Enjoying Colorado’s ski slopes is an inherently dangerous activity. It actually says so in state law.
Saturday’s collision between a 22-year- old snowboarder and an 8-year-old skier on Vail Mountain was yet another reminder that you don’t have to be traversing the back country to run into trouble. In fact, many skier deaths occur on groomed runs, and speed almost always plays a role.
If more skiers followed the rules of the road, and if resorts paid even more attention to what’s happening on their slopes, skiing and boarding might not be as dangerous.
Under Colorado’s Ski Safety Act, approved in 1979 but updated in recent years, skiers basically assume the risk of any injury from “any of the inherent dangers and risks of skiing” and can’t recover any damages from the ski area operator. (Don’t be fooled by the name of the law, because it basically only limits the liability of the resort when it comes to injuries.)
Given that, ski area operators should do the best job possible of policing their slopes and creating a safer environment. Just slowing down many of the skiers and snowboarders who zip down the slopes too fast would be an improvement.
Most people who die on the slopes are males in their late teens and early 20s who ski too fast, according to one skier safety program. Experts say some of the most dangerous spots are intermediate runs with groomed or soft-packed snow where speeding skiers can lose control.
Of course, skiers must accept responsibility for their actions. If more of them remembered what the industry calls a “responsibility code,” the slopes would be safer. Those rules are simple. Among them: Always stay in control so you’re able to stop or avoid objects. Skiers ahead of you have the right of way. It’s your job to avoid them.
Saturday, 22-year-old snowboarder Christopher Dunsmore said he saw the girl cutting across the slope as he came over a hill, couldn’t stop and “took her out.” The girl was treated for minor injuries. Dunsmore, who admitted to drinking before skiing, was arrested on suspicion of skiing while impaired and leaving the scene of an accident. He also got punched by the girl’s dad, and both men have been issued summonses for that altercation.
It sounds like a situation that could have been avoided.
State law may limit the liability of ski resorts, but Colorado families depend on those resorts to deal with the skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts who won’t police themselves.
