Upcoming Annual Meeting:
President's Message
After 30 years of absence, we are returning to our roots. The
Western Trauma Association first met in Vail, Colorado, in 1971 with
its co-founder, Bob Volz, as President. In fact, the first 3 meetings
of the WTA were at Vail, but we have not been back since 1982 when Erick
Ratzer was President. But now, thanks to Carrie Steffen's contacts
and efforts, we are bringing our meeting to this outstanding venue for
the 5th time.
The Vail Ski Resort is consistently rated as the “No. 1 Ski Resort
in North America” by readers of SKI Magazine. The Vail Ski Area
boasts three distinct regions for unparalleled skiing & snowboarding.
You will be able to explore four terrain parks, seven bowls, and 5,289
acres of freeride terrain accessed by a total of 31 lifts, making it
the largest ski resort in the nation. Of the 193 conventional
trails available, 53% are for expert or advanced, 29% for intermediate-level
skiers, and 18% for beginners. Carrie has also negotiated very favorable
lift ticket and
ski rental rates. Other
activities abound during the Vail winter season: the remarkable Adventure
Ridge offers tubing, ski biking, kids' snowmobiling, bungee trampoline,
and snowshoeing. A number of Nordic activities are available as
well as fishing on Gore Creek (Gold Medal water) and other nearby streams
and rivers. As if that weren't enough, the Resort at Beaver Creek
is only 15 minutes away with another 1,815 total skiable acres and 10
high-speed quad chairlifts for those who would claim the impossibility
of being bored with Vail. With a yearly average of 348 inches
of snowfall and 300 days of sunshine, the chances for an unparalleled
good time abound. Moreover,
Vail Village provides multiple opportunities for
world-class dining,
shopping, galleries,
après ski,
nightlife and spa services, all just steps from excellent lodging
and accommodations. To get the full menu of options please go to
www.vail.com.
We will be staying at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and
Spa. Nestled at the base of Vail Mountain, only 150 yards from
the Eagle-Bahn Gondola, the surrounding natural beauty has been effortlessly
incorporated into the charm and elegance of a European chalet - complete
with rich wood accents, cozy rooms, heated pools, a ski and bike rental
shop, and a quaint spa. There is a large and convenient conference
area within the hotel that we will be using for the majority of our
meeting activities.
Dave Shatz and the WTA Program Committee have put together an excellent
and exciting program. Past President Dr. Fred Moore will be providing
the Founders' Basic Science lecture on Tuesday morning. In addition
to the usual Panel of Experts discussion and Case Reports session, we'll
have a couple of point-counterpoint sessions, a report from the Algorithms
Committee, and some family-oriented abstracts.
 In
fact, the theme running through our meeting is that of getting back
to our roots, and, of course, one of our organization's core principles
is its family orientation. One of our member's wives recently
noted that we don't have any family activities scheduled. Instead,
we have kids' activities concurrently with the adult functions (like
the reception and the banquet), but we don't have anything that involves
the families except for the Mountain Barbeque. The Friends &
Family Breakfasts fit the bill to a degree, but they do not include
the WTA member. So to rectify that and get back to our roots,
we are planning an ice-skating and pizza party one evening, and other
similar family events are being investigated. I know that school
schedules can be tough to deal with, but WTA meetings have always been
events that families remember for years. We intend for this meeting
to follow in the proud tradition, so please bring your families.
You can fly direct to
Vail/Eagle County Airport (EGE) with nonstop service from 11 cities
across the country and connections from virtually anywhere. The airport
is only a 30 minute drive to Vail Mountain. If you get in early,
take advantage of Vail's
Fly In Ski Free program: use your boarding pass to ski for free
that very same day; just present your boarding pass at any of several
Vail ticket offices. You can also fly into
Denver International Airport and use the
Colorado Mountain Express for a 2½ hour drive to the resort.
Keep checking our website for more details as they become available.
I plan to include updates to this message as well. In the meantime,
please consider making your flight and room reservations soon.
I look forward to seeing you and your family at Vail!
Larry Reed, MD
President,
Western Trauma Association 2011-2012
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