Safety is nothing to dismiss when skiing or snowboarding. With that in mind, Ski California has recently launched a new, fully digital version of its Mountain Safety Guide.
The Maintain Safety Guide serves as a way for Ski California’s member resorts in California and Nevada to educate skiers and riders about how to stay safe and make good decisions on the slopes. It’s a tool used to educate skiers and riders about staying safe and making good decisions on the slopes. The guide gives visitors a common set of safety guidelines used at member resorts in California and Nevada.
The National Ski Areas Association recently shared these 2021-22 season statistics below.
- 57 fatalities and 54 catastrophic injuries occurred at U.S. ski areas.
- Based on 60.7 million total skier visits during the season, both the fatality rate and the catastrophic injury rate each convert to less than one per 1 million skier visits.
- Collisions with objects – most notably trees – continue to be the primary cause of skier/snowboarder fatalities and catastrophic injuries.
Although fatalities and catastrophic injuries are rare, Ski California and its member resorts consider even one catastrophic injury or fatality to be one too many. That’s why it proactively wants to educate skiers and riders about how to stay safe on the slopes.
Ski California is a non-profit trade association representing 35 ski resorts in California and Nevada.
“We created the Mountain Safety Guide as a tool to teach skiers and riders how to be our partners in safety,” said Michael Reitzell, Ski California president. “We want our guests to have a great experience, and to do that it is important to remind both new and veteran skiers and snowboarders about the inherent risks associated with winter sports, and their responsibility to be mindful of their ability and their surroundings.”
The Guide includes safety information every guest should know – from what to do before skiing or riding to how to ride lifts, to understanding trail signage and navigating potential hazards, and learning deep snow and avalanche awareness.
It also features the nearly 60-year-old “Your Responsibility Code,” refreshed by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) this year to add new elements and make it more current for today’s skiers and riders.
Designed to be visually compelling and easy to navigate, the new Mountain Safety Guide blends the use of resort photography, video and animations to aid in the delivery of simple, informative messages. A library of safety-related videos Ski California has developed over recent years to engage with skiers and riders about a variety of on-mountain safety topics are also woven through the guide.
To encourage skiers and riders to become familiar with the Guide, completion of a short safety quiz enters participants who get at least 80% correct for a chance to win a 2023-24 Ski California Gold Pass (value $3,750). Valid at all 35 Ski California member resorts, the Gold Pass offers unlimited resort access and is fully transferable.
