Since 1981, two little rubber dolls named Opie and Dopey have become unlikely ambassadors for ski and snowboard safety in Summit County, carrying their message to elementary school children across the county. The Opie and Dopey Show is an interactive multimedia session featuring a slide show and music. And, according to the kids—”It rocks!”
During the winter of 1981, my friend and fellow patroller, Jim Moloney, and I saw a lot of local kids getting injured at Breckenridge. The kids appeared to be acting recklessly without regard for themselves or others on the mountain. We decided that the best way to address this problem would be an educational program, so we submitted a proposal to Kevin Ahern, the ski patrol director, who agreed that the idea had some merit. Jim and I then prepared a list with some of the content information that we felt would be beneficial to the kids and we performed a rough version of the show before Breckenridge’s upper management. Although neither Jim nor I were proficient or comfortable public speakers, our content was strong enough to be endorsed by management and a program was born that season.
The next hurdle was to get the information to the kids. We decided that the elementary schools (kindergarten through fifth grade) would be the best place to initiate our program, because the kids were at an impressionable age and probably would be more receptive to our message. The principals at a couple of elementary schools in Summit County agreed to organize an assembly where we could speak to the kids. If I had to characterize the first couple of programs we did, I would simply have to say that they were awful. Unaccustomed as we were to public speaking, Jim and I were very stiff and the delivery of the material was stale and unimpressive.
I agonized about the program over that summer, trying to think of ways to make it more user-friendly and exciting. The concept was too important to give up, but there had to be a better way to deliver the information. Then, one day, I came upon two “stress dolls” in my closet—the round, squishy rubber ones whose eyes bug out when you squeeze them. It hit me that the dolls would be a good vehicle to deliver the message of ski safety principles in a more entertaining way.
By the next fall, Jim and I were busy photographing the dolls in different scenarios on the mountain, giving them personalities and, in the process, using hundreds of slides and music to transform a dull lecture into a multimedia event that we called the Opie and Dopey Show. We decided we were going to have fun with the program and, hopefully, if we were having fun the kids would, too.
When we had practiced our delivery and felt confident enough to present our new program, we contacted the same schools that we had visited the previous winter. With some trepidation, the principals agreed to have us back. We performed the Opie and Dopey Show and it was an instant hit. Before long, the buzz got around and we began receiving requests from other Summit County principals to present our program at their schools. Now we are invited annually to all six Summit County elementary schools and the show is considered part of the normal curriculum.
There are many things that can happen during a ski day that can turn an otherwise fun and exhilarating experience into a disappointing one. With this in mind, we tried to make the show comprehensive in content and scope, covering basic safety principles and a fundamental understanding of how a ski resort operates. Each topic is introduced with a slide or series of slides.
Besides the information portion of the program, there is always a segment where Opie and Dopey have a great adventure, demonstrating how good decision-making can dictate whether a day on the mountain will be really fun or somewhat disappointing. This segment contrasts the outcomes of Opie’s good decisions with Dopey’s bad ones. Dopey doesn’t always use his common sense and ends up in compromising situations, such as injuring himself while skiing on a closed run. Sometimes we use this portion of the program to illustrate a particular point—last season we stressed the importance of wearing helmets.
Opie and Dopey are frequently joined by a regular cast of friends and relatives. One, the Great Molondo, is the “greatest avalanche beacon expert west of the Mississippi” (played by Jim), who plucks hidden avalanche beacons out of the midst of the assembled children.
About 10 years ago, Jim and I initiated a poster contest to get feedback on the program from the kids and reinforce the ski safety principles that the show teaches. The kids love it; every year we receive hundreds of entries that we display in local stores and at the ski area. We offer a range of prizes, and the first-place winner from each school is invited to come—with their best friend—to Breckenridge to ski with Jim and me all day.
Since 1981, I estimate that we have reached more than 30,000 kids. In addition to all the Summit County schools, we have performed at the Childrens’ Museum in Denver, the Coors Brewing Company Winterfest and several other ski-oriented venues. The show is an excellent vehicle for Breckenridge to interact positively with the community and also to create skier loyalty to Vail Resort ski areas.
Although there has been no scientific study, I have noticed a decrease in injuries to local kids at Breckenridge since starting the show. We hope that it is a result of our immediate goal: to prevent kids from getting hurt by giving them solid information on skiing and snowboarding safely. In the long term, we hope the Opie and Dopey Show will help create a new generation of safety-minded skiers and snowboarders.
Photos by Josh Galvin
Topics addressed in the show
- The importance of eating a good breakfast
- Wearing the proper clothing
- Having a plan before going on mountain
- Establishing a place to meet during the day and at the end of the day
- How to negotiate different ski lifts
- Understanding that all employees at the ski resort are there to help
- Reading and understanding advisory and trail-difficulty signs
- Staying on runs within their ability level
- The importance of taking lessons
- The Skiers’ Responsibility Code
- Being alert for weather changes and going inside regularly if it’s cold
- Skiing/snowboarding under control
- How to report an injury
- Being courteous to other skiers and snowboarders
- The importance of staying out of the trees and skiing on the runs
- And, of course, having fun!
