Another Skier Loses Aspen Pass and is Fined for Ducking TWO Ropes into an Area Patrollers were Blasting

Last week, and for the fifth time in February, a skier had his pass pulled from Snowmass Ski Area and was given a $250 fine for ducking a rope, reports the Aspen Times.

Snowmass Ski Patrol caught the 43-year-old Seattle man on Feb. 23, skiing in the Cirque Headwall area, about the same time patrollers were using explosives in the area for avalanche mitigation, said Snowmass Village Police Chief Brian Olson.

“He crossed two rope closures to get the Headwall,” Olson said.

Minutes after he left the Snowmass Village Police Department with a $250 fine in hand, ski patrollers called to report they had just used explosives to trigger an avalanche on the upper part of the Cirque that slid into the area where the man had been skiing, Olson said.

 “He was skiing in a fragile area that could have slid,” he said. “And it jeopardized ski patrol (safety) because they had to go get him.”

Ski patrol took the man’s lift ticket, though it was the last day of his vacation, Olson said.

Four skiers were ticketed the week before at Snowmass after the two groups of two entered the KT Gully area, which was closed for avalanche mitigation at the time. The two juvenile boys from Silt and the two men from Brazil were each ticketed $250 and asked to leave the mountain.

The five people are the first to receive $250 tickets for violating a Snowmass Village municipal ordinance forbidding skiing in closed areas of the ski area. The fine had been $150 until Jan. 1 of this year.

Following recent inbound avalanches at major resorts (although these came after this), we can’t believe the stupidity of these people, risking their lives and the lives of others for a few fresh turns. We wholly support Aspen’s stance and encourage other resorts to follow suit. It’s not about making a quick few bucks, it’s about keeping skiing safe, and fun.