Safety on the Mountain
Your Mountain Experience
Your Responsibilities on the Mountain
Your engagement in safety plays a key part in our role as stewards of good times.
Your experience here begins far in advance of the moment you step onto our slopes, and continues much after you’ve left. Guest feedback helps us understand that when it comes to safety, our visitors care about three different areas of interest: skill-related issues, their total on-mountain experience, and the various hazards that accompany skiing and riding.
While you’re here, heed the signs posted around the mountain. They’re there to educate, advise, and warn you. Who knows...you might even learn something! Below, we’ve elevated three key topics:
Mountain Responsibilities
Closed Terrain
- Just because there’s snow doesn’t mean we go—because we don’t. We are working as fast as possible to open these trails, but they’re not ready for you (yet).
- Terrain may be closed for any number of reasons, including hazardous snow conditions and avalanche mitigation (snow safety) operations. Trails and areas are closed for your safety, and ignoring these messages can put you (and your fellow guests) at greater risk.
- Monitor terrain status by checking our Terrain & Lift Status page (or lift status with the My Epic app).
Responsibility Code
- Always stay in control. You must be able to stop or avoid people or objects.
- People ahead or downhill of you have the right-of-way. You must avoid them.
- Stop only where you are visible from above and do not restrict traffic.
- Look uphill and avoid others before starting downhill or entering a trail.
- You must prevent runaway equipment.
- Read and obey all signs, warnings, and hazard markings.
- Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
- You must know how and be able to load, ride and unload lifts safely. If you need assistance, ask the lift attendant.
- Do not use lifts or terrain when impaired by alcohol or drugs.
- If you are involved in a collision or incident, share your contact information with each other and a ski area employee.
Slow Zones
- Watch out for Slow Zones, often found at trail merges, lift base areas, and near beginner areas. You’ll find them on your trail maps as shaded yellow areas.
- Family Zones are often designated slow zones too—please keep an eye out for younger guests and their parents. On the trail map, you’ll find Family Zones shaded blue or yellow.
- Check your speed before you get to base areas; don’t wait until you’re at the lift line to slow down.
- Please heed the posted slow areas by maintaining a speed no faster than the general flow of traffic. Space and speed are especially important in these areas. Fast and aggressive skiing will not be tolerated and may result in termination of skiing/riding privileges.
What We Do
- Educating, enforcing, monitoring and providing positive reinforcement of the Responsibility Code and the Colorado Ski Safety Act.
- Monitoring slow zones and high traffic areas across the resort.
- Increasing guest and employee awareness of safety initiatives through on-mountain and community-wide activities.
- Promoting the “Play it Safe” campaign to guests and fellow employees.
- Partnering with the National Ski Area Association to represent our safety community.
In addition to these efforts, Ski Patrol leads avalanche mitigation, medical and safety incident responses, and trail demarcation and condition monitoring efforts.
How to Lose Your Pass
The Resort may suspend or revoke skiing/riding privileges for reasons including but not limited to:
- Careless and Reckless Skiing or Riding
- Violating the Responsibility Code
- Violating Federal, State or local law
- Skiing/riding in a manner that is dangerous or irresponsible
- Causing a collision resulting in physical injury or damage to property
- Inappropriate behavior including but not limited to: vulgar language or gestures, deliberately knocking down barriers, jumping fences, spraying guests with snow, verbal altercations, or harassment.
- Destruction of Resort property
- Skiing or riding in closed terrain
- Failure to present valid ski pass
- Failure to stop or yield to Resort personnel
- Impairment by alcohol or drugs
- Unauthorized teaching
- Violent, intentionally harmful, or destructive acts
- Egregious behavior or multiple infractions of safety standards
For ski/ride-related pass suspensions, the guest must complete the period of any suspension and attend a violator class hosted by the Resort before skiing/riding privileges are reinstated.
The Resort may also ban violators from one or more resorts and other company properties on a temporary or permanent basis. The Resort reserves all rights to pursue the recovery of any and all damages, including through legal action.
Risks and Responsibilities
(Read through more of our Safety content for educational resources and insight into optimizing your time on the mountain.)
The purchase of a lift ticket or pass signifies an acceptance of the Release of Liability. The Release includes a waiver of claims, assumption of risk, and indemnity as an agreement that is part of every guest’s ticketed experience.
Because Crested Butte takes the safety of our guests and employees very seriously, failure to comply with Colorado Ski Safety Act and Your Responsibility Code, avoid collisions with other skiers and riders, and/or support other slope safety efforts may result in revocation of skiing/riding privileges, physical ban from the resort, or even legal prosecution, depending upon the issue at hand.
Read the full Ski Safety Act, here.
Ski and Ride Within Your Ability Level
Own your journey, own your progression: ski and ride within your ability level to avoid collisions, develop your own skills, and manage terrain decisions.
First time visiting us, or revisiting after a long break from skiing or snowboarding? Take a refresher on skill level designations to learn which trails might be best for you:
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Looking for a more personalized experience?
Visit our Ski and Snowboard School and accelerate your learning with a lesson tailored specifically to your needs and goals.
Collisions
Ride responsibly, and remember that the skier or rider in front of you always has the right of way. Maintaining space around you while sliding is equally important. It is your responsibility to avoid people downhill.
Reckless skiing and riding doesn’t just set a bad example for our younger guests; it also can cause serious injury to those around you—and may result in pass suspension.
If you are involved in a collision resulting in an injury, you must stay at the scene until you give your name and contact information to the other party and Ski Patrol or other responding employees of the Resort. If you must leave the scene to get help for an injured person, give your name and contact information after you get help.
Being in control of your experience on the slopes means having fun while taking control of your own actions.
For more information, read the full Responsibility Code here.