Honestly, I'd be fine if people would just follow the WRITTEN rules of trail etiquette.

don’t stop in the middle of a traverse

Stay out of the way of any rails or jumps. If you aren't filming a friend, GET OUT OF THE WAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HUGE UNSPOKEN RULE: any type of skier or snowboarder or whatever you do, when you stand on a slope, dont stand right below the bump in the slope or the dent or whatever its called, because when someone is coming down you can't see beyond this bump, specifically the people sitting right below it. Its quite dangerous. So either stand still on top of this "bump" or not at all...

Stop hotdoggin it 45MPH down a crowded blue slope.

Striking up a 2-3 minute conversation on a lift ride with someone you’ll never see again is one of the joys of skiing.

If someone's clearly a beginner give them a break if they make a mistake, faux pas, what have you..seen some real douchiness out of skiers just because of minor things

Seriously, I have seen some terrible line management by lifties. It would have been better if they weren't there at all. Now sometimes it isn't the lifties fault, sometimes the resort has a ridiculously stupid system.

This is making me really appreciate good lifties, I'm going to get you guys some beers next time or something.

This a 100 times. One of our ski buddies just gets off the lift and speeds down, never looks at the map, never looks at the signs. He got us into some runs that were not meant for us. We had to hike up a few times. Never again. This year, we are ditching him for the first part of the trip so we can enjoy and study the mountain at our pace and see what to avoid ;-)

When exiting the lift, be aware of where you stop to tighten your boots and loop your poles. So many people stop right in the middle of the lift exit.

I got tired of this at my local hill so I just stopped asking and started standing next to people. Worst case scenario they stay at the line and you go on the lift by yourself lol

Just, don't stop in the middle, period. Stop on the side of a run, make sure you're somewhere people will be able to see you, not right below a dip, and don't take over the whole run no matter how few people there are around you.

Why is this a thing? What does it do for the group to have the lift to themselves? I ski in Europe and it's unfathomable to me to request a lift to myself and my friends. This is on par with keeping right on the escalator.

I once made a teenage boy cry in front of his friends in the lift line at Mountain High... Right in front of the pass gate, he turned around and attempted to stop his entire posse of ~8 kids, and the entire line behind him -- in order to plan out who would sit next to who.

I told him that he was free to stand on his own dick, if he wanted, but he would need to get the fuck out of my way, first.

I didn't even think it was particularly mean. But he just burst into tears, and his friend shoved him through the gate -- and they got right on the lift without having to discuss anything.

also figure out your coffee order BEFORE it’s time to order.

Lift ops and maze attendants should be helping keep these confused and fickle guests moving. In reality it’s a losing battle. Thankfully it’s not a major or common issue, at least at our mountain.

Are these the same people leaving their skis on the ground 20 feet from the racks when there are plenty of open spaces? Something tells me, “yes”

people who can't figure out to not block the entrances and exits to things will never figure it out. whether it's the lift line, a concert, a road, whatever. idiots abound.

Probably none or those people read Reddit. But you are correct nevertheless.

If you're a snowboarder the correct etiquette is for you and all your friends to sit down together right in the middle of the run

Lowlander skiing Colorado. I was taught to stop at the side (or next to a sign or tree, etc.) except to protect a down skier / boarder or in emergency (I had someone stop in a bad spot and had to crash stop).

I also keep my head on a swivel - if I move more than a few meters laterally, I check uphill. Same as when I resume from a stop, I wait for a break in the moving crowd. I've actually started seeing my head turn as a sort of turn signal.

Edit: You also should stop at a ridge or place where you're visible uphill and not at a merge chokepoint.

The problem with “stop at the side” in the US is people are frequently skiing in the trees on the sides of the groomed runs, and the transition from bright to shade is where people are most likely to have trouble seeing you.

I still try to stop at the sides of runs, because I was taught the same as you, but mindful of staying in the light and avoiding what look like frequently skiid lines.

I almost always ski Keystone (groans from crowd). I'd hazard over 80% of people I see on the blues i frequent are courteous, I'd guess greens might be lower with newer riders still learning.

Id second this. Where you stop really has to be driven by situational awareness on the specific trail.

Rollers? Keep out of the blind spots. Jumps / side hits or other features? Keep out of the landing and run-out zones. Glades on the side of the trail? Keep out of the transition. Trail merge? Keep in mind where everyone is coming from and where they can see.

Middle of the run totally skiied off and everyone is skiing the snow on the sides? Dont block those lines.

Occasionally the best place to stop just is the middle, as long as there is plenty of space to go around you, and plenty of distance from which to see you.

