper care and can contribute again to help kids like me in different ways. Just a little while ago he was my ski instructor. Now he is paralyzed for life. And he and his wife have 2 young daughters. He always taught me to be safe on the hill, skiing and biking, so I don’t know why this happened. In 6 years here I have learned that what helps make Canada great is how we help our neighbours and friends and even strangers in need.”
Vizhnay agreed to go on camera with BMR, recalling the horrifying moment he saw Chris go over the cliff, and makes a passionate plea for additional help.
Below is a link and the full story that appeared in Whistler’s Pique NewsMagazine:
Brandon Barrett
Whistler Blackcomb (WB) is investigating an on-mountain accident last week that injured a Ski School instructor.
On Friday, Feb. 7, WB confirmed a 38-year-old coach was seriously injured on the job Jan. 28 while skiing in an alpine zone on a double-black diamond run.
“The entire Whistler Blackcomb team sends our sympathy and support to a member of our team who was seriously injured while skiing on the job,” said Belinda Trembath, Whistler Blackcomb’s COO, in a statement. “We are truly like family here at Whistler Blackcomb, and we are heartbroken that this incident occurred. The safety of our guests and employees is the most important thing to us, and we are conducting a comprehensive investigation of the incident.”
As a result, WB said it has restricted sliding in double-black terrain for certain types of Ski School lessons and instructor groups for the time being.
In a Jan. 31 internal staff email shared with Pique, a Ski School supervisor said the team is “reeling” from the accident, and that the Ski School “as a whole is looking into practices and terrain to hopefully avoid something similar happening to another one of our team.”
Fundraiser Launched For ‘Caring, Supportive’ Ski Instructor
On Saturday, Feb. 8, after this story was first published, a GoFundMe campaign was launched in support of the injured ski instructor, Chris Song, offering more details on last week’s life-altering accident. Campaign organizer and Ski School Kids manager Donna Kerr wrote that Song was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries. His injuries reportedly include multiple broken ribs, a broken left shoulder and “an extremely serious” back injury that has resulted in paralysis from the waist down, wrote Kerr. Song is expected to be in hospital for approximately two months, before being transferred to Vancouver’s G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre. Song’s rehabilitation therapy could take upwards of a year.
“Chris will never walk again, and healing will take years,” Kerr added. “His life and the life of his family will never be the same.”
The campaign has a fundraising target of $75,000, money that will help Song’s family cover several major costs, including the purchase of a wheelchair and creating an accessible environment for when he returns home.
“Chris and his wife Jieun have been a part of the Whistler Community for nine years. Their two young children are growing up in our Mountain Town attending school, learning to ski, bike, play soccer, do gymnastics, hiking, and so much more,” Kerr wrote on the fundraising page. “It is our goal to ensure the Song Family can continue to enjoy this wonderful place we all call home while also supporting Chris in his long road to recovery.”
“Anyone who has ever met Chris know how caring, supportive, and welcoming he is to everyone in our community. His students in our Snow and Bike Schools only speak positively about their experiences particularly how patient he is when teaching. Chris takes his time to guide and instruct each student at the level they are at with encouragement and positive feedback.”
Donate to the fundraiser here.
Mountain Safety
Trembath addressed the topic of mountain safety in a pre-ski season interview with Pique in November, wanting to “reassure locals we’re continuing to work very closely with our mountain safety team to provide a safe experience on mountain.”
On the Whistler side, crews made offseason improvements around Olympic station “to improve the experience for first-timers mid-mountain,” Trembath said at the time.
From changes designed to create better access to the Catskinner loading area on Blackcomb for “first-timers skiing the Easy Out trail” to connecting the top of the Excelerator quad to a new Catskinner Express trail, Trembath said mountain safety staff were “really innovative this summer in thinking about how skiers circulate” on Blackcomb. “It was particularly looking after those first-timers and low to intermediate skiers that want to avoid mixing with folks coming out of our signature terrain park area.”
That circulation has been hampered since Jan. 19, when Blackcomb Mountain’s Glacier Express chair went down due to a damaged gear box. In a Feb. 7 social media post, WB said lift maintenance crews have repaired the issue and the lift will begin running intermittently Saturday, Feb 8 as the gear box is tested and any final adjustments are made.
*This story was updated after publication to include information about the fundraiser launched Saturday, Feb. 8.
February 12, 2025
Daniel’s Den
February 11, 2025
BMR Morning Alert!
February 10, 2025
« Newer Posts — Older Posts »-
-
-
-
Press "Reload" for fresh quote