CHICAGO (CBS) – Two North Shore parents say there is a downhill hazard at Alpine Valley Ski Resort in Wisconsin after their children fell into a stream at the bottom of the ski run.
Both mothers fear more could happen and if nothing is done, the consequences could be much worse.
Fresh weekend snow greeted eager snowboarders and skiers at Alpine Valley Resort in Wisconsin on Monday.
This is where Melissa Mastros and her three boys have been having fun on the slopes for years.
“One hundred percent it will happen again, one hundred percent,” Mastros said.
Her 10-year-old son Luke, who she says is an intermediate skier, went off the slope earlier this month.
“He was skiing down one of the runs, went over the fence and fell into the river,” Mastros said. “He happened to lose control. It can happen to anyone. This can happen to an experienced skier. Anyone can lose control.”
Luke broke through the tender momentary fence and fell into the icy stream.
The incident report states that he was quickly extracted and treated for hypothermia.
“It’s the river at the end of the ski run. It’s funny. This is absurd. This needs to be fixed,” Mastros said.
Susie Smyth told CBS 2 her 9-year-old daughter also lost control on the same hill and went over a fence in 2017. She got stuck in a frozen stream and had to be rescued.
“She seemed very scared and was wearing these heavy ski boots,” Smyth said. “
“When I wrote my story, it was not my intention to denigrate Alpine Valley Ski Resort,” Smyth said. “I hope to call them to action.”
“It’s crazy that people fall into this river and nothing is done about it,” Mastros said. “Someone will die there. It’s like a death trap.”
CBS 2 spoke to a person who identified himself as the general manager of Alpine Valley Ski Area. He did not say how often guests end up in the water and did not say whether changes are in the works. He just said that guest safety was the most essential thing.
