{"id":6587,"date":"2013-01-29T02:22:55","date_gmt":"2013-01-29T09:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yellowstonegate.com\/?p=6587"},"modified":"2013-01-28T15:57:06","modified_gmt":"2013-01-28T22:57:06","slug":"winter-sports-footage-awesome-videos-or-disturbing-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yellowstonegate.com\/?p=6587","title":{"rendered":"Winter sports footage: Awesome videos or disturbing images?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
A still frame from a video shot by skier Josh Tatman shows his shadow on the snow just before he is injured in a fall on a steep slope in Grand Teton National Park. (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Ruffin Prevost<\/h3>\n

A recent round of new snowfall across the region and the deaths of two backcountry skiers on Sunday in the Grand Teton area<\/a> serve as grim reminders that outdoor winter sports in the greater Yellowstone area come with inherent risks.<\/p>\n

While deaths and injuries from geysers and bears in Yellowstone National Park typically make international headlines, those hurt or killed nearby in avalanches typically receive scant notice outside of regional coverage.<\/p>\n

What generates widespread national interest, though, are viral videos of a close call<\/a>\u2014images of skiers and snowmobilers in peril as they race to outrun<\/a> (or dig out from) an avalanche.<\/p>\n

With the cost of small, durable video cameras dropping while every new smartphone also comes equipped with a built-in high-definition camera, it’s hardly a surprise that more and more backcountry adventures are captured on video.<\/p>\n

Ski films like those made by Warren Miller, and more recently Teton Gravity and others, have long offered the armchair crowd a safe look at spine-tingling snow adventures. But now a virtual army of amateur videographers routinely capture themselves and others in harm’s way.<\/p>\n

The images are compelling, and perhaps even educational. When accompanied by personal accounts like that offered by skier Josh Tatman of his broken leg in April 2012 in Granite Canyon<\/a>, the context can humanize an otherwise gruesome incident. It can also remind others of the risks of backcountry winter recreation.<\/p>\n