Industry News
Steamboat Resort is Alterra’s self-proclaimed flagship resort with 3,741 acres of terrain across nearly 3,700 feet of vertical. As such, Steamboat will be the first of Alterra’s resorts to add a mountain safety team, following others in the industry like Copper Mountain, CO; Jackson Hole, WY; and Killington, VT.
While most of the mountain safety team will likely not have the same experience as professional patrollers, they should be able to help alleviate their workload. Steamboat has stated that the Mountain Safety Team will be the frontline of speed management, safety education, and conflict resolution to “continue creating a great guest experience while enhancing safety visibility and presence on the mountain.”
This initiative is getting praise from many across the industry including within the ski patrol community. Director of risk and regulatory affairs at the National Ski Areas Association, Dave Byrd stated “There’s a sincere and concerted effort across the ski industry to better educate guests about the dangers of reckless skiing and excessive speed I’m confident that Steamboat’s efforts will improve the overall guest experience there.”
An additional team focused on safety could be a response to the increasing costs of insurance within the industry. Facing this specific dilemma, resorts across Oregon were forced to increase their lift ticket prices this season (you can read our full story on Oregon’s liability insurance crisis here).
Allowing ski patrol to focus on medical emergencies, avalanche mitigation, and marking terrain should decrease the number of accidents as well as the response time to them. The mountain safety team at Steamboat will be a first for Alterra but in the future, it could become their standard. If you’d like to visit Steamboat to see the mountain safety team yourself, the Ikon pass comes with unlimited access to the mountain all season.
