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SAFETY RESOURCES
Safety First
The safety of our student-athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, members and spectators is paramount to everything we do. Read below to learn more about some of the industry-wide initiatives that we support in the safety space.
Your Responsibility Code
The National Ski Areas Association first developed the Skier Responsibility Code in 1962. In the last 60 years, the Code has undergone several revisions to stay in step with modern language and skiing behavior.
The latest version of Your Responsibility Code now includes 10 points. In an effort to expand from the previous iteration, the pre-existing seven points were revised, sometimes minimally, to modernize the language; one previous point was split into two, and two new points were added (one, to emphasize the importance of not skiing or riding under the influence of alcohol/drugs, and another to let skiers and riders know what to do when you get into a collision or other on-mountain incident).
Ski Safety U.S.
In addition to Your Responsibility Code, Ski Safety U.S. provides several resources on collision prevention, lift safety, helmet safety, and more. Check out their site to learn more here.
Snow sports are some of the most exhilarating, collegial and fun winter activities. But it is no fun to get hurt. Like driving a car, understanding safety etiquette and tips can make all the difference.
The National Ski Areas Association and the entire ski industry strive to provide tools and information to help our guests understand the importance of ski area safety — and it takes all of us. Learn more about how we can all have a safer time on the slopes, in every season.
Clean Hill Initiative
The goal of the Clean Hill Initiative is to create a venue environment that is as "clean" as possible. There should be as few additional objects as possible alongside the course, and no unnecessary objects in the path of the athlete.
NSAA and KBF Webinar Series
"The Race Series: Best Practices When Setting Gates"
The USCSA partnered with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and the Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) and to bring you a three-part training on competition safety and venue relations. Led by industry experts, this three-part training helps to ensure all USCSA event production teams understand the basics necessary for creating a safe competition venue.
Part 1: Smaller Race Competitions & Risk Management - An Overview
Part 2: Considerations for B-Netting Fencing and Setting Gates
Part 3: Resort Operations Round Table: Considerations from Seasoned Professionals
Alpine ski racing takes place in some form at nearly every ski area in the United States, but some smaller events, high school competitions, adult race leagues, NASTAR, college races, and other competitions have not traditionally received similar operational attention as larger USSA- and FIS-sanctioned races. These smaller, local race events are an important mainstay at many ski areas, and they heavily involve volunteers, parents, school officials, and resort personnel.
This series of free webinars address some of the unique safety and operational considerations and best practices for competitions of any size. The audience for these webinars are resort-based race coordinators, coaches, club organizers, patrol, and volunteer leaders involved for such competitions, including state high school leagues and U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association members.
Paul Van Slyke, Kelly Brush Foundation Safety Consultant—who has long served as the U.S.’s technical delegate to FIS and a safety consultant through a partnership between U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Kelly Brush Foundation—joins these webinars, along with NSAA’s outside counsel Tom Aicher, NSAA's Director of Risk & Regulatory Affairs Dave Byrd, Zeke Davisson from the Kelly Brush Foundation, industry insurance professionals, and mountain operators who implement best practices at ski areas across the country.