Ski Resort Liability for Accidents and Injuries

Ski Resorts, like any other business, open themselves to higher standards of care because they invite the public onto their premises and customers pay to ski and snowboard on their property. Ski resorts are responsible for maintaining the slopes, the chairlifts, the parking lots, the sidewalks, the restaurants, and the entire property that is open to the public. Of course, working in a ski resort means that weather is always a factor and sometimes it is not reasonable to expect the resort to control the condition of the slopes when the wind picks up or the visibility decreases.

Risks Skiiers and Snowboarders Bear

Skiers and snowboarders must be aware of the inherent dangers when they choose to participate in a dangerous sport which requires training and skill. Ski resorts post warnings around their resorts and on the lift tickets which state that the skier/boarder recognizes the inherent risks when he purchases the lift ticket. The ski resorts take safety very seriously because they are aware of the potential for serious accidents and even deaths. They all post a responsibility code and most resorts also have staff out on the sloped enforcing the code.

The National Ski Area Association provides the following responsibility code:

Always stay in control.
People ahead of you have the right of way.
Stop in a safe place for you and others.
Whenever starting downhill or merging, look uphill and yield.
Use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
Observe signs and warnings, and keep off closed trails.
Know how to use the lifts safely

Ski Resorts Can be Held Liable for an Injury?

It is also possible that an injury could be due to poor maintenance of the slopes or the buildings/property on the ski resort. If you are injured due to careless maintenance, i.e., ice on the sidewalks, unmarked hazards on the slopes, a faulty chairlift, etc, you should report the incident as soon as possible to an authority at the ski resort and contact and attorney to see what your possible recourse is. Even an overly crowded run could be the cause of an accident for which the ski resort must take responsibility. Ski resort managers must prove that they did everything reasonably possible to provide a safe skiing environment.

Legal Help for Snowboarding Injuries

If you have been injured while skiing, snowboarding, or visiting a ski resort, it is important to understand the cause of the injury and whether or not anyone is responsible for the injury. While juries are increasingly hesitant to grant large monetary awards to people who were not acting responsibly when they were injured, most people want big businesses to be responsible for the conditions in which they keep their businesses open to the public. An experienced personal injury can advise based on the specific facts of you case if the responsibility for an injury likely falls on the ski resort or not. Sometimes, what seems like just a fall on the ice may have been preventable accident for which the ski resort must be held accountable. Filing a lawsuit when a person is injured is not just a way for the injured person to be compensated for his injury, it is also a way to enforce safety measures at ski resorts so more accidents are prevented in the future.

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