Pro Snowboarder Discovers Crevasse In Middle Of Trail

What spooks you on the ski hill? My list is long: tree wells, out-of-control skiers, avalanches, and rollover cliffs that are hard to spot all lurk in a distant, reptilian corner of my brain when I'm out skiing.

The worst part about these fears is that they're technically rational. You should be worried about avalanches or tree wells when skiing, meaning a wave of the cognitive behavioral therapy wand, while effective when addressing the less-rational obsessions of an anxious, may not produce desireable results in the mountains.

And thanks to professional snowboarder Scotty James, a new concern was just added to my list -- crevasses.

The crevasse -- only a problem when skiing on glacial terrain -- deservedly tops the hierarchy of ski hill fears. These yawning chasms rarely present an opportunity for escape or salvation, swallowing unsuspecting mountain travelers and consuming them whole.

Okay, I'm being a little dramatic.

The glacial pothole James came across isn't a literal portal to h*ll. Instead, it's a reminder that venturing off the beaten path in glacial terrain requires strict adherence to best safety practices -- harnesses, anchors, buddy systems -- all that good stuff.

To address my previous comment on ski hill phobias in this spirit of caution and awareness -- yes, approaching tree wells, avalanche zones, and hidden cliffs with trepidation is advisable. But you don't need to toss and turn at night, fearing the moment a tree well bursts from your closet like Freddy Krueger in a Nightmare On Elm Street.

It all boils down to tried and true, ever-infalliable piece of advice: don't be an idiot and you'll probably be fine. How's that for cognitive behavioral therapy? (I'm not a licensed therapist).

Still, I'll probably find myself unneccesarily whigged out the next time I'm exposed to one of natures natural risks. Do as I say, not as I do.

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