The children of Jason Varnish sued after his jacket became entangled on a chairlift with a raised seat and died of positional asphyxiation in 2020.
Colorado Ski Safety Act
Posted inBusiness, News, Outdoors
Colorado Supreme Court declines to hear case challenging ski areas’ use of waivers to avoid lawsuits
The Colorado Supreme Court will not consider a case that questions ski areas’ use of waivers to protect themselves from lawsuits filed by injured skiers. Attorneys fighting for skier safety fear the end of legal challenges to now-ubiquitous resort liability waivers may mean the death of the venerable Ski Safety Act. The state’s highest court […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Crime and Courts, News, Outdoors
Colorado Supreme Court ends decade-long fight over teen skier’s death in Vail inbounds avalanche
The Colorado Supreme Court has denied an appeal by the family of a 13-year-old skier killed in an inbounds avalanche in 2012 at Vail ski area. The court’s denial to hear the case effectively ends a nearly 10-year fight by the parents of Taft Conlin. Louise Ingalls and Steve Conlin argued that Vail ski area […]
Posted inBusiness, Health, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers reject effort to require ski areas to report injuries, publish safety plans
Colorado state lawmakers on Thursday killed a bill that would have required ski areas to publish ski injury statistics and safety plans. The Colorado Senate’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard from more than 40 witnesses over three hours Thursday, many pleading for the passage of Senate Bill 184. They also heard from ski industry […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Some Colorado lawmakers want ski resorts to report injuries and fatalities
Etthan Mañon was ready to tackle the main run at Echo Mountain after skiing several laps on the beginner hill. The 18-year-old was with a bunch of family, in town from the Dominican Republic for the Christmas holidays and skiing for the first time in his life. “He was doing great. Controlled turns and stopping. […]
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Colorado appeals court agrees that ski pass waivers protect resorts from liability in chairlift injuries
A Colorado Court of Appeals panel last week delivered the first state appellate decision affirming the use of waivers to protect ski resorts from lawsuits filed by injured skiers. Charlotte Redden, who was struck by a chairlift at Loveland ski area in 2017, plans to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. A decision […]