On January 5, 2015, Bryce Astle and Ronald Berlack were tragically killed in an avalanche while skiing with USSA Development Team teammates just off piste in Sölden, Austria. Their deaths raised many questions about what level of understanding the U.S. Ski Team and Development Team athletes have when it comes to snow safety in the backcountry as well as general international travel safety techniques.
On May 9, 2016, USSA announced that in honor of Astle and Berlack, they have formed the Bryce and Ronnie Athlete Safety and Security Foundation (BRASS), whose mission is to increase awareness, promote training and education and advance investments regarding athlete safety and security.
“What we’re really looking at is athlete and safety and security everywhere outside of race day,” the foundation’s chairman, Jory Macomber, told Ski Racing.
Ski Racing reports that BRASS aims to raise funds to educate USSA athletes not just about out-of-bounds hazards such as avalanches, but also about international travel hazards and other dangers that occur during a life on the road as a ski racer.
“We recognize the importance of safety training and planning at all levels of athlete development,” Tiger Shaw, USSA CEO and President told the Associated Press. “We are launching a nationwide effort in their [Astle and Berlack’s] memory to promote comprehensive, meaningful and continuous safety and security planning.”
The foundation will initially be funded internally by the USSA but future support will come in the form of donations and fundraising, reports the Associated Press.
Founding members on the Board of Directors for BRASS include the parents of Astle and Berlack and former director of the Utah Avalanche Center, Bruce Tremper, in addition to a number of international safety consultants and sport psychologists.
To find more information about BRASS, visit the USSA website at ussa.org/news/foundation-formed-memory-skiers.
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