While Rule #2 of the Skier Responsibility Code dictates “People ahead or downhill of you have the right-of-way. You must avoid them” there are certain instances where the downhill skier must pay attention to avoid collisions, this is especially true in terrain parks.
Case in point is this terrain park collision which Casey Willax chose to highlight to demonstrate where Rule #2 falls apart and commonsense takes over. Riding into landing zones is a recipe for disaster and anyone venturing into terrain parks should know the “no go zones” before they do:
The National Ski Areas Association and Burton Snowboards teamed up to create a special set of rules that beyond the Skier Responsibility Code to increase terrain park safety awareness. They call is the Park Smart rules:
- Start Small
- Make A Plan
- Always look before you drop
- Respect the features and those on them
- Take it easy
Nothing specifically mentioned about traversing landing zones but that could fall under “respect the feature and those on them.” The snowboarder in the video failed to understand that the knuckle of the jump is not just a part of the slope but an actual landing zone that should not be used for anything but landing off the jump.
Have fun, be safe, learn more about terrain park safety HERE.
