A recent court decision in Utah could have big implications for the ongoing conflicts between ski resorts and mountain towns. Judge Richard Mrazik of Utah’s Third Judicial District recently ruled against Vail Resorts, who owns Park City Mountain Resort and ruled Utah could scrutinize the formula Park City uses to gauge its ideal capacity. The […]
Bloch & Chapleau News
Vail Increases Fines for Using Another Skier’s Pass
Vail Increases Fines As the 2023-2024 ski season begins, prospective guests of Vail Ski Resort should be aware of recent changes to the Town of Vail’s Municipal Code. On October 17, 2023, the Vail Town Council unanimously voted to amend the Town’s Code to increase the penalty for using another person’s ski pass from $100 […]
Wolf Creek Building Adult Beginner Chair Lift
Adults learning to ski and snowboarding will soon have a new option designed specifically for them. The Wolf Creek Ski Area near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, is building a unique chair lift for adults who are new to the sports of skiing and snowboarding. It will allow them to learn in a relaxed environment. Typically beginner […]
Colorado Ski Area Deaths at Highest Rate in 10 Years
The Vail Daily and Colorado Sun recently reported that at least 17 people died on the slopes at Colorado ski areas during the 2022-2023 ski season. This is the highest rate of ski area deaths in Colorado in over 10 years. It’s nearly double the number of ski area deaths in the 2021-2022 ski season. […]
13 Year Old Searches for Skier Who Injured Him at Beaver Creek
Moses Marquez (13), suffered a broken clavicle and several other ski injures after he was injured by a hit-and-run skier at Beaver Creek ski resort. Marquez shared his story with Channel 7 news in hopes of finding the person responsible for the hit-and-run incident. Says Marquez, “I was just skiing, like your regular day, and […]
Colorado Supreme Court Rules on Ski Avalanche Death
Supreme Court Rules The Colorado Supreme Court recently rejected Taft Conlin’s family’s appeal of its lawsuit against Vail Resorts. Taft Conlin was killed while skiing by an inbounds avalanche at Vail ski area in 2012. He was just 13 years old. Passionate about protecting others from Taft’s fate, his mother Louise Ingalls remains a firm […]
New Ski Area Safety Legislation Proposed in Colorado
Bloch & Chapleau has been at the forefront of the effort to enact laws in Colorado to require ski areas to increase safety and transparency on the slopes. As previously indicated on this blog, Bloch & Chapleau proposed legislation to the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA) for the adoption of common-sense safety measures that would […]
Proposed Ski Legislation: The End of the Fox Guarding the Hen House – Part 2
Proposed Legislative Changes and Preventative Measures to Improve Skier Safety and Lift Operation Awareness Effective preventative measures could be implemented immediately and with very little cost. It is clear that Vail Resorts has failed to ensure its employees’ compliance with its policies and procedures to protect the safety of its guests. The Resort has also […]
Proposed Ski Legislation: The End of the Fox Guarding the Hen House – Part 1
Proposed Ski Legislation Skiing in Colorado is becoming more dangerous than ever with less and less oversight by ski resorts as a result of a number of factors, including overcrowding of the ski slopes due to Epic and Ikon passes. Technological advancements to ski equipment have also made skiers ski faster than ever. As a […]
Joe Bloch Interviewed by Inside Edition about Ski Lift Accident in Vail Colorado Causing Death
Ski Areas can be held liable for lift accidents causing injury or death – Inside Edition Ski areas can be liable for accidents that happen due to poor lift safety and ski area negligence or recklessness. In the video from Inside Edition below, Joseph D. Bloch is interviewed by Inside Edition to discuss liability for […]