Kajsa Vickhoff Lie<\/a> of Norway. \u201cYou just have to take it easy. You have to trust everyone around you because they know best.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s more, when cocooned in that basket, the injured skier isn\u2019t peering down over the edge.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re looking up,\u201d Lie said. \u201cThe only thing you see is the chopper. Sometimes, you\u2019re rotating because it\u2019s a line, and you just see the chopper going around and around.\u201d<\/p>\n
In some situations, a skier might already have been administered medication that can dull the senses.<\/p>\n
U.S. skier Jackie Miles was preparing for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea when she crashed in Garmisch, Germany, and suffered a devastating knee injury that scuttled her trip to the Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest memory I have is being long-lined to the hospital and just seeing my Olympic dreams kind of go away,\u201d she said. \u201cI could see the finish line as we were flying away.\u201d<\/p>\n
So why not put the injured athlete in a sled the way the ski patrol would at a resort, and ski him or her down the remainder of the course?<\/p>\n
There are a few reasons. The downhill course is steep and sometimes icy, often more treacherous than a typical slope. A helicopter gets the patient to a hospital much more quickly. And the Olympics are televised, making it important to adhere to a schedule. Safety is paramount, but efficiency and quickness are important as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was get me out of here because my teammates are waiting at the start to go,\u201d said Olympic skiing legend Picabo Street, now a racing commentator for NBC. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be the reason that they can\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Street said she never felt a wisp of fear.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re in the hands of some of the most able-bodied human beings on the planet,\u201d she said. \u201cI love helicopters and I love long-lining. \u2018Oooh, what a fun ride!\u2019 The circumstances suck, but, yay, it\u2019s a fun ride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three-time Olympian Steve Nyman also crashed at Garmisch and thought he was fine. Then he tried to stand and his knee \u2014 limp from three torn ligaments \u2014 quickly had him slumping back to the snow.<\/p>\n
\u201cA guy ran over to me and said, \u2018Oh, get the heli!\u2019\u201d Nyman recalled. \u201cThey put you in a nice little tray, tightly packed, and a guy is hanging there right next to you.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was looking around when I was up there, like, \u2018Wow, this is pretty nice. The German Alps.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Olympian Stacey Cook banged her head at the Vancouver Olympics and doesn\u2019t have much memory of her subsequent helicopter ride.<\/p>\n
Her most vivid memory was a sensory one.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was snowing, really bad weather,\u201d she said. \u201cI remember the wind from the propeller. It was like shooting ice pellets at my face. The guy next to me was doing what he could to shield my face, but that\u2019s pretty much all I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norway\u2019s Lie once crashed in San Pellegrino, Italy, and suffered a broken leg. Problem was, the medical team didn\u2019t understand what she was saying.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe medical staff, they didn\u2019t know English, and for me that was catastrophic,\u201d she said. \u201cI said, \u2018I broke my leg. You need to take care of that.\u2019 \u2026 They were just keeping my head down in case I broke my neck. I told them, \u2018You need to unbuckle my boot because I\u2019m in so much pain.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that, they have to know English now because that [communication] is quite important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other than that, it\u2019s quick, it\u2019s efficient and it feels safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen again,\u201d she said, \u201cyou can\u2019t have fear in this job.\u201d<\/p>\n
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