Industry News
The ski film The Warmest Moments, which dropped last week, shows skiers sending it over Highway 22 on Teton Pass, causing authorities to come together to discuss the legalities of hucking highways.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol and Teton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office came together to determine whether it is actually illegal or just plain stupid. It turns out it is not as simple as that.
“Obviously we don’t condone that activity,” Lt. Matt Brackin said. “There is potential for reckless disregard from a skier’s standpoint and even reckless endangerment if they damaged something while they’re doing the stunts.”
It sounds like; although it’s not technically breaking the law, the potential consequences should anything go wrong to leave you open to all sorts of liability burdens.
“From my position, we would not want to condone the type of ski jumping that’s seen in the videos I watched,” Prosecuting Attorney Erin Weisman said. “When you are launching yourself on skis over an active highway, that could certainly be deemed as reckless disregard. When you are putting others at risk that’s an issue that could put you in liability or come back to haunt you in criminal court.”
Brackin added that filmmakers who want to use state highways for shoots are encouraged to apply for a special event permit through the Wyoming Department of Transportation to fully comply with the law. WYDOT District 3 Traffic Engineer Darin Kaufman said permits are always approved for car commercials and movies.
Similar stunts have been captured on the Beartooth Highway near Yellowstone National Park, Donner Pass in California, and a section of highway near Mount Baker Ski Area in Washington, according to the JH News and Guide.
