Colorado Considers Steep Jump in Ski Resort Fine

Skiers and snowboarders who ignore the signs and duck the ropes to ride in closed areas of ski resorts could face a $1,000 fine under a proposal being considered by Colorado lawmakers.

The nation’s top skiing state hasn’t increased its fines in more than 25 years, and county sheriffs say they’re concerned that some people aren’t deterred by the $300 ticket issued for breaking the current law.

The change passed the House Local Government Committee unanimously Tuesday, its first hurdle at the Capitol.

“I believe it’s just a blatant disregard. We’ve done so much education on this that I believe people know that it is a crime,” said Summit County Sheriff John Minor, who expects to cite about 80 skiers this year.

The fines apply only to skiers and snowboarders who cross into sections of ski areas marked closed. It doesn’t cover those who head into backcountry public lands to ski and snowboard.

Summit County -- home to the Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Copper Mountain ski areas -- has had seven search-and-rescue operations for missing skiers and snowboarders this year. One snowboarder spent two nights in the Jones Gulch area at Keystone, and the sheriff’s office is trying to recoup the costs of that search, including $1,000 for a medical helicopter.

Minor said he was concerned about how busy his county’s volunteer search-and-rescue team had been, helping ski patrollers by heading into areas covered by deep snow and dotted with sinkholes and downed trees. He said it affected taxpayers as well because the sheriff’s office paid for the workers’ compensation insurance for the volunteers.

Howard Paul, president of the Colorado Search and Rescue Board, said no such statewide trend was apparent.

Rescues of skiers and snowboarders -- in closed areas and in the backcountry -- accounted for 5% of missions in 2004. Hikers accounted for 30% of the 1,427 rescue operations that year.

The money from the fines would be split between the county and the state, but none would go to search-and-rescue groups. Minor said judges could consider waiving the fine in a first offense and requiring a violator to make a donation to a search-and-rescue team or the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

Not all states fine skiers. In Vermont, lawsuits can be filed to recoup a ski area’s cost for rescuing a lost skier, according to the Vermont Ski Areas Assn. In Utah, the state can fine missing skiers $299 and counties can impose an additional fine, said Hilary Reiter of Ski Utah.

Minor says skiers have no reason to enter closed areas since resorts have opened up extremely steep slopes, cliffs and freestyle terrain parks to meet the demand for extreme skiing.

“A lot of ski areas have terrain parks. If someone wants an extreme experience, it’s right there,” he said.

The measure is House Bill 1250.