North Carolina Governor Josh Stein just signed Senate Bill 648 into law, updating the state’s winter sports safety statutes for the first time in years. The law, now designated Session Law 2026-49, takes effect October 1st, 2026.
While North Carolina isn’t the first place that comes to mind for skiing, the state is home to several ski areas in its western mountains including spots like Sugar Mountain, Beech Mountain and Appalachian Ski Mtn, and more.
The revised law updates Chapter 99C of the General Statutes, which governs the responsibilities of skiers, passengers and ski area operators. The law expands the list of a skier’s inherent risks to explicitly include collisions with other skiers. It also updates the rules around hit and run collisions, requiring a skier involved in a crash to identify themselves to the other party, a ski patroller or a resort employee, unless they need medical treatment or staying at the scene would put someone at further risk.
The bill also adds new obligations for parents and guardians. Anyone supervising a skier under 14 now has a legal duty to properly oversee that child on the mountain.
Ski area operators face added requirements too. Resorts must now inspect their slopes and trails at least twice daily, log the inspector’s name and time of each check, and post general surface conditions publicly twice a day. Operators are also required to mark snowmaking hydrants unless they sit in an open and obvious spot.
The law reaffirms that skiers assume the inherent risks of the sport and that liability waivers signed for winter sports activities count as acknowledgment of those risks under state law. The updated statute applies to incidents and legal claims arising on or after the October 1st effective date.