Legal Shield or Level Playing Field: North Carolina Ski Resorts working to get a Skier Safety Act Passed.

North Carolina Whitewater Rafting Industry attempting to do the same.

An article in the Asheville North Carolina Citizen-Times is reporting that North Carolina Ski areas are attempting to get a law passed that would update the law about ski industry lawsuits in the state. Some label the law as a legal shield for ski areas while others call the law a leveling of the playing field.

The law would create responsibility on the part of the skier to watch for terrain issues such as rocks or bare spots. Area operators would have to inspect runs twice a day and post run conditions. Lift tickets would have a notice to skiers of the risk of skiing.

The whitewater rafting industry is attempting do get a similar law passed.

Both bills are fairly week in all honesty. The plaintiff’s bar association appears to be quite powerful and is stopping any major modifications.

See Ski resorts, whitewater rafting industry seek legal shield. For Outdoor Recreation Law Review articles about this see It Takes More Than a Ticket Purchase to Enforce a Contract and Release.