The New Risk Assessment: Recreating Responsibly During the Pandemic

Playing outside has always come with risks. Fall off your bike and you might scrape off some skin or brake a bone. Twist your ankle on a trail run and you’ll be limping your way out of the wilderness. Head off-angle into a rapid and it’ll flip your head into the river. Perhaps you’ve almost gotten lost in the backcountry, or maybe you’ve had to be rescued. 

Recreation enthusiasts take risks every time they gear up and walk out the door, some more than others, yet amidst COVID-19 and in the wake of this global pandemic, buckling up your ski boots or heading to your favorite trailhead means evaluating new risks. 

On April 15, 2020, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) held a virtual panel titled “Recreating Responsibly During the Pandemic.” It brought together a range of outdoor experts.

Journalist Megan Michelson opened the discussion and moderated the panel, stating how the outdoor industry has been encouraging people to mindfully moderate their recreation. SIA recently launched a campaign labeled #curbyourturns to encourage snow sport enthusiasts to stay home rather than head into the backcountry. 

“The mountains will be here tomorrow,” Michelson said, “and we all want to get to that tomorrow together.” 

Photo by Flo Maderebner

“You don’t want to get hurt right now.” 

The panel included Jay Miller, physician assistant-certified at Cedar Point Health - Urgent Care in Montrose, Colorado. Miller lives in Palisade and spent five years as a park ranger and medic with Grand Teton National Park working in emergency services and mountain rescue. 

He explained how search and rescue teams are currently paired down to skeleton crews and working with limited resources. Rescuers will be putting themselves at risk of Coronavirus exposure when they go out on a call, and the person being rescued also becomes at risk of exposure. The extended efforts of any wilderness rescue pulls essential resources away from medical facilities. 

Rescue timing will also be delayed, Miller explained, putting anyone injured at more risk. 

“You don’t want to get hurt right now,” he said. “It’s another risk that we hadn’t anticipated before — getting exposed.” 

In the case you may need an orthopedic requirement after an injury, non-essential surgeries are currently on halt in Colorado. 

"You might be walking around in your splint for a month. Whereas you may have gotten surgery right away to get your ACL repaired, they might put you on hold and have you back when they are doing non-essential surgeries,” Miller said. “So you might be hurting for a longer period of time.” 

“Think like a community member …” 

Sarah Carpenter, co-owner of the American Avalanche Institute (AAI) based in Jackson, Wyoming, was also on the panel. She said the AAI has been providing informal education and online learning through their website and social media channels. 

For those who do choose to go into the backcountry, Carpenter says to be extra diligent with having rescue gear, turning on transceivers and doing full safety checks and beacon tests, and to also be aware that even if you’re a very experienced user, others may follow your tracks. 

"I think we all have really full brains right now with so much uncertainty and trying to figure out what life looks like in the midst of Coronavirus, so it’s easy to skip steps,” she said. “What we’ve been pushing is for people to think more like a community member and less like an individual.” 

Miller has been hiking and biking near his home in Palisade. To keep risk of injury and exposure lower, he said he’s been avoiding crowded trailheads and taking it easy on his bike. 

“I think practicing what I preach is going 70 percent instead of 100 percent — not bombing down the run out after a bike ride,” he said. “I’ve been happy to get the legs moving but not as risky or fast.” 

Rather than creating a new trail by going around others while hiking, Miller said he steps off the trail to let others pass. 

“Or if you get there and it’s too crowded, go find another place,” he said. “Just be prepared to turn around.” 

Moving into the future, Miller said it will be imperative for outdoor users and guide companies to stay up to date on the latest information from the medical community on best safety practices. 

“I hope not everybody is waiting for the door to be opened and gonna rush out all at once,” he said. “I think everybody should test the water and see how it feels over the next, say, 12 to 18 months.”

So, yes, we can still get outside and play, but only with diligent risk assessment and mindful behavior. 

“Part of why we live in these communities is to be able to get outside, and I think it makes us better community members,” Carpenter said. “Again it’s just a question of weighing the risk — what the likelihood of something happening? What is the consequence — not only to myself but to the greater community?”