Steamboat Ski Resort has issued a statement following a dangerous situation Saturday where a skier entered a closed section of the mountain and triggered an avalanche.
The skier ducked a rope to enter the Christmas Tree Bowl on the backside of Mount Werner where they triggered the slide. The avalanche was self-reported by the skier and ski patrol responded to make sure no one was caught in the slide.
The iconic Colorado resort issued statement in the form of a social media post, sternly warning that it is not only risky for the individuals to duck ropes and access closed terrain but can also endanger other guests and ski patrol. Ducking ropes can also result in the loss of your ski pass:
“Skier and riders who duck ropes to play in closed terrain can/will lose their pass.” –Steamboat
The Christmas Tree Bowl has not opened for the 2024-2025 season and remains closed.
STEAMBOAT SKI RESORT STATEMENT:
Safety Alert, today December 28 there was a human triggered slide in the Christmas Tree Bowl that was self reported by the skier.
This is troubling for a couple of reasons:
- This terrain is closed and not ready for skiing and riding
- Significant patrol resources were needed on the scene in order to ensure no other skiers or riders were caught in the slide
- This means that we had fewer patrollers available for guests on the mountain during this time
- Tracks leading into the closed area are potentially misleading for skiers and riders who don’t know our terrain and may think it’s OK to ski there
Closed trails are closed for a reason. When skiers and riders duck ropes they not only put themselves at risk but they also put the other skiers and rider, and Patrol at risk. They also delay Patrol from doing the important work necessary to get terrain open for skiing and riding.
Patrol takes these infractions very seriously and skier and riders who duck ropes to play in closed terrain can/will lose their pass.
Respect all closures, and lets have a safe season.
