Ski California Safety Day

Group of people in the snow

Ski California Safety Day began in 2019 to work in partnership with NSAA's National Safety Month. To generate more awareness of industry-wide and member resort safety related efforts and initiatives, Ski California Safety Day serves as the umbrella event highlighting the alignment and shared values of our member resorts.

Our resorts develop a Safety Day plan that includes activities and events to engage guests and highlight the particular theme for that year. The event always takes place on a Saturday so we can reach the most people.

On January 27, 2024, Ski California held its sixth annual Safety Day, and ski resort members across California and Nevada rose to the occasion with creative, on-mountain activations that reinforced the safety information available in the digital Mountain Safety Guide.

Some of the standout initiatives resorts have implemented over the years include:
 

ski california safety day logo

  • Boreal awarded raffle tickets for a chance to win a season pass to every skier and rider who passed through the entry ticket gate with a helmet and correctly answered quiz questions from the Ski California Mountain Safety Guide.
  • Big Bear Mountain Resort has hosted digital scavenger hunts to help educate guests about mountain safety.
    Diamond Peak invited skiers and riders to shadow ski patrol during their end-of-day sweep of the mountain.
  • Heavenly Mountain Resort hosted free education sessions at the top of each hour, and guests who attended were permitted to use the ski school lane at certain lifts, with opportunities to win prizes such as a beacon and helmets.
     
Safety staff at ski resort

  • Mammoth featured “Know the Zone” safety courses for the public to conceptualize the distance to stay apart from other skiers or riders.
  • Snow Valley implemented a “buy a helmet, get a free lift ticket” campaign. 
  • Kirkwood offered "Bars for Bars" (staff stationed at the top of a chair, and if guests used the bar correctly they would receive energy bars).
  • Several resorts, like Sierra-at-Tahoe, Northstar California, and Palisades Tahoe, have staged avalanche dog rescue demonstrations allowing fun interactions with our furry friends.

We'll see you in January 2025 for the next Ski California Safety Day!