Malone said Sun Valley usually scores in the 1.55 range. Malone speculated that Sun Valley is probably safer than most ski areas because of Baldy's consistent pitch. Also, Malone said, Baldy's traffic patterns are conducive to safe skiing. Trails tend to funnel skiers in the same direction, rather than intersecting each other as they do at some ski areas. And ski accidents aren't the leading cause of on-slope deaths on Bald Mountain.
Heart attacks are.
According to Ketchum Ranger District recreation manager David Gordon, nine skiers or snowboarders have died on Baldy since 1986, and, of those, six were caused by heart attacks. One other may have been caused by a heart attack. And Malone said most accidents are not the result of collisions. White said there are several common ingredients to most serious ski accidents. Speed, White said, is also typically part of the critical equation.