Marissa Wong (far right) with her sister and friend on the slopes (Photo provided by Marissa Wong)

By Justin Goulet with video by Connor Gunn

Cherish what you have: Lethbridge teen who survived skiing accident shares her story

Feb 28, 2021 | 7:15 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – What started off as a normal day on the slopes for Marissa Wong turned into something much different.

The 17-year-old went skiing with her 18-year-old sister and a friend at Castle Mountain Resort on Wednesday, February 17. That morning, Wong was involved in a potentially life-threatening accident.

“I kind of had a feeling something was going to happen, like, not as serious as what did happen,” she told Lethbridge News Now.

“I was getting ready [and] some friends came up that I haven’t seen in a while. We began talking and I was a little distracted getting ready.”

Wong explained that her usual skiing attire consists of all the necessary safety gear, including a hoodie underneath her helmet,

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“When I get ready, I have a hoodie on and then I have my jacket on and my hoodie I tie here [at the neck]. Then I put the hood on and then I put my helmet on, but that time I didn’t put my hoodie [up] underneath my helmet.”

She left the hood of her sweater hanging out, but still tied up at the neck.

Wong and her group’s time on the slopes began with two runs that went “perfectly fine”.

“Then eventually we saw this side of the mountain that we had never been on before and it was finally open for the season this year and then, we were like, ‘okay, we’ll come back up and go in there next time,” she told LNN.

The area in question is know as the Far Chutes, according to Castle Mountain Resort.

READ MORE: Teen recovering in hospital after suffering injury at Castle Mountain

Wong said she, along with her friend and sister, have been skiing for years, with Marissa first taking up the sport when she was around four years old, with most of her years spent at the Whitefish Ski Resort in Montana.

However, she hasn’t been able to visit her usual hill lately due to COVID-19.

“This is my first year skiing at Castle Mountain as such an [experienced] skier,” she remarked, adding the group was comfortable taking on the high-level terrain of the Far Chutes area.

The area where the accident occurred, prior to its opening that day (Photo provided by Marissa Wong)

“Usually, I follow behind everyone [while skiing down a hill], just because that’s what I like doing.”

Wong said this time, though, she decided to ski down the area first. She told LNN she’s not sure why she decided to go first that day, but is grateful she did, considering what happened next.

“Basically, there [were] some cliffs…I went around the cliffs and then, under a tree branch and my hood got caught on that branch,” she said.

“So, I was left hanging there and like, it was really caught on my neck, because I tied it, but I didn’t have the hood under my helmet.”

Wong then screamed as loud as she could.

“I unclipped my helmet and threw it off, trying to just see if I could breathe again, thinking my helmet was what was holding me back. Then, I lost my helmet and my sister and friend saw me.”

She said her sister and friend got to her quickly and did their best to free her from the tree, which they eventually did. After that, they alerted Castle Mountain’s ski patrol – who serve as the resort’s first responders.

Patrollers attended the scene and STARS air ambulance was dispatched to transport Wong to the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary.

Wong told LNN that when she was caught up in the tree, she believed she “was gone” and shortly after getting hooked, she fell unconscious.

PATH TO RECOVERY

“I’m feeling quite well. It’s just important that I don’t go back to school [and] just take it easy,” Wong said.

She’s since returned to her home in Lethbridge from the Calgary hospital.

“I get a lot of headaches and I just get tired really easily.”

Wong said doctors treated her injury like a concussion.

“My neck is a little sore, too, so it might be some whiplash they said. Basically, they said just to rest up until I feel like I can go out and do things again.”

The experience has taught Wong to put things into perspective and appreciate what she has in her life right now. She hopes everyone else can do the same.

“One main thing that is important for me to remember is all of these things can wait – like school can wait, a test can wait. It’s just important for me to get better right now and like, honestly before this accident, I really didn’t think a test could wait, like I really thought that was very important… without realizing that life could go so fast. Life could be taken away from you faster than anyone could even think,” the 17-year-old Catholic Central High School student said.

“I just think it’s very important that everyone learn from this and not need to have an accident to know that like, the test isn’t the most important thing in the world.”

SKI HILL SAFETY

Wong also wanted to remind all outdoor recreationists to be as safe as possible when enjoying outdoor sports like skiing and snowboarding.

“Everyone knows to always ski in a group, which I have always done but also, maybe don’t have anything around your neck, just because accidents happen. Even though I usually tie it and put the hood above my head and then under my helmet, my hood had no intention of getting caught, especially the way I wear it usually but that time I just forgot and people forget things,” she said.

“As easily as I forgot to put my hood over my head, but still tied it around my neck, I think that people could easily forget just like I did, so I just think from now I’m going to ski with nothing on my neck, maybe not even a hoodie with a hood. I still haven’t decided yet; I don’t know when I’ll hit the slopes again.”

Wong noted that season pass holders at Castle Mountain receive a lanyard to wear around their neck.

“I know that Castle Mountain made theirs so it breaks easily, but theirs were breaking too easily so I ended up taping mine so it just wouldn’t break. Now I realize that’s not very good and you want it to break easily,” she said.

“Even from now on, I’m just going to hook my pass somewhere else [and] not around my neck.”

She suggested others do the same.

SPECIAL THANKS

Although she was unconscious when they arrived, Wong has been told ski patrollers, STARS air ambulance and all responding crews were “on the ball” in helping rescue her and get her to hospital.

“I want to thank everyone who looked after me: ski patrol, the paramedics, STARS, even my school [Catholic Central High School], who’s just taken it so easy on me and said, ‘come back when you’re ready’. They’ve even rearranged to have me take my one class that I have right now next quarter, since I have a spare next quarter, too. So, things are just rolling very easy for me right now,” she said.

Wong thanked Unit 44 at Foothills Hospital for their help as well.

“I also want to thank my friend and my sister because they were the ones who witnessed this accident and were able to pull me out. I know it’s very hard to witness someone do something like that,” she said.

The teen noted that her friend and sister have told her they will never forget the look on her face when she was caught in the tree.

“They thought my face was going to explode. I was just so shocked, and I was unconscious – my eyes were wide open though. They said they’ll never forget it. They said they were very panicked, but the panicking allowed them to [do] what was needed to be done,” she said.

“Without them, I think I would have hung for longer and I don’t know where I’d be right now. They worked very calmly to get me out of that tree and I’m very thankful to have them in my life to this day.”