While the Skier Responsibility Code dictates “people ahead or downhill of you have the right-of-way“, a grey area exists when it comes to terrain parks. In many cases it is impossible to confirm that a landing zone is clear from the uphill position unless you have a spotter and skiers and snowboarders must infer there is nobody in the landing zone by watching traffic flows and paying close attention to context clues.
With this in mind it is undeniably bad etiquette to linger in terrain park landing zone any longer than absolutely necessary. Standing in landing zones is categorically asking for trouble. Skiers and snowboarders should avoid these areas unless they are actively attempting features and should clear out as fast as possible if they fail to land a jump.
The following video demonstrates a needless near impact of skier who clearly was just standing in a landing. To learn more about the terrain park safety initiative PARK SMART read on below.
Park SMART Guidelines:
START SMALL — Work your way up. Build your skills.
MAKE A PLAN — Every feature. Every time.
ALWAYS LOOK — Before you drop.
RESPECT — The features and other users.
TAKE IT EASY — Know your limits. Land on your feet.
