Snowboarding, skiing, and the law

Snowboarding and skiing, like just about every activity you can think of these days, might end up in legal action one way or the other.

The Utah Bar Association has published an analysis by David S. Kottler of the state of Utah ski law. It focuses primarily on legal actions that might result from accidents or collisions, putting them into one of five categories:

• Collisions with other skiers/snowboarders, with immovable objects (e.g., trees), or with movable objects (e.g., runaway skis or snowboards);

• Ski lift accidents due to negligent design, maintenance, or operation of the lift, or due to the negligence of other skiers or passengers on the lift;

• Accidents caused by ski area negligence such as failure to mark a known hazard, improper slope maintenance and/or grooming, or inadequate avalanche control;

• Accidents caused by ski instructor negligence, such as leading ski school students into overly challenging terrain or failing to provide safety instructions; and

• Accidents or injuries resulting from faulty equipment, most commonly alpine bindings that fail to release properly.

Meanwhile, a law firm in Denver offers a survey of the ski laws in 27 states. Though it’s old (published in 2006), it’s comprehensive.