health & MOUNTAIN Safety

No uphill hiking/skiing is allowed on the mountain during the winter operating season.

Aerial Drone use is prohibited.

• "Go with the flow." Slow down when others are around you. Respect each others space and speed.

• Go too fast - lose your pass. Certain areas on the mountain indicated by blue or green designations on the trail map and reinforced by slow signs are Slow Skiing areas. Please ski or snowboard slowly in these areas at all times.

• Check out these great sites for more safety information:

  • NSAA Helmet Safety
  • Discover Snow Helmet Information
  • NSAA Lift Safety
  • Tree Well and Deep Snow Safety
  • Video: Ride Another Day

• Always stay in control. You must be able to stop or avoid people or objects.
• People ahead or downhill of you have the right-of-way. You must avoid them.
• Stop only where you are visible from above and do not restrict traffic.
• Look uphill and avoid others before starting downhill or entering a trail.
• You must prevent runaway equipment.
• Read and obey all signs, warnings, and hazard markings.
• Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
• You must know how and be able to load, ride and unload lifts safely. If you need assistance, ask the lift attendant.
• Do not use lifts or terrain when impaired by alcohol or drugs.
• If you are involved in a collision or incident, share your contact information with each other and a ski area employee.

For more information, visit NSAA.

Utah Law provides that as a “skier” you assume the risk and accept the responsibility for injuries resulting from the inherent risks of skiing, which include, but are not limited to:

• Changing weather conditions
• Variations or steepness in terrain
• Snow or ice conditions
• Surface or subsurface conditions such as bare spots, forest growth, rocks, stumps, impact with lift towers and other structures and their components
• Collisions with other skiers, users or persons
• A skier’s failure to ski within their own ability

The various difficulty ratings are relative to the Snowbird area and cannot be compared to other ski areas. Start with green runs first. During periods of low visibility or other inclement weather and snow conditions, the degree of difficulty of the ski runs may change.

In addition to assuming the inherent risks of skiing, as a condition precedent to using Snowbird’s facilities, you assume the risk of and waive all claims for liability against Snowbird arising out of an injury or damage you receive while using any of Snowbird’s facilities, including injury, death or damage caused by the negligence or other misconduct of Snowbird and its agents and employees. If you cannot assume these risks, do not use the Snowbird ski area or its facilities, or contact Ski Patrol.

Terrain features, both natural and man-made, are not designed for inverted aerial moves. Inverted moves are not recommended. Perform them at your own risk.

Ski Area Boundaries are closed except at designated Forest Service Backcountry exit access points. The exit access points are at the base of the Mineral Basin Express Chairlift and off the Thunder Alley ski run, uphill from the base of the Baby Thunder Lift. Avalanche danger and other life-threatening hazards exist beyond the ski area boundary. If you choose to leave the ski area, you are solely responsible for your safety. Ski patrol is not available outside the Ski Area Boundary and no avalanche mitigation is performed in these areas. Rescue by Salt Lake County Search and Rescue - call 911.

Avalanche mitigation measures within the ski area boundaries help mitigate the risk of avalanches, but cannot eliminate the possibility of an avalanche occurring in avalanche prone areas and runout zones open for skiing.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), it is Snowbird’s policy that service animals (which as defined under the ADA can only be dogs) are not permitted on chairlifts at the resort during the ski season, based on the legitimate safety requirements determined by Snowbird regarding the safety of other guests and employees, as well as for the safety of the service animal itself. For the same reasons, Snowbird does not allow service animals to accompany guests skiing or snowboarding on mountain trails and ski runs, and all skiing and snowboarding terrain at the resort. This policy of restricting service animals on both chairlifts and accompanying guests while using Snowbird’s skiing terrain also applies equally to all other animals, including pets and emotional support animals. Pets that are not service animals are already restricted from Little Cottonwood Canyon due to the Watershed Protection Ordinance.

Service animals are permitted on the Snowbird Tram when it is open to the public, and guests with service animals who access the mountain via the Snowbird Tram will download back to the Snowbird base area via the Snowbird Tram as well. If a guest with a service animal seeks to visit an area of the mountain for a special event that is not accessible via the Snowbird Tram, or the Snowbird Tram is not in operation to the public, Snowbird will provide alternative transport to the venue on the mountain through an on-mountain vehicle (snowmobile, OHV, truck or other vehicle), depending on the mountain location, weather conditions and other variables. Given the unique winter environmental conditions, extreme terrain and weather conditions, Snowbird recommends that guests provide as much advance notice as possible when seeking a unique accessibility to a location or venue on the mountain that may not be accessible via the Snowbird Tram.

At all times, the service animal must be under the control of its handler. The service animal shall have a harness, leash, or other tether, unless either the handler is unable because of a disability to use a harness, leash, or other tether, or the use of a harness, leash, or other tether would interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of work or tasks, in which case the service animal must be otherwise under the handler’s control (e.g., voice control, signals or other effective means).

Authorized personnel will request the service animal be removed from the premises if: (1) The animal is out of control and the animal’s handler does not take immediate effective action to control it; or (2) The animal is not housebroken. If the service animal is removed, Snowbird will make all reasonable efforts to give the individual with a disability the opportunity to participate in the services or activities without having the service animal on premises. 

As a resort policy, Snowbird does not allow skiers or snowboarders to carry infants/toddlers in backpacks, chest packs, wraps or other similar devices on their bodies while using Snowbird’s Tram, chairlifts, conveyors and ski runs. This policy stems from the legitimate safety concerns for the infant/toddler, parent/guardian and Snowbird employees.

The basis for this policy, in part, is that the national safety standards which govern chairlift design and operations (referred to as the ANSI B77 passenger ropeway standards) require chairlift passengers to be individually able to access chairlifts of their own accord and ability. The chair or carrier’s design may preclude this type of use of a pack by a guest. In addition, because of safety concerns related to the potential evacuation of chairlifts and the equipment employed in such evacuations, our evacuation procedures require passengers to be unencumbered by such packs carrying infants/toddlers for both the safety of the parent/guardian, the infant/toddler and the ski patrol who conduct such evacuations.

There are additional safety concerns related to skiing or snowboarding with an infant/toddler in such a pack, especially the elevated risks associated with collisions with other guests and potential harm to an infant/toddler in a pack – no matter how well trained or the expertise of the parent or guardian carrying the infant/toddler.

Non-skiing guests with infants/toddlers in packs are permitted on the Snowbird Tram, when it is open to the public, to access Hidden Peak and The Summit Restaurant only and are required to download the Tram back to the Snowbird Center.

As an alternative, Snowbird offers child care services to our guests.