Colorado Ski Safety and Accidents

With ski season in full swing, it’s important to understand your rights and responsibilities before you hit the slopes. Colorado sets the standard for ski safety laws. In 1990, The Colorado Ski Safety Act was put in place to protect skiers and establish a basis of liability.

Per the Colorado Ski Safety Act of 1990, skiers are responsible for the following:

• Skiing within one’s own ability
• Maintaining control of speed and course
• Paying attention to avoid other skiers and objects
• Avoid conduct that may injure others
• Avoid areas marked as closed
• Heed posted warnings
• Yield to skiers already in motion
• No drug or alcohol impaired skiing
• No trespassing on land adjacent to ski areas

The most common cases resulting from ski injuries are collisions between skiers. An individually can be held liable both civilly and criminally for accidents that occur due to breaking the rules set in the Colorado Ski Safety Act of 1990. A major consideration in many collision cases is who was at the top of the slope, as it is the responsibility of the person above to avoid people and objects lower on the slope. Injuries that occur without collision are often considered a risk of the sport, so a fall that happens due to your own lack of skill or mistakes will likely not be a consideration for grounds of a case against the property owners.

If you are injured in a Colorado ski accident, contact an experienced Colorado personal injury attorney right away. If you are able, get the contact information of any witnesses, including employees of the resort that respond to the scene of the accident.