Beginning next season, Vail, Beaver Creek, Brekenridge, Keystone and Heavenly Resorts will require all employees and youth riders to wear helmets. This story is taken from travelpulse and the decision is no doubt in response to Natasha Richardson’s tragedy. I think it is unfortunate that it has taken so long to encourage a mandatory helmet clause. Helmets are cool! They are lightweight, comfortable, and have speakers built in to them. Check out the Smith Maze Helmet for 2010 above. Cool, right? Read the full story below or click here.
Vail Resorts, Inc. announced that beginning with the 2009-10 winter season, the company will require all employees to wear helmets when skiing or riding on the job at each of its five mountain resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly. Helmets will be provided to every employee next fall as part of their standard uniform for working on the mountain. This new initiative is part of Vail Resorts’ overall commitment to skier and snowboarder safety programs. “At Vail Resorts, the safety of our employees and guests is a top priority and we believe the time has come for us to take our commitment to safety to the next level. Our employees will set the example next year for all who enjoy skiing and riding our slopes,” said John Garnsey, co-president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division and chief operating officer of Beaver Creek Resort.
The company also announced that it will require all children, ages 12 and under, who participate in a group lesson through one of its five resorts’ ski and ride schools to wear a helmet. Furthermore, a helmet will become a required part of any child’s (ages 12 and under) ski and snowboard rental package offered at all of Vail Resorts’ retail and rental outlets, unless a parent or legal guardian signs a waiver to decline use of the equipment.
“We firmly believe when children are participating in our ski and ride school programs that we must provide them with the proper equipment that promotes enjoyment of the sport while also reducing the possibility of injury. Even though we will now require children in our ski and ride schools to wear helmets and make them a mandatory part of every child’s rental package, we strongly recommend the use of helmets for all of our guests, regardless of their age or ability level,” said Blaise Carrig, co-president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division and chief operating officer of Heavenly Mountain Resort.
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Amen to that! I wont ride without a helmet anymore… its not worth it. I have mixed feelings about them making it ‘mandatory’ though. I like that they’ve made it for employees and all youth. A+
Yeah, the ‘mandatory’ helmet rule is always teetering on that line of violating personal freedom. But if the government enforces the seatbelt law for cars, why not the helmet law for motorcycles? I see the obvious benefits but it always makes me wonder on how far they’re going to take those ‘mandatory’ rules…
Thanks to Shred Addiction (www.shredaddiction.com) for correcting my mistake on Natasha Richardson’s name. Doesn’t Denise Richards’ have a VH1 show or something? No disrespect to Natasha or Denise, just a temporary lapse in my celeb recollection.