California’s Donner Ski Ranch has had quite the news week, sharing an image of new signs at the bottom of chairlifts that encourage guests to tell on lift operators who are using their phones while working. Their initial Facebook post sparked quite a reaction online, with many people criticizing the resort’s movement to recruit guests into workplace surveillance, but now they’re taking it much further.
A few days after the initial post, Donner Ski Ranch doubled down, posting a longer explanation about how distracted workers create safety issues. Lift operators are responsible for the safety of chairlift riders, and being on their phone is certainly a distraction and safety risk. That second post didn’t garner much better attention than the first, but nonetheless, Donner Ski Ranch has dug in even more.
In a post made on Tuesday, June 30th, the California ski area announced that anyone who emails a photo of a working DSR lift operator on their cell phone to the resort during the 2026/2027 ski season will receive a voucher for a free lift ticket.
“The sign that started out as a joke became national news. It seems everyone had a lot to say. Good, Bad and Much Hate. We are sorry that your moral standards are so high you will not mention an unsafe condition for your safety or the safety of others. We are sorry if you do not believe all resorts should use all means to insure the safety of all guest.” – Donner Ski Ranch
It’s quite a move to make. Safety is certainly important on the mountain, but does this move really ensure that safety or does it just make for a more toxic, anxiety filled workplace? Lifties are hard workers, and putting a bounty out on their behavior certainly complicates the relationship between the employees and guests. We’ll certainly be monitoring the situation to see what comes next.