Ski Safety Month: Safety Tips & Ways To Meet Patrol Dogs

We’ve all been there: You’re out skiing or snowboarding when you accidentally catch an edge. You immediately think: I’m so glad I’m wearing my helmet! We’re glad when you wear your helmet, too. It is important to practice good safety measures on our mountains, so to celebrate NSAA’s Ski Safety Month, we’re sharing a few safety stories with our recommended tips for having a fun, seamless time in our current conditions. Plus: We have safety-related events going on such as mini avalanche awareness clinics and patrol dog demonstrations!

Conditions are spring-like, but due to cold temperatures, expect hardpacked snow. You’ll want to follow the sun. Photo taken of John Lauer at Alpine by Riley Bathurst this week.

Firm Conditions

We have been in a low snow period for the entire month of January. This means that conditions are firm, especially in the morning. You’ll want to follow the sun throughout the day to ensure that you are sticking to smoother snow. You’ll also want to stay on groomers. Off-piste terrain is not the place to be when hardpack conditions exist. Recently, we’ve had several incidents where skiers and riders who go off-piste find themselves sliding quite a long ways due to the fact that the snow is very hard and does not have a lot of texture. Avoid this by sticking to our groomed trails whenever possible. We promise it will be just as fun!

Here are a few more pro tips for current conditions:

Know Before You Go: Be familiar with your level of skiing and have a general plan for where you’d like to ski.

It’s OK To Ask: We have mountain hosts, patrollers, and lift operators all over the mountain. It is OK — and recommended! — to ask them if certain lifts/runs will fit your skill level.

Pay Attention to Signage: Lifts like Silverado have very clear “Experts Only” signage. If you are not sure that you are an expert, do not attempt expert terrain without a guide.

It Isn’t A Race: Slow down when trails merge (you’ll see large, orange “Slow” signs) and always look around you to watch for others. The skier downhill of you has the right of way. Respect their space.

Kate Abraham captured what current conditions look like on 1/26. Expect ripping groomers, chalky snow in the morning, and buttery turns by day’s end.

Out Of Bounds

As we discussed above, firm conditions are the norm right now. In fact, some of our in-bounds resort terrain is closed for this reason. You can expect the same type of undesirable, hard snow in off-piste terrain. Our resort boundaries are clearly marked by ropes and signage. Those things are not there to be annoying or prevent you from having a good time; they are there to keep you on SAFE terrain. Please respect them.

Ducking a closure rope might seem a shortcut, or something that isn’t a big deal if you know the terrain well. But that is not the case. Recently, we’ve had several incidents of skiers or snowboarders who ducked ropes and found themselves in trouble. One pair of riders tried to take a shortcut and ended up having to hike 7 hours to get back to the resort boundary! 5 of those hours were spent without cell phone coverage, unable to call for help. It was late at night when those two were finally rescued. In a separate incident, a skier ducked a rope at Alpine and got lost. They miraculously ran into a backcountry skier who was able to call for help. This was during a storm cycle, which made for slow movements during dangerous conditions. When you disobey boundaries, you don’t just put yourself at risk. You put our Ski Patrol teams and local Search & Rescue at risk, too.

To prevent this from happening to you, the best thing you can do is stay in bounds at all times, especially with our current conditions. Here are a few other safety tips that you’ll want to keep in mind in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you are lost:

Power Up: Make sure your phone is fully charged, or power it down when you’re not using it.

Do A Group Check-In: Set a “meet up” time & place established for the end of they day with your group.

Get The Right Scan: Never attempt to sneak up the mountain or use someone else’s pass. Your data from your last scan could be the key to helping us find you, and it is important that this is accurate.

Remember, going out of bounds or skiing on closed terrain is not only dangerous, but it can lead to you getting your pass pulled and other consequences.

Equipment Check

It should go without saying, but a helmet should be crucial part of your ski or snowboard setup. It is often the piece of equipment that prevents major injuries or even saves lives. Taking this simple step to protect yourself is easily our #1 safety recommendation. If you do not have a helmet, you can rent one for $10, or you can purchase one at one of our gear shops: In the Village at Palisades Tahoe, helmets are available at Parallel Mountain Sports or The Ledge Boardshop. In the Alpine Lodge, helmets are available at Estelle Sports.

This Weekend’s Safety Events

Friday, January 28th: Mini Avalanche Awareness Clinic from Alpenglow Expeditions

Learn from professional guides about avalanche terrain and proper techniques on how to use your beacon, shovel, and probe. Materials can be provided. Clinic will include introductory lessons including avalanche terrain, how beacons work, searching technique, and digging technique. 11am to 1pm at the base of Subway lift at Alpine. Limited availability. Register Here.

Saturday, January 29th: Palisades Patrol Dogs Demonstration

Watch our incredible patrol dogs demonstrate their abilities by searching for human scent under the snow. Meet us at the Ski Patrol shack at the top of the Funitel (across from Starbucks) at 10am to view our patrol dogs in action! This event is free. No registration required.

Sunday, January 30th: Palisades Patrol Dogs Demonstration

Watch our incredible patrol dogs demonstrate their abilities by searching for human scent under the snow. Meet us at the Ski Patrol shack at the top of the Funitel (across from Starbucks) at 10am to view our patrol dogs in action! This event is free. No registration required.

Sunday, January 30th: Alpine Patrol Dogs Demonstration

Watch our incredible patrol dogs demonstrate their abilities by searching for human scent under the snow. Meet us at the mid-station of Treeline Cirque chairlift at 11am to view our patrol dogs in action! This event is free. No registration required.

Patrol Dog Milton wants to meet you! Come to one of our three Patrol Dog Demonstrations this weekend. Details below.

One Last Pro Tip

The Palisades Tahoe Mobile App is actually a great safety tool. You and your family or friends can form a “group” on the app, which gives you all access to everybody’s location. If you get split up from somebody, you can just check the app to see where they are. The app also provides a log of where you’ve skied, which can be useful for us if we need to find you. Plus, in case of emergency, instructions for contacting Ski Patrol can be found there, too. Download the Palisades Tahoe App now.

Know The Responsibility Code

The above suggestions are just a few things you should keep in mind while skiing or snowboarding. Here is the full Responsibility Code from NSAA.

Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.

People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.

You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.