TikTok skiing trend leads to ‘preventable’ rescues, Vermont rescuers say

Skiing

Amid an uptick in rescue operations during an early ski season, rescuers say at least one lost group was inspired by social media.

Rescue officials in Vermont say a TikTok trend is partly to blame for a spike in lost skiers making dangerous decisions that get them stuck in backcountry terrain.

The trend involves videos of “whooping skiers in knee-deep powder” luring unsuspecting skiers into difficult terrain on Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont, Stowe Mountain Rescue said in a Facebook post. Due to an unreliable snow pack, the backcountry area can quickly become dangerous for inexperienced skiers.

The Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol, the oldest operating ski patrol in the United States, has been bombarded with “unprecedented numbers” of skiers who have found themselves lost after wandering into backcountry terrain accessible from the nearby von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort. Stowe Mountain Rescue has been helping out with this influx, and they suspect that it may be caused by the social media trend.

“Our team has been called in to help several times and at least one of the skiing parties we rescued quoted TikTok as their inspiration,” Stowe Mountain Rescue said on Facebook.

Jon Wehse, the volunteer rescue squad’s chief, told The Boston Globe that a crew of theirs set out the night of Nov. 29 to save two 19-year-olds from New York City who got lost. When the crew found them, they said they were drawn out of bounds by a video they had seen on TikTok, Wehse said.

Rescuers have also noticed a pattern of skiers following other people’s ski tracks, which have taken them “past the ski boundary and into sidecountry from which access back to the resort can’t be regained.” Stowe Mountain Rescue cited the Toll Road trail as a “case in point” of what can happen to skiers who ignore the ski boundary and follow tracks.

“At this time of year, the snowpack diminishes as you lose elevation so those few nice turns below the Toll Road quickly turn into brambly terrain with woefully inadequate snow,” the rescue team said on Facebook. “Even with a solid snowpack, the topography makes this terrain tricky — those familiar with it know when to traverse left to make it back to the resort. Miss this exit ramp and you have no return, committing you to a long, hard, flat slog in no-mans land.”

With no way to get back, lost skiers end up “exhausted, cold and scared,” leading to regular rescue calls that are “largely the result of impulsive behavior which is entirely preventable.” The rescue crew strongly urged skiers against “blindly following, whether its TikTok posts or ski tracks, or anything else for that matter.”

According to rescuers, the simplest solution is to pay attention to the resort’s ski boundaries and respect them. If skiers insist on going out of bounds, however, they should only do so if they’re familiar with the terrain and know where the path will take them.

“You need to be properly equipped for the backcountry, stick with your ski buddies and stay aware of daylight hours, impending weather and snowpack conditions,” Stowe Mountain Rescue said on Facebook. “Don’t blithely follow trends or tracks!”

This year’s ski season started unusually early, with a record 47 inches of snow atop Mount Mansfield as of Wednesday. However, the recent uptick of Vermont skiing mishaps isn’t limited to the state’s highest peak.

Jay Peak Resort in Jay, Vermont. has reported problems of its own. Steve Wright, the resort’s general manager, warned visitors to stay cautious and alert in a Nov. 17 Instagram post.

“This weekend, we saw 2 break-ins at lift shacks, 2 fires, 2 groups of lost skiers and an injury severe enough to wipe out the entire season for someone who thought adding backflips into their early season matrix was a good and swell idea,” Wright said in the post. “He’ll now have all season to think again.”

As the resort’s Mountain Operations team prepared to open for the season, Wright reminded uphill skiers to be prepared and alert.

“As is the case with most things, if you have to ask yourself if early season skinning and uphilling is for you, it likely isn’t,” Wright said on Instagram. “And for those of you who have done this before, you understand how important it is to pay attention to staying safe and setting a good example.”