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Safety Education
BEST GUEST SAFETY PROGRAM

GORE MOUNTAIN, NY Because the snow report is the most popular page on
It’s hard to the website, it posts daily safety tips. Gore also maintains
imagine anyone detailed photos and the updated sequences of all freestyle
being immune to elements on its terrain park page (which features Park Smart
the safety mes- and a link to TerrainParkSafety.org) so guests know what to
saging at Gore expect before visiting. Safety tips are in Gore’s daily podcast,
Mountain— snow phone recording, and conditions report for ski shops
mostly because and area hotels too.
the resort doesn’t As expected, safety is a key element of events, includ-
portray safety as ing Represent & Ride Free each March. Kids get a Gore
a separate (i.e., possibly ignored) topic. Like the parent who Mountain sticker for their helmet, then are photographed.
shrewdly sneaks kale into hamburger patties, Gore finds They have their photo customized with the Lids on Kids
ways to integrate the good stuff whenever and wherever logo and their personal shout-out, then receive a free ticket
possible. for the rest of the season. The Mini-Shredders Jibfest, a
For 2017–18 the resort focused on increasing the num- non-competitive jam-style event, introduces kids to lower-level
ber of touchpoints that communicate safety with guests, features with lots of guidance. This year the resort added
both on and off the mountain. Gore placed an eye-catching a pre-event complimentary park lesson emphasizing Park
two-page spread in its widely circulated Echo Magazine, put- SMART guidelines.
ting universal safety tips and mountain specifics in front of With safety such a large part of its everyday story, Gore
200,000 viewers. In addition, safety messaging punctuates Mountain is helping make responsible skiing and riding
other relevant content on monitors in the lodges and on large instinctive, just like other good habits that are ingrained
display maps around the mountain. thanks to someone else’s example.

BEST #RideAnotherDay SAFETY PROGRAM

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO Copper, but the Johnsons’ visit inspired the team to raise the
When you hear the story of bar and reach an even larger audience, using #RAD as the
Elise Johnson, you don’t for- touchstone.
get it—which is the point. Copper’s Safety Advisory Committee brainstormed col-
Her death at age 5, when an lision prevention action items with guests. The resort showed
out-of-control guest collided the powerful video, Live to Ride Another Day, to all employ-
with her and her mom, was ees and ski club coaches, and made it required viewing for
tragic. And it would likely guests in safety education classes. Copper’s buses (trans-
be despairing if not for the porting a million people annually), sported #RAD Snow
fact that her parents chose to Angel posters, and the resort also distributed thousands of
turn their loss into something #RAD cards, buttons, and stickers to guests. Safety Advisory
good. The #RideAnotherDay Committee member Katherine Jeter tirelessly promoted the
(#RAD) safety campaign is campaign at a safety table, and the ski patrol gave out hun-
the result of that decision. dreds of cups of cocoa while engaging guests in collision pre-
Introduced for 2017–18, #RAD is designed to change vention discussions. A Safety Fest weekend drew 800 guests
unsafe attitudes and behaviors on the slopes by raising who won prizes for collision prevention knowledge. And,
awareness of real consequences. While hundreds of resorts the Employee Experience staff won a free snow-cat trip for a
have embraced #RAD, Copper Mountain stands out for its clever “Dumb Ways to Collide” employee collision preven-
comprehensive utilization of the campaign. Last fall, Elise’s tion campaign.
parents, Kelli and Chauncy, visited Copper to share their Copper Mountain’s efforts are helping keep the slopes
story with management, mountain safety employees, and safe, allowing others to enjoy the sports that gave Elise
patrollers. Collision prevention has always been a priority at Johnson so much joy.

56 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2018