El Dorado County Municipal Code Ch. 9.20 Skier Responsibility Code

This chapter shall be known and may be referred to in all proceedings as the County Skier Responsibility Code.

(Code 1997, § 9.20.010; Ord. No. 3418, § 2(part), 1984)

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall be construed to have the following meanings, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Inherent risks of skiing is defined, but not limited to this definition, as those dangers or conditions which are an integral part of the sport of skiing, including, but not limited to, changing weather conditions, variation or steepness of terrain, snow or ice conditions, surface or subsurface conditions, whether man-modified or not, bare spots, creeks, gully, forest growth or rocks, stumps, lift towers and other structures and their components, collision with other skiers and a skier's failure to ski within the skier's own ability.

Injury means any personal injury or property damage or loss suffered by a skier, ski area operator or ski area.

Ski area means any area designated and maintained by a ski area operator for the purpose of skiing or for the observance of any skiing activity.

Ski area operator means any person, or his or her agent, officer, employee or representative, who operates a ski area within the County.

Skier means any person who is within the boundaries of a ski area for the purpose of engaging in the sport of skiing, alpine or nordic, or any person who is within the boundaries of the ski area for the purpose of observing any skiing activity.

(Code 1997, § 9.20.020; Ord. No. 3418, § 2(part), 1984)

A. Any individual who engages in the sport of skiing, alpine or nordic, or any person who is within the boundaries of a ski area for the purpose of observing any skiing activity, accepts and assumes the inherent risk of skiing insofar as they are reasonably obvious, expected or necessary.

B. Skiers who ski in any area not designated for skiing within the ski area control boundary or who ski outside of a posted area boundary assume the inherent risks thereof.

(Code 1997, § 9.20.030; Ord. No. 3418, § 2(part), 1984)

A. Skiers shall have duties, including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Skiers shall be the sole judges of the limits of their skills and their abilities to meet and overcome the inherent risks of skiing, and shall maintain reasonable control of speed and course.

2. Skiers shall familiarize themselves with the posted information supplied by the ski area operator on location and degree of difficulty of trails and slopes to the extent reasonably possible before skiing on any slope or trail.

3. Skiers shall not cross the uphill track of any surface lift except at points clearly designated by the ski area operator.

4. Skiers shall not overtake any other skier except in such a manner as to avoid contact with the overtaken skier, and shall grant the right-of-way to the overtaken skier.

5. Skiers shall yield to other skiers when entering a trail or starting downhill.

6. Skiers must wear retention straps or other devices to prevent runaway skis.

7. Skiers shall not board rope tows, wire rope tows, J-bars, T-bars, ski lifts or other similar devices unless they have sufficient ability to use such devices, and skier shall follow any written or verbal instructions that are given by the ski area operator or representative regarding the use of the devices delineated in this subdivision.

8. Skiers, when involved in a skiing collision with another skier which results in bodily injury to the other skiers, shall not depart from the ski area without first leaving their names and addresses with the ski area operator of the ski area where such injury occurred, or the ski operator's designated agent.

9. A skier who is bodily injured, if reasonably possible, shall give notice of the injury to the ski area operator before leaving the area.

10. Skiers shall not embark or disembark from a ski lift except at designated areas, or by the authority of the ski lift operator.

B. Any violation of the duties delineated in this section shall create a presumption that the person so violating the duty intended all the foreseeable consequences of such violation.

(Code 1997, § 9.20.040; Ord. No. 3418, § 2(part), 1984)

Ski area operators shall give notice to skiers of their duties as delineated in Section 9.20.040 in a manner reasonably calculated to inform skiers of those duties.

(Code 1997, § 9.20.050; Ord. No. 3418, § 2(part), 1984)

A. The ski operator shall, prior to the beginning of any skiing competition, nordic or alpine, allow each competitor a reasonable visual inspection of the course or area within which the competition is to be held.

B. No liability shall attach to the ski area operator for the injury or death of any competitor proximately caused by such competitor's engaging in a skiing competition.

(Code 1997, § 9.20.060; Ord. No. 3418, § 2(part), 1984)

A. Misdemeanor. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of Section 9.20.040.A.8 is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000.00 or by imprisonment in the County jail not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

B. Infraction. Any person convicted of an infraction for violation of Section 9.20.040.A.1 through 10 shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $100.00.

(Code 1997, § 9.20.070; Ord. No. 3418, § 2(part), 1984)