Rhode Island § 41-8-2 - Responsibility and Liability of Ski Operators and Skiers

§ 41-8-2. Duties of a skier.

(a) It shall be the duty of each skier to conduct himself or herself within the limitation of his or her ability, and to do no act or thing that can contribute to the injury of him or herself or others.

(b) No skier shall:

(1) Embark or disembark upon a ski lift except at a designated area and during designated hours of operation;

(2) Throw or expel any object from any tramway, ski lift, skimobile, or other similar device while riding on the device;

(3) Act in any manner while riding on a rope tow, wire rope tow, j-bar, t-bar, ski lift, or similar device that may interfere with the proper or safe operation of the lift or tow;

(4) Willfully engage in any type of conduct that may injure any person, or place any object in the uphill ski track that may cause another to fall, while traveling uphill on a ski lift; or

(5) Cross the uphill track of a j-bar, t-bar, rope tow, wire rope tow, or other similar device except at designated locations.

(c) Every skier shall maintain control of his or her speed and course at all times, and shall stay clear of any snowgrooming equipment, any vehicle, any lift tower, any snowmaking equipment, and any other equipment.

(d) A skier shall be the sole judge of his or her ability to negotiate any cross country track, trail, or slope.

(e) A skier shall be the sole judge of his or her ability to negotiate any downhill track, trail, or slope.

(f) Any skier who boards a rope tow, wire rope tow, j-bar, t-bar, ski lift, or other similar device, shall be presumed to have sufficient abilities to use the device, and shall follow any written or verbal instructions that are given regarding its use.

(g) A skier skiing downhill shall have the primary duty to avoid any collision with any other skier below him or her, and except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the responsibility for collisions by any skier with any other skier or person shall be solely that of the skier or skiers or person involved and not that of the operator;

(h) No spectators are to be allowed on areas specifically designated as skiing areas.

(i) Any person skiing on other than improved trails or slopes within the area shall be responsible for any injuries resulting from his or her action.

(j) Any skier embarking on a lift or tow without authority of the operator shall be guilty of trespassing.

(k) All skiers shall, prior to their entrance onto the trails or slopes, or embarking on any lift or tramway, have attached or on their skis, a device for the purpose of restraining or preventing a runaway ski.

(l) No skier shall ski on a slope or trail or portion thereof which has been designated closed, nor ski on other than identified trails, slopes, or trail areas.

(m) The primary responsibility for the collision with any obstruction, man made or otherwise, shall be that of the skier and not that of the operator.

(n) Any owner, manager, or employee of any ski area who finds a person in violation of this section, may first issue a verbal warning to that individual or suspend his or her recreational tramway privileges. Any person who fails to heed the warning issued by the owner or employee or agent of the operator shall forfeit his or her recreational tramway ticket and recreational tramway use privileges and be refused issuance of another ticket to the recreational tramway.