The biggest ettiquette thing for me is if 2+ people stop, you should be standing together in a tight group to take up as little width of the piste as possible.

A lot of people are mentioning the downhill skiier rule, which is 100% correct.

Something I like to teach in addition to that. "just because you're right, you're not immune to broken bones"

By that I mean, learn to check over your shoulder. Don't let that rule make you think some idiot won't try to blow right by you. The more you're aware of your surroundings, the more likely you are to dodge any issues and get to keep riding for the whole season.

You wouldn't switch lanes without checking your mirrors in your car, why cut across a whole run assuming the people above you will do the right thing?

Just try to always be aware of your sounding... The people, the conditions... Just always stay present. Check your speed if others are around IDC how good you are but if you flying past people you're a dick!!! I give everyone the benefit of the doubt and move the hell over. Announce when passing in close proximity if that's only option. Hold the door for the person behind you only until they grab it... Also when going into lodge use the right door, it's just like traffic. Put your snowboard in the provided rack and not lying in the snow out on front of the lodge. Where I ride, the people start piling up their shit and it just becomes a huge mess of ski and boards lying around that you have to navigate around. It's just so inconsiderate. You know just always be looking out for the other people... Courtesy is contagious

A good thing to remember is a skier probobly has no idea you are there, but a decent snowboarder has probobly looked back and knows you are there. Be wary of skiers the most.

The most important part is to be predictable. Which means doing the same thing each turn, if you're going to change course it's worth a shoulder check. Now with this being said we only do wide, whole run turns in the slow zone. Don't do this on steeper runs

The person downhill always has the right of way. Do try to be as predictable as possible when you can for your safety as well as the safety of others.

Some things to consider as far as etiquette goes:

1. Watch your mouth. Don't be dropping F bombs when little kids and families are around.
2. Don't be a dick. People standing in landing zones don't need to be screamed at. Simply inform them nicely why they shouldn't be there. Not everyone knows the rules. Remember, people will never remember if you were right or wrong, only how you made them feel.
3. Be vocal. Call your drops, and let other riders know which side you plan on passing them if quarters are tight.
4. Always try to fill the chair when possible. It means more runs for everyone.
5. Don't point it when the run is busy. Ya it's fun bombing hills at times but it can be dangerous for everyone. Instead work on improving your carving—it's the sign of a more experienced rider anyways.
6. Get out of the way. Whether you're sitting down in the middle of a busy run or blocking a lift lane it's just rude.
7. If you wash out on a jump, get out of the way as quickly as possible. If you see someone else down, close the jump by standing in front of it and making an "X" with your arms. Making an "O" with your arms indicates that the jump is open.
8. Treat people's skis and snowboards like their feet. Don't run over them, it's not your property so treat it as such.

Ok a fr question so let’s say the person in the air just came off a jump and can’t see the landing prior to the jump whose at fault pretend this is a terrain park

To become the king you must first defeat the king.

no. 1 rule of skiing, aim for the ski patrol first

Number 4 is key!! I was going down Divider last week and just about took myself out trying to avoid a group on Drift that crossed into Divider without looking up! Folks, you’re on a cat track, I’m on a steep, mogully blue, and you’re cutting across my run…. they had zero awareness of their surroundings until I basically crashed at their feet to avoid taking one of them out entirely.

It’s really hard for me to be the best skier on the mountain obeying all these rules

i swear, 99% of people only know the one rule about downhill having the right of way. like, that’s important, but rules 3 and 4 are super important too.

i wish the resort would do even a bare minimum to educate its guests. how about reminders you can read in the lift maze? or getting some kind of stupid epic reward for watching a safety video?

Is 9 for reals, or did you just put that there?

Never heard of this code. Seems a bit over the top. Safety karen. The only true code of skiing is there are no friends on powder days. Take care of number 1 and life will be good

“Taking up entire run is frowned upon” … “A lot of skiers will take up an entire run”

I'd add an exception to that where an advanced skier is doing huge fast carves. I really only do that when I have the run to myself or maybe one other advanced skier. Two reasons, one is a lot of skiers don't even know that is possible and don't understand the while I might only be going down the run at 30, I might be going across it at 50 or 60. And the other is if I screw up or equip malfunction I don't want to take anyone out.

So this is a good idea in theory, turns that are consistent in width and speed. But on a crowded run on a Saturday with lots of erratic skiers, it’s not like you can just pick a line and commit to it, right? I’ll have to speed check or turn suddenly to avoid other unpredictable skiers, which could in turn make me seem erratic. Not saying that happened today, but just something I wonder about.

