Re: Michael Kennedy’s death on skis, I hope SAM will go on record editorially, representing true sportsmen/skiers everywhere, by decrying the truly mad manners and ugly arrogance of the Kennedys which led to his death. Meaning no disrespect to the dead, it should be emphatically underscored that no truly responsible skiers or snowboarders would have disregarded the Aspen management’s warning, or the lateness of the hour, to say nothing of the icy snow conditions, to indulge in a fatuous and dangerous game of touch football on skis.
This kind of behavior gives an ugly image to the safe, healthy and wonderful family sport of skiing which it clearly doesn’t deserve. Many of my generation have been skiing for more than 60 years and can testify that a few simple, commonsensical rules of behavior will guarantee decades of fun, but safe, experiences on skis. We have all had plenty of spills and thrills without ever having to indulge in the kind of sophomoric, show-off activity that proved fatal to Michael Kennedy.
After a decent interval of mourning, the Kennedy family should publicly apologize to the world’s skiers for having set such a blatant example of poor sportsmanship on skis.
