Thursday, February 16, 2012

Slippery Slope


“Sometimes right against some lift, you can have some sink.”
Laurie Harden, Spokeswoman for SoaringNV

Out on the ski slope you expect to see skiers and snowboarders, of course, but it’s not every day you get to see an airplane. Skiers in South Lake Tahoe, California (population 21,403) were startled last week when a glider floated out of the sky and landed on one of the ski runs. Jeffrey Hazelgrove, pilot of the SoaringNV glider, hit an unexpected downdraft and had to make an emergency landing. He spotted a nearly deserted ski run, navigated among hanging cables, a tram tower and the ski lodge, and slid to a stop atop the powdery snow. No one was hurt. Officials at the ski resort are not happy but probably won’t sue. The sheriff is investigating but probably won’t press charges. All in all, Mr. Hazelgrove was pretty lucky. Or was it more than luck? After all, the resort where he landed is called Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Read more Dylan Silver, Glider makes emergency landing on ski slope, Tahoe Daily Tribune, February 6, 2012.

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