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Safety

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY CODE:

UPDATING THE FOUNDATION

NSAA Assembles Group to Evaluate the Rules of the Road

BY EARL SALINE, NSAA DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION PROGRAMMING

FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS now, Your Responsibility Code in adult and kids ski school classes, and even putting it on nap- ...to first class.
has been a foundational component of safety and risk kins and cups in the cafeterias. Yet, even the best ideas age and
management that areas have promoted and guests have require fine-tuning over time. The Responsibility Code is no
embraced. Officially launched in 1965, the Code consoli- different. As this project progresses, look for updates this com-
dated the many different versions of rules, codes of conduct, ing winter at the NSAA Western and Eastern Conferences and
and guidelines that existed across the US. And, as testa- Tradeshows and in the Journal.
ment to the thoughtful effort put into its development, the For more information and to get involved with the
Code has remained to this day almost as written five decades working group, please contact Dave Byrd at dbyrd@nsaa.org
ago. Other than a few subtle, but important, revisions and a or Earl Saline at esaline@nsaa.org.
name change, the basic tenets hold firm.
Technology and culture have brought about changes to
equipment and the experience at areas and resorts of all size,
not the least of which is the on-hill experience. From terrain All New Premium
parks and expanded grooming to backcountry exit gates and
snowmaking, skiers and riders are going bigger, faster, and to Digital Signage
more places than ever before.
This in turn changes traffic patterns and user behav-
ior on the hill. While the seven main points of the Code CPS (Computer Panorama &
still apply, it is time to take a closer look and see how we Parking Guidance System)
can modernize this hallmark of skiing and riding culture to
ensure that it is ingrained into the behaviors of a new (and
future) generation of skiers and riders. iSKI App Service &
NSAA’s Risk and Education Committee is assembling
a small working group to evaluate the current code, its pri- Interactive Trail Map
mary points, and how we communicate these to our guests
and employees. Just as newspapers have embraced digital
delivery of the daily news, the ski industry also must look MediaCam 3.0
for new and different ways to deliver important safety infor- (Live Streaming)
mation such as the Responsibility Code. Digital delivery of
up-to-the-minute safety messages; the development of quick,
easily consumable videos breaking down each point; and the
use of icons and pictures to illustrate safety concepts are just From business class ...
a few of the options being considered.
The industry has embraced the Code, incorporating it into
state legislation, printing it on trail maps everywhere, teaching it

Doppelmayr USA, Inc., 3160 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84104, T: 1-801-973-7977, F: 1-801-973-9580 www.doppelmayrusa.com
10 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2017