Idaho House Backs New Legal Shield For Ski Areas
House members voted 61-8 to give ski areas expanded protections from lawsuits that arise when their customers are hurt in terrain parks or swept up in in-bounds avalanches.
Tuesday’s vote moves the measure to the Senate.
The Idaho Ski Areas Association fears liability arising from skiers and snowboarders using, among other things, man-made rails, jumps and hits that have become popular in recent years.
The measure’s foes including Republican Rep. Lynn Luker and Democratic Rep. Grant Burgoyne, both Boise lawyers, argued the bill went too far in shielding ski areas from responsibility should operators’ negligence result in injury or death.