Hoping all parties were alright after this nasty ski resort terrain park collision at Four Lakes Alpine Snowsports in DuPage County, Illinois.
Four Lakes has been providing the Chicagoland area with surface lift accessed skiing for over 60 years and currently operates seven tow ropes and a thriving terrain park scene. As you can see from the below video, the terrain park can get a bit hectic at times and its important to remember the Park SMART rules set forth by The National Ski Areas Association and Burton Snowboards in these types of situations.
Included in these guidelines is to always look uphill before dropping into a feature and to respect features and those who are on them. Not going to place the entire blame on either the snowboarder or the skier but want to use this as an example of why it is crucial to ride defensively in terrain parks and never assume others are paying attention. Read more about Park SMART below.
The National Ski Areas Association and Burton Snowboards teamed up to create a special set of rules that beyond the Skier Responsibility Code to increase terrain park safety awareness. They call is the Park Smart rules:
- Start Small
- Make A Plan
- Always look before you drop
- Respect the features and those on them
- Take it easy
Other Tips
- Most ski areas have a small, entry-level progression area to help beginners experience smaller features in terrain parks.
- Always ski or ride through a terrain park slowly and watch how other, experienced skiers or riders interact with the rails, jibs and jumps.
- Consider taking a lesson; many ski areas have instructors certified in freestyle terrain instruction.
- Most features or jumps in a terrain park have the option to ride around or avoid it, in case you are not comfortable using that feature.
- Once you have used a jump feature in a terrain park, clear out of the landing area quickly to allow room for the next skiers or riders.
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