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GEAR ADVANCEMENTS REDUCE INJURY Since the 2012–13 season, the number of catastrophic
injuries and fatalities occurring in terrain parks has steadily
Since 1989 declined, down 52 percent overall. Like injury trends in gen-
97% eral, terrain parks are improving through a variety of steps
initiated by ski areas and their park staffs. These include
REDUCTION MILLION improved educational initiatives with park staff, warnings
in tibia/leg saved annually and signage for educating guests, and creating varying levels
fractures of parks for different abilities.
in U.S. after adoption of ASTM F27 Similarly, more lessons and instructions have also edu-
ski shop boots and bindings standards cated our guests. For example, PSIA-AASI introduced a
Freestyle certification for ski and snowboard instructors in
Source: Dr. Jasper Shealy, Rochester Institute of Technology
2014, giving guests additional resources to improve their
successes in reducing the number of tibia fractures—broken overall skill levels in terrain parks with targeted lessons from
At U.S. ski areas
legs—that plagued the sport early on. certified instructors.
62% But one especially crucial development has been the
As the broader industry collectively pushed for formal-
izing guidelines related to the mechanical systems involved dramatic expansion of employee education—if not the pro-
of fatalities
with ski gear—installation and service of the ski boot-bind- fessionalization—of terrain park staff. Ski Area Management
resulted from
ing system—the result was an astonishing decline in tibia magazine (SAM) drove the development with their week-
collisions
with trees or
fractures. In the 1980s, a voluntary group of ski and boot long Cutters Camp educational programs. NSAA also began
natural objects
manufacturers, rental shops, epidemiologists, and resort offering regional and national education initiatives. Started
since 2009
Suffocation
operators collab orated to create standards to improve guest in 2003, SAM Magazine’s Cutters Camp has provided
in treewells
safety and employee training. Collectively, this broad coali- a critical environment for ski area park crews to share
accounts for
catastrophic and fatal incidents.}
tion within the industry voted to adopt what are now known information and insights, learn park-specific grooming
12%
as “rental shop” standards through the F-27 Committee on
Snowsports under ASTM (American Society for Testing and A dramatic expansion of guest
of fatalities
Materials). Since the adoption of these standards in 1989, it { education and terrain park employees
Source: NSAA
since 2009
revolutionized the sport, facilitated the acceleration of skill
acquisition for new skiers, and significantly improved the has been crucial in decreasing
overall safety of skiing for guests.
According to Dr. Shealy, one of the principal architects
of these standards, the adoption of these voluntary shop techniques, analyze feature design and construction, and
standards resulted in a steep reduction of 97 percent of tibia teach trail and park layout strategies to maximize safety and
fractures. Dr. Shealy published a series of scientific journal overall guest experience. Equally important, though, was
studies finding that these improvements saved the skiing NSAA’s unveiling of the industry’s Terrain Park Resource
public—and the American health care system—approximately Guide, introduced in 2000, and periodically updated and
$600 million annually from leg fractures. revised since then through understanding and sharing of
Because these design and training standards were volun- industry knowledge.
tarily adopted and embraced by the ski industry and resort While these educational opportunities have directly
operators, these dramatic safety results were achieved without resulted in fewer terrain park injuries and fatalities, there is
the specter of heavy-handed government regulations. always room for improvement—especially recognizing the
constant-challenge of the human element involved with any
DECLINING TERRAIN PARK INCIDENTS recreational or sporting activity.
When terrain parks at ski areas were in their infancy during
the 1990s, serious injuries were not uncommon: after all, it THE RISKS OF AVALANCHES
was a somewhat new concept for skiers and snowboarders, A notable success story from ski resort operators is the rarity
park builders, and resort operators alike. But the industry— of in-bounds avalanche fatalities at ski areas in the U.S. This
and the skiing and riding public—became more sophisticated a testament to the vigilance of dedicated ski patrollers who
over time. And this has become evident through a signifi- specialize in avalanche mitigation, guest education, warn-
cant decline in serious and fatal terrain park incidents across ings and trail closures, snow science, and overall, thoughtful
the industry. mountain operations.

62 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2019