Sun Valley, Idaho — A case that Idaho’s Supreme Court will hear this week could drastically impact the future Idaho ski industry.
This Friday, Idaho’s Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments for a case that stems from a skier death at Sun Valley.
Back in November 2019, Stewart Milus was skiing with “poor control” on the Lower River Run trail. Stewart was skiing on this groomed run when his skis glided onto the back of another person’s skis. He then fell and crashed into the padding attached to a snowmaking gun. Milus died from injuries sustained during the crash.
His widowed spouse sued Sun Valley Resort over his death. Ski resorts are currently protected by Idaho’s 1979 Ski Liability Act, which was intended protect ski resorts from litigation like this. In 2023, the Idaho Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s ruling, saying that a jury should consider whether the ski resort should be held at least partially at fault.
If it upholds its prior ruling, it would drastically impact the cost of liability coverage for ski areas in the state. While the bigger ski resorts in Idaho, like Bogus Basin and Sun Valley, would be impacted, they likely will be able to survive. However, it likely would endanger the future of smaller mountains in the state, like Magic Mountain or Snowhaven.
Brad Wilson, who’s the General Manager of Bogus Basin, described to the Idaho Capital Sun how this case could end up derailing the future of various mountains in the state:
“Quite honestly, we will survive. We will have additional costs and we’ll have to pass on those costs. These little guys, they don’t have a mechanism to do that. They’re already on the cusp. And so when you start throwing stuff at them, they’re going to throw the towel in. And you’re going to have small communities that will no longer have a ski area, kids won’t be able to go out and learn to ski. It’s just absolutely horrible, and for what?”
We here at Unofficial Networks will keep you posted on this case and what impacts the future ruling will have on Idaho’s ski industry.
Image/Video Credits: Sun Valley Resort, KTVB
