The Naked Skier of Vail: A Newsworthy Situation?

The great thing about the Internet is that we get news quickly and promptly. The bad thing about the Internet is that embarrassing news also spreads quickly. On New Year's Day, an unfortunate 48-year-old man, who hasn't been identified, was photographed hanging upside down sans pants in a bizarre ski lift accident.

According to the Vail Daily, the man had been attempting to upload the lift, but the seat had been left up on the chair, leaving the skier to fall through. His pants got caught and he was left hanging by his pants in mid-air with his backside exposed. He was suspended for seven minutes when lift operators stopped the lift and mechanics lowered the man to the ground. Nothing but the man's pride was injured.

Photographers and bystanders took pictures as the man hovered in the air. The photos, one showing the man's exposed buttocks and another showing him hanging by one leg, have gained international interest due to the fact that they were posted on prominent Web sites thesmokinggun.com and drudgereport.com.

The day after the incident, the pictures were printed in the Vail Daily newspaper. Needless to say, the feedback was not positive. In letters to the editor, only a few people thought that the picture was funny. The rest were not so forgiving.

"In this age of some disgusting reality television, maybe that is what it takes to get attention or entertain some people, but a better sense of propriety and good judgment would be wiser in our opinion."

"Pretty poor taste in showing the skier who got flipped on the Blue Sky lift. He was terrified and I am sure still not laughing about the "cheeky" situation. . .I expect more from a smalltown (sic) newspaper."

The photographer, Marty Odom, an employee of Sharpshooters, found himself suspended when he went in to work on Monday.

"I thought it was going to be the photo of the New Year," Odom told the Vail Daily.

But despite the mixed feelings about the picture, Odom's spirits are pretty high.

"Everyone is talking about it and saying, 'Oh, you're the guy who took that photo.' People love it. Everyone said it's going to be a legend in Vail, hung up in every bar."

If you were to remove yourself from the situation, the pictures are humorous. Throw in the fact that a real person was literally exposed to millions across the country by a small town newspaper and dozens of other Web sites and it's not as funny.

In all honesty, what bothers me most, is that this is not journalism and it should not be regarded as such. Granted, the man's name was not released, he was uninjured and if anything, his accident was a warning to others to remember safety rules on the lifts. If he had been injured, these pictures would never have seen the light of day.

Regardless of what-ifs, an incident such as this should still not be regarded as newsworthy. This isn't Hollywood.

Edward Stoner, Vail: Skier in Air for About 7 Minutes, Vail Daily

Melanie Wong, Photographer Suspended for Vail Skier Pic, Vail Daily

Vail, Colorado: Letters to the Editor