January 7, 2009
Ski out of bounds and go directly to jail?
By MATT KIELTYKA, 24 HOURS

Jail is being used as a deterrent for wayward skiers south of the border, giving local boundary jumpers cause for alarm.

Last month, U.S. police used Colorado's Ski Safety Act to arrest three skiers in a closed area of the Aspen Highlands.

While that might go too far, John van Dongen told 24 hours he'd look at Colorado's legislation to see if the provincial government can do anything to deter skiers from entering out-of-bounds areas.

"It might be worthwhile to look at certain fines or penalties," he said. "I find the Colorado example interesting and we will look at what other jurisdictions are doing."

On Friday, four skiers were issued lifetime bans from Grouse Mountain after ignoring orders to stay in-bounds.

The bans are being universally applauded, but Grouse Mountain spokesperson William Mbaho said they'd welcome government action.

"That kind of legislation might be needed," Mbaho said. "We do the best that we can to ensure that people don't go out of bounds, but it continues to happen. We need support as an industry."

However, North Shore Search and Rescue search manager Tim Jones says recent incidents have worked the government and media into a "frenzy" and warned against knee-jerk reactions.

"People who can't afford to pay fines and operation costs could evade rescuers," Jones said. "I appreciate the [government's] concern but they should put together a task force of stakeholders to take a look at this before rushing into anything."

CANOE.CA