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‘Fun ski weekend’ almost turns deadly
Pair lose way, one suffers hypothermia
BY KATHY BOWEN Gazette Reporter

    A Corinth man whose heart stopped beating because of extreme hypothermia after skiing in Vermont Saturday remained in critical condition at a New Hampshire hospital late Monday, according to authorities.
    Jason Eichorst, 32, was skiing with four friends over the weekend at the Jay Peak Ski Resort near the Canadian border, according to one of the men, Daily Gazette reporter Justin Mason.
    “We were a group of dudes on a fun ski weekend and then everything went south,” Mason, 36, said.
    After a day of skiing and about an hour in the bar of the resort, the group decided to return to their hotel a half mile from Jay Peak, Mason said.
    “We didn’t want to walk with the gear. A guy at the hotel had told us about a snowmobile trail we could ski right up to the back of our lodge,” Mason said. “We thought we could do it, but we chose the worst possible time to go. It was 4:30 [p.m.] and snowing hard. We had no markers and we ended up wandering aimlessly for hours trying to find our way.”
    The National Weather Service said the temperature was in the low 20s.
    One of the party caught a ride back to the hotel. Two of the skiers managed to find their way along the trail back to the hotel, but Mason said he stayed behind with Eichorst, who was having trouble staying on the packed surface of the snowmobile trail.
    “We were slow. Ike had had a few beers and he was tired so he kept falling,” Mason said. “The snow was dumping out of the sky and Ike really wasn’t dressed appropriately. It was tough going.”
    The snow off the trail was deep powder and each time Eichorst fell into it, getting back up and out was more difficult, Mason said.
    “He kept telling me to go on, but there was no way I was leaving him there,” he said. “I had no cell service to call for help and we were exhausted.”
    Pushing ahead for what was two to four hours, according to police, Mason said he made it to the top of a ridge and thought Eichorst was behind him.
    “I looked back and he was just a black spot in the snow,” he said. “At the top of the hill I had just enough cell service to call our buddies and they sent a guy with a snowmobile from the hotel.”
    Mason rode on the snowmobile with a semi-conscious Eichorst back to the hotel where an ambulance was called to transport them both to North Country Medical Center in Newport.
    “He stopped breathing, his heart stopped beating. I was on my knees on the floor [in the emergency room] praying they could bring him back,” Mason said. .................>>>>...............>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00102&AppName=1

Holy Crap!

I has been a wild year for skiing incidents  -  what gives

as a fellow skier - heal fast!

Well, I hope that all are well, and it shows that you should be fully prepared before going out into the elements at this time of year.  

Hope you're doing well, Justin.

My thoughts and prayers are with you Justin

Alcohol and extremely cold weather are a deadly combination. On the other hand being drunk and getting hypothermia is a fast and painless death, so there is a silver lining in every cloud. The next death will almost certainly be more painful...I know, I know. Congrats on surviving this harrowing ordeal. Get well soon JM and friends.

Be well Justin and prayers for your friend!!

Wishing your friend a speedy recovery JM.

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Corinth skier remains sedated after his ordeal
BY TATIANA ZARNOWSKI Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Tatiana Zarnowski at 395-3191 or tzarnowski@dailygazette.net.

A Corinth man remains in critical condition in a New Hampshire hospital after he suffered severe hypothermia on a ski trail in Vermont and his heart stopped beating.
    Jason Eichorst, 32, is still heavily sedated after getting lost with friends while skiing Saturday at Jay Peak Resort near the Canadian border.
    On Tuesday, he tried to talk, wiggled his toes and gave a thumbs-up on command, said his friend, Justin Mason, a Daily Gazette reporter. Doctors increased the dosage of sedatives to keep Eichorst from moving around too much and haven’t said when he might be able to be taken off the drugs, Mason said.
    Eichorst’s family and fi ance were at his bedside in the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. on Tuesday. ..........................>>>>.....................>>>>.....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01004&AppName=1