The past week saw a power outage cause some minor problems at Sugarloaf. Although these unfortunate circumstances are rare, Sugarloaf has seen more than their fair share during the past three seasons. The power outage kept skiers in the air, stuck on the ski lift for 20 minutes. Sharing this kind of tribulation in good company can make a big difference, skiing with friends is always a good idea.

Lift failures are unpredictable, usually rare, but there are a few things you can do that will make lift delays a little more tolerable. Most of these fixes are basic ski safety tips that will come to your aid whenever you run into a mishap on the slopes.

First and foremost, try not to ski alone. Always try to ski within a group or with a designated buddy. A small cadre of friends that ski around your level of ability or a ski buddy that will always keep you within sight is of prime importance. If you ski a lot faster than your buddy, take breaks on the side of the hill and wait for your slower friend to catch up. Whenever you stop on a ski hill, always remain on the far edge of the run, never in the middle, as often the skiers behind you will be unable to see you before it is too late. A rise in the trail terrain often can keep you completely blind to skiers directly in front of you.

Keep a comfortable distance between yourself and the skiers in front of you and remember that the down hill skiers always have the right of way. I was recently the victim in a crash when the skier behind me thought I was turning right, when I was turning left. This is not a guessing game.

For jumpers, racers, and those headed for the terrain park, a helmet is a must, along with very well maintained equipment.

Getting separated from your friends or skiing alone is the first step to getting lost on the mountain. Very foggy weather or extreme weather conditions greatly increase the possibility of getting lost. In March of 2013, Nicolas Joy, who is 17-years-old, was skiing with his father at Sugarloaf. Somehow they became separated and the teenager crossed into out-of-bounds territory and spent two nights, 48 hours, in a snow cave that he built with his own hands. Miraculously he survived the ordeal, intact, suffering mostly from hunger.

Whenever a skier becomes seriously lost, the Maine Warden Service is called into action. Corporal John MacDonald is the Maine Warden Service’s point man and Public Information Officer. He has a few rules of thumb that will come to the aid of a lost skier:

1. Always carry a fully charged cell phone.

2. Let people know when and where you are going and when you expect to return.

3. Carry a lighter or matches and keep a few power or energy bars in a spare pocket.

An additional item to add to this list is a loud whistle, like the ones lifeguards use. I have a plastic one clipped to a stretchable cord that hangs from the same loop on my jacket as my season pass. Additionally, I always keep a chapstick in my pocket, a five dollar bill for on-mountain coffee and cocoa, and before I leave the lodge I always put on a bit of sun block.

From personal experience, I know how easy and unexpected getting lost can be. A few years ago, I was skiing alone, without a phone, in the woods on the backside of Mount Snow in Vermont. I thought I could always ski to my right to get back on the main trail. What I hadn’t taken into account was the fact that the main trail only went halfway down the mountain and I had long passed the halfway point. I kept skiing to my right but never found the trail. I realized I was lost and started to panic. I thought I was going to be lost for days.

In the distance I could hear the sound of snowmobiles, so I took off my skis and trudged through deep snow following the sound of the snowmobiles and eventually found the snowmobile trail. There I waited, sweaty and scared, but finally a snowmobile guide arrived leading a small entourage of snowmobiles. He stopped and his first words were: “What the hell are you doing out here?”

— Greg Morell is an avid ski, snowboard and Cross Country enthusiast. He can be reached at [email protected].