By Ryan Brandt

March 13, 2002 In the aftermath of the record-breaking 13th skiing death in Colorado this season, Aspen Skiing Co. is recommending the use of helmets as a part of a heightened safety-awareness program announced last week.

"We are encouraging people to wear helmets regardless of who they are, employees or guests," said Aspen Skiing Co. Senior Vice President, Dave Bellack.

The beefed-up program involves two key levels of increased safety awareness: the helmet use recommendation and a stronger promotion of the skier responsibility code. The company will use media outlets, rental and ticket centers, ski instructors, patrollers, and lift operators to spread the safe skiing messages.

Bellack said that the program is not a direct result of the deaths, but the attention to skiing safety garnered by the record makes it a good time to launch education efforts. "It's a time where the high number of deaths has brought an increased amount of awareness on safety and so we thought this would be a good time to get the word out on mountain safety," said Bellack.

Although the helmet recommendation is just that, a recommendation, Bellack views the use of helmets as a move in the right direction. "The research we've seen doesn't show any downsides and they do show some benefits. I think it's become practical to wear a helmet."

Bellack hopes that a stronger safety awareness program will help people ski more responsibly. "I see this as a program that we will continue indefinitely."

According to Colorado Ski Country USA, the previous record of 12 deaths in a season was set in the 1998-99 winter. Of the 13 deaths on Colorado slopes this year, five occurred at Aspen Skiing Co. resorts.

Resort and emergency officials are at a loss to explain the causes behind the record.

"It's an anomaly," Amanda McNally, a spokeswoman for Breckenridge Ski Resort, told the Denver Post last week.

"The only thing unique for this season is that we have a lot less snow," Director of the Rocky Mountain Ski Patrol Division and Arapahoe Basin patroller Hap Burnham told the Denver Post. "When you have less snow that's used by a lot more folks [the snow gets hard and fast]. The firm snow may be a reason, but it's difficult, if not impossible, to determine cause and effect."