Skiing is a risky sport. Add alcohol to the mix and it can be a recipe for disaster, but at slopes around the country booze can be very much a part of the ski experience, and we don’t mean just a beer at lunch. Lisa Guerrero hit the slopes and wa
Everyone knows skiing can be a dangerous sport. But what happens when you add alcohol to the mix?
YouTube is filled with videos of skiers who appear to be under the influence of alcohol – some of them can barely stand, much less ski.
So INSIDE EDITION’s Lisa Guerrero and the I-Squad went to the mountains of Colorado to see if some skiers are drinking to the extreme and then hitting the slopes.
We started at Arapahoe Basin where much to our surprise, it was tailgate party, just like at football games.
That's where we found a group of skiers and snowboarders who were taking swigs right from a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon and slurping down beers and mixed drinks.
After all that boozing, they hit the slopes.
When they came down from the mountain, Guerrero caught up with them: “We've noticed that you guys have been drinking a lot and we're just wondering if you think that's a good idea given that you're getting up on the slopes.”
One skier replied, “We're not actually skiing that much and we're not drinking that much.”
Guerrero then asked a snowboarder in their group, “How about you? Do you think you're ok to ski?”
“Absolutely. Yeah, I’ve been drinking water all day. I've had two drinks, took one shot and that's been my day so far,” he replied.
Well we didn't see him drink any water, but we did see him knock back three shots and two mixed drinks.
His friends then decided to end the interview.
The skier said to Guerrero, “Who the [expletive] are you? Get the [expletive] out of here. Do I seem completely inebriated?”
She replied, “Yes, you do.”
“Well congratulations, sweetheart,” he said sarcastically and then took off his hat and put it on Guerrero’s microphone.
As the I-Sqaud drove away, that same skier poured booze on our car.
Guerrero got out and asked him, “Sir, did you just pour booze on our car? Is that a sober thing to do?”
But he didn't respond.
The next day, we checked out Keystone Resort.
At a bar on the top of the mountain, we found booze flowing like water and the line of patrons trying to get a drink wrapped around the bar.
But no one drank more than three skiers we watched getting cozy at the bar. One guy had four beers, the other five and the third, six.
At one point they started talking about a woman across the bar.
"This gal has been over there in that same corner next to that pole a couple of hours,” one of the guys at "the bar" said. “She's got that whole librarian thing going on.”
Well that librarian was our own Guerrero who was standing across the bar counting their drinks. A few minutes later, they gulped down their final beers and headed for the slopes.
Guerrero approached one of the guys, “We noticed you in the bar drinking about six beers. Do you think it's a good idea to go down the slopes since you've been drinking so much?”
“I think you have me mistaken with the wrong person,” he replied.
As the guy tried skiing away from her she asked, “We saw you drink six beers, sir. Is that safe?”
But he skiied down the mountain.
Arapahoe Basin says it does not condone skiing or snowboarding under the influence of alcohol or drugs and works with law enforcement to ensure the safety of all guests Keystone said they were shocked by our footage and thanked us for addressing the issue. They say they have taken corrective action and are re-examining their existing policies.
