Page 22 of Mountain Security

“Okay. But we’re not going back to the bunny slope,” he said.

“We’re not?”

“I think you’re ready for Libellules. It’s still green,” he clarified. “But it’s a longer run, and I think you’ll find it a lot more fun.”

He didn’t mention the chairlift until they were upon it.

Yvette looked at it mistrustfully. “You really think I’m ready for this?” she asked.

He took her through the steps, letting her know the attendant would slow it down for her. He would help her stand in the right spot, so all she’d have to do when the time came was sit down.

“Okay. Okay. I’m ready.”

The whole thing went off without a hitch, and then they were in the air.

“Wow. It worked.” She sounded surprised.

“Woman of little faith,” he laughed. “Of course it worked!”

“This is amazing. The view from up here is … I love it. Thank you, Alex. Thank you.”

At the top, he helped her off the chairlift, holding on to the back until she was off, waving his thanks to the attendant.

A group of teenagers, three boys and a girl, slipped by, moving fast. Drunk on life, they dodged between groups of clumsy tourists.

“Jesus,” Yvette said. “They look like they were born on skis.”

“If they’reChamonards, it’s likely they’ve been skiing as long as they’ve been walking.” He pointed at the long run ahead of them, circling a large artificial lake.

“That’s Libellules,” he said. “We’ll go gently around that lake until we reach that other chairlift at the bottom.“

“What’s that?” Yvette asked curiously, looking at the frozen, icy surface, and at the bright orange safety netting surrounding it.

“A reservoir. It’s used to gather water, which can be used to make snow, if needed, so the ski resort can stay open longer when the weather is unseasonably warm.”

A grown man pushed by them, waving his arms like a windmill, powering down the slope, his eyes firmly locked on the tip of his skis. He was a big bear of a man, and Alex quickly identified him as one of those beginners who think they are experts. He quickly moved, so he was standing between the man and Yvette. He wasn’t going to let anyone scare her.

Yvette followed the man with her eyes.

“What is he—“

She never got to finish her question. The man continued gaining speed, powering down the slope as if he were an Olympic downhill racer before going off the clearly marked run and down the steep escarpment.

Yvette’s eyes widened in horror as the skier crashed into the orange nets. For a moment, it looked like the net would hold, but the man was too heavy, and moving too fast. One of the supports was ripped right out of the snow. Then another one, and then there was nothing stopping the man from slipping right over the netting and onto the frozen surface.

“Oh my God!” Yvette gasped.

Fuck.

That’s not going to hold.

The man landed on the ice like a giant walrus, then crashed right through into the icy water below. He flailed in the water, grasping at the icy edges around him but unable to gain purchase, only succeeding in making the hole bigger.

It didn’t matter how strong he was. Burdened by the heavy ski boots, Alex knew there was no way the man could pull himself out.

“He’s going under,” Alex said.

And then the teens from before were there. Two of the boys looked like they were getting ready to climb down to help the man.

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