News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Frank Dale, a 17-year-old snowboarder from Camp Sherman, died Saturday, December 18, when he crashed into a tree attempting a jump off a rocky outcrop at Hoodoo Ski Area.
According to Hoodoo owner Chuck Shepard, the accident occurred at about 1 p.m. in an ungroomed portion of the ski area.
Dale was an avid and aggressive snowboarder, Shepard noted.
"Frank Dale is a kid who grew up on this mountain," Shepard said.
The Dale family are well known at Hoodoo; Frank's father Chip is part of the volunteer ski patrol. He responded to the report of the accident, not knowing his son was involved, Shepard said.
Chip Dale was stationed on the slopes above the scene of the accident to prevent other skiers from going into the area; he was not immediately on the accident scene, Shepard said.
Dale's mother and sisters were also at Hoodoo but did not witness the accident.
Dale's death was a heavy blow to those who knew him.
"The kids were so devastated because they loved Frank for what he was," said John Nordquist, who coached soccer with Marti Dale and knew her son.
Nordquist saw Dale as a bit of a maverick, bright and witty, who was just figuring out his path and would soon come into his own.
"He wasn't your star athlete type; he was kind of on the fringes, but everybody liked him," Nordquist said. "I thought he was just a real special individual."
Dale attended Sisters High School until this year, when he started attending alternative school classes, working toward graduating with his senior class. He was finishing his final coursework through Portland State University high school corespondence.
"He was really starting to sort things out and had really worked hard to get back on track and graduate with his class," said Sisters High School Principal Boyd Keyser. "That's tough to do when you've left the mainstream."
Dale's accident occurred when he attempted a daring jump off a rock outcrop.
"He didn't quite hit it right," Shepard said. "He went off the side and was doing a 360 (degree spin) -- a helicopter type thing -- and hit a tree."
Dale died almost immediately, according to Shepard.
The youth was described by those who knew him as a highly talented snowboarder.
Dale's aggressive snowboarding style is not uncommon among young men aged 17-25, who make up 85 percent of the skiing and snowboarding accident statistics, Shepard noted.
Shepard, who has a 17-year-old son himself, sees aggressive skiing and snowboarding as part of a culture of "extreme" sports that can be found on the slopes and even on the streets among skateboarders.
"They are doing things more dangerously than ever, living on the edge," Shepard said.
Rad Dyer, whose sons often snowboarded with Dale, agreed that "extreme" snowboarding is very popular.
"There's video after video that my sons watch," depicting difficult advanced manuevers, he said.
"I've kind of been watch-ing the kids and worrying, the way parents do," Dyer said. "It's the glamourous side of the sport; when you're young and adventurous it's what you do."
Dyer recalled skiing aggresively as a youth himself.
"I remember when we were kids jumping off the same cliff and I'm sure our parents trembled," he said.
Hoodoo, like most ski areas, stresses safety. There is a national "Heads-up" program designed to teach skiers their safety responsibilities.
But, Shepard noted, there is only so much that can be done to curb the enthusiasm of young men on the slopes.
"Boys who are 17 to 25 'know it all' when it comes to the sport, so they're hard to educate," Shepard said. "Ultimately, it is up to them."
Shepard noted that safety equipment such as a helmet, would not have made a difference in this accident, which was the first fatal accident of this sort in Hoodoo's 62-year history.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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