You make a good point, just trying to discuss in earnest.

My corollary to this is: if you’re taking short quick turns on the edges of the trail, fine…if you’re working on wide carving turns, also fine, especially if it’s not crazy crowded and there’s room for it, but if you’re doing this, stay central to the slope and leave the edges for those trying to pass.

There’s nothing more frustrating than coming up on someone taking wide turns, and thinking you have plenty of room to get around, and they just. keep. coming. closer. to the edge you’re trying to use…until you finally have to bail and switch directions quickly to (hopefully) avoid collision.

And to echo what others always say, yes, the downhill skier always has the right of way…but if you want to avoid being collided with, being predictable and having spacial awareness to the other skiers/boarders in your area is key.

It’s like what we were taught in driver’s ed…always be aware of “right of way”, but also be aware that cemeteries are full of folks that had “right of way”…it’s not always enough to just be “right”

There are no exceptions to the skier yield rule. Downhill skier has right of way. It would be different if we all had eyes in the back of our head. There’s another rule that applies here tho. Most boarders are pricks

Exactly. Like driving, be predictable. Not my fault if I'm passing you and your short turns turn into a huge cut.

I got into it with a guy one night. It was night skiing and there were two runs. Decently busy night. This guy and his kid were doing huge GS turns down one of the pinch points between the two runs so basically the only run at the moment. It was a narrow run so the turns were taking up the whole run. I go to pass on the right and I was practically off the run. I pass the dad just fine and the kid I was good to go but he cut his GS turn short and I about collided with him. I was going fast enough to pass but only a few mph faster. The Dad yelled at me at thr bottom and I told him to go pound sand. Large GS turns on the only run of the night is being an asshole and tell his kid to be more predictable. You can argue who was at fault but being prediwisbthe best way to not have anyone run into you.

Bullshit, this attitude makes an excuse for the uphill skier to run into you.... F that noise, UPHILL skier or boarder is ALWAYS burdened.

This is why I can’t stand tele skiers. I’m sure there are some good ones, but I’ve yet to see one at my local not be all over the place throwing the most unpredictable knee drops imaginable. Super annoying especially if it’s a little crowded and I’m already dodging gumbies.

In a court of law, I'm not sure what ultimately holds up when it comes to liability. There is a conflicting rule lower in the list that puts responsibility on the downhill skier as well:

• Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others

This is usually the next or next next rule in the list

Only on cat tracks I sometimes yell which side Im passing from if the beginner infront is going in the middle/taking all space and their skiing isnt making any sense, to avoid colliding. Sometimes ive passed bit too close for this reason

On cat tracks, calling it out is standard in my opinion, especially if they're all over the damn place.

Otherwise it's all about pacing and timing. Alot of people ride in a creatures of habit style, so you just watch three turns or so and then make your passing move. Skiiers as a snowboarder are very difficult bastards sometimes because they can't look uphill and or don't give a fuck which is super annoying, because as an experienced snowboarder I always take a glance before committing a broad face turn.

I've heard mixed opinions on yelling "on your <side>" - it can make some beginners freak out and turn on that exact side, thus cutting you off at best or causing you to collide at worst.

If I do it I try to yell it from far enough behind them that I can anticipate and avoid it if they turn that way. Usually on narrower cat tracks.

Usually when I come up behind someone, skier or boarder, I slow down a bit to be able to watch their patterns and formulate my strategy, then I pass them safely trying to leave enough space. So if they start a turn that way my trajectory won't intersect theirs.

I think passing very close without warning is an ass move.

I’ve never announced myself, just watch their turns and pass them at a safe distance. If you’re anxious about colliding, you are passing too close and/or shouldn’t be passing them at all.

I personally don’t like shouting at people because I don’t want to startle them if they’re inexperienced or not expecting it, just slow up and pass at a distance.

Unless I'm getting on or off of a lift I am never within arm's reach of someone moving, period. There's way too many opportunities for someone to make an unexpected move or fall. If anything, the etiquette on the small hills where I've grown up is more that anyone who recognizes they're moving very slow will look uphill periodically, stop, and offer for others to pass them. I never distract anyone by announcing myself.

I either watch what the other person's pattern is and pass while they're the farthest away from me in the pattern, or I just hang out and wait for them to get further down before I continue. And if there's enough people on the mountain that means that I have to go slow to stay equally away from people, so be it. And I absolutely have taken my board off and walked across cat tracks that are full of slow moving skiers that are just using their poles. Going fast to keep speed across a cat track and risking a collision is absolutely never worth it to me.