Something just strikes me so odd about what has been reported. If it was an unremarkable fall there would have been no reason to call the ski patrol and have her taken off the ski slope. I suspect that she must have hit her head on ice or a rock in the snow. They have also reported that she was not wearing a helmut. I have been skiing since I was five years old and have neither worn a helmut or known anyone who has. I feel terrible for her and the family.
originally i thought so too, but like you i was skiing since i could literally crawl, and used to race up until i was in my early teens, and i don't know about you, but i know i've taken some hard spills on hard packed snow, not ice or rock. and it can hurt badly.
my guess is that she got going a little too fast, and either the skis went out from under her and she fell back really hard, with her head snapping back and hitting the ground very fast, or, she went head first like you see beginners do, when they lose balance, one ski goes out of control and goes under the other ski, and they literally "trip" get spun and land hard forward, sort of twisted around.
obviously i am just speculating, but i could definitely see a really bad thump.
don't forget, it is swelling and bruising that causes the problem, and i have seen the ski patrol called for far less, especially since it is just a precaution...don't forget, Bunny Hills are rarely too high or long runs, and in many resorts it is policy, to put the injured in a sled/tobaggon and get them down off the slope ( i assume both for safety and legal liability reasons)
I skied with a helmet when i was really young, since i was on skis at age 3, and i loved my helmet! It was awesome...it was silver and had my Rossignol stickers on it...i was a little bad ass...all of us on the racing team when we were little wore them, since we were little maniacs, terrorizing the mountain when we were not racing LOL... :wink:
but then once i got to a certain age, like 8-9 i didn't wear it anymore