The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has developed a new way for U.S. ski areas to voluntarily report lift-related incidents and major component failures, which will ultimately build a database that can be used to identify trends that ski area operators should be aware of and also inform the direction of lift-related education to help operators address potential issues.
NSAA director of technical services Mike Lane held educational sessions at several fall trade shows to raise awareness of the forthcoming program, walk attendees through filling out the online form, and gather feedback. Sensibly, the online form is designed to be easy to use.
What to report. Ski areas should complete the form when a more significant incident or failure occurs. Think deropement, rope evacuation, fall that results in injury, loss of control of a lift, critical component failure, etc. More common issues—such as wearables that need replacement or findings during nondestructive testing—do not need to be reported.
Importantly, Lane stressed that ski areas should feel comfortable reporting incidents. Only Lane and NSAA’s legal counsel will see individual reports upon submission. Otherwise, the reports will be aggregated and anonymized.
NSAA is targeting an early December launch for the program, but that was not set in stone. When it does launch, ski areas should make it part of their post-incident procedures. The more data that is gathered, the more helpful it will be.
