A rescue helicopter lands on Mount Washington. (Sam Bendroth/Mount Washington Avalanche Center Photo)

A rescue helicopter lands on Mount Washington. (Sam Bendroth/Mount Washington Avalanche Center Photo)

In mid-March, Jon Miller was involved in a skiing accident on Mount Washington that nearly took his life.

Miller, a Vermont resident and outdoor filmmaker, slipped on a patch of ice on Hillman’s Highway and fell roughly 1,000 feet, hitting patches of ice, boulders, and at least one ice and rock buttress before sliding to a stop. If not for the quick action of members of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center and volunteer ski patrol, there’s a good chance he would have lost his life.

He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he spent a month recovering from his injuries. Finally at home, he had a chance to reflect on the incident and the actions and decision-making the led up to it.

He wrote to the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, which led to an interesting conversation between Miller and a MWAC snow ranger about risk and decision making. It’s something anyone who spends time in the mountains and backcountry can appreciate and, perhaps, learn from.

Read the conversation between Miller and the MWAC snow ranger about risk and decision making here.