Safety on the Mountain

Your Responsibilities on the Mountain

Your engagement in safety plays a key part in our role as stewards of good times.

Your experience here begins far in advance of the moment you step onto our slopes, and continues much after you’ve left. Guest feedback helps us understand that when it comes to safety, our visitors care about three different areas of interest:  skill-related issues, their total on-mountain experience, and the various hazards that accompany skiing and riding.

While you’re here, heed the signs posted around the mountain. They’re there to educate, advise, and warn you. Who knows...you might even learn something! Below, we’ve elevated three key topics:

How to Lose Your Pass

The Resort may suspend or revoke skiing/riding privileges for reasons including but not limited to: 

  1. Careless and Reckless Skiing or Riding
    • Violating the Responsibility Code 
    • Violating Federal, State or local law 
    • Skiing/riding in a manner that is dangerous or irresponsible 
    • Causing a collision resulting in physical injury or damage to property
  2. Inappropriate behavior including but not limited to: vulgar language or gestures, deliberately knocking down barriers, jumping fences, spraying guests with snow, verbal altercations, or harassment.  
  3. Destruction of Resort property  
  4. Skiing or riding in closed terrain  
  5. Failure to present valid ski pass
  6. Failure to stop or yield to Resort personnel
  7. Impairment by alcohol or drugs  
  8. Unauthorized teaching  
  9. Violent, intentionally harmful, or destructive acts 
  10. Egregious behavior or multiple infractions of safety standards

For ski/ride-related pass suspensions, the guest must complete the period of any suspension and attend a violator class hosted by the Resort before skiing/riding privileges are reinstated.  

The Resort may also ban violators from one or more resorts and other company properties on a temporary or permanent basis. The Resort reserves all rights to pursue the recovery of any and all damages, including through legal action. 

Personal Responsibility and the Colorado Ski Safety Act

Risks and Responsibilities

Assumption of Risk

Skiing and snowboarding are inherently risky activities. However, there are elements of risk that your common sense and personal awareness can help reduce, namely around skill and ability level, hazards, and different aspects of the mountain experience (like alpine wellness).  

(Read through more of our Safety content for educational resources and insight into optimizing your time on the mountain.) 

The purchase of a lift ticket or pass signifies an acceptance of the Release of Liability. The Release includes a waiver of claims, assumption of risk, and indemnity as an agreement that is part of every guest’s ticketed experience. 
 
Compliance with the Ski Safety Act, the Responsibility Code, and other Rules 

Because Vail takes the safety of our guests and employees very seriously, failure to comply with Colorado Ski Safety Act and Your Responsibility Code, avoid collisions with other skiers and riders, and/or support other slope safety efforts may result in revocation of skiing/riding privileges, physical ban from the resort, or even legal prosecution, depending upon the issue at hand.  

Read the full Ski Safety Act, here.

Ski and Ride Within Your Ability Level 

Own your journey, own your progression: ski and ride within your ability level to avoid collisions, develop your own skills, and manage terrain decisions. 

First time visiting us, or revisiting after a long break from skiing or snowboarding? Take a refresher on skill level designations to learn which trails might be best for you:

Looking for a more personalized experience?

Visit our Ski and Snowboard School and accelerate your learning with a lesson tailored specifically to your needs and goals. 

Collisions  

Ride responsibly, and remember that the skier or rider in front of you always has the right of way. Maintaining space around you while sliding is equally important. It is your responsibility to avoid people downhill. 

Reckless skiing and riding doesn’t just set a bad example for our younger guests; it also can cause serious injury to those around you—and may result in pass suspension. 

If you are involved in a collision resulting in an injury, you must stay at the scene until you give your name and contact information to the other party and Ski Patrol or other responding employees of the Resort. If you must leave the scene to get help for an injured person, give your name and contact information after you get help.   

Being in control of your experience on the slopes means having fun while taking control of your own actions. 

For more information, read the full Responsibility Code here

The links provided on this page are for informational purposes only. Vail Resorts does not endorse or approve the content on the sites and bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the sites. Contact the site owner for answers to questions regarding their content.
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