By Bob Williams

DENVER, Sept. 12 (World Wide News) --With expert trails no longer posing enough of a thrill for some skiers, Colorado lawmakers are considering whether to shield ski resorts from lawsuits by the growing number of people who get a rush out of riding cliffs and half-pipes.

Under a bill awaiting final approval, cliffs and extremely steep slopes would be included in a list of inherent risks of the sport, letting resorts off the hook for injuries people suffer while skiing them. The list already includes everything from trees and rocks to hydrants and lift towers.

PROTECT RESORTS

It would also protect resorts from being sued for injuries suffered on equipment in freestyle terrain parks such as rails, half-pipes, quarter-pipes and fun boxes – which didn’t exist when the ski safety act was first passed in 1979.

Resorts here in Colorado -- the nation’s No. 1 ski state – say the changes are needed to reflect the reality on the slopes.

“Skiers have just started skiing every inch of a ski area – including areas that are dangerous,” said Sen. Jack Taylor, a Republican and one of the bill’s sponsors.

The bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Al White at the request of Colorado Ski Country USA, the trade group representing the state’s 24 ski areas.

The bill, which has bipartisan support in the House and Senate, faces another vote in the House because of changes made in the Senate. If the house backs it again it would be sent to the governor for approval.

The original law was intended to protect the state’s ski industry from lawsuits by setting out rules for what a resort must do – such as marking manmade objects not easily visible and providing safe ski lifts – and what responsibility skiers have for their own safety.

MAJOR SOURCE OF $$

The ski industry is second only to agriculture here in Colorado, bringing in an estimated $2 billion to $2.5 billion a year. That includes income from lift tickets, hotel stays, ski shop rentals and other spinoff businesses.

However, some lawmakers worried the changes shield resorts too much and put at risk inexperienced skiers who might stumble onto extreme terrain.

Under current law, resort operators are required to put up danger signs to warn skiers of obstacles, but once they do, those objects are no longer considered inherent risks and could be grounds for a lawsuit.

That provision would be removed if the bill passes.

AFRAID TO POST SIGNS

The current system has left resorts fearful of posting signs, which is bad for skiers, said Democratic Sen. Dan Grossman, a skier and lawyer.

He worked to change the bill to include a new kind of sign – two black diamonds with an E in one and an X in the other – to warn of extreme terrain.

The new bill defines extreme terrain as areas with cliffs with at least a 20-foot rise over a 15-foot run and slopes with a minimum average pitch of 50 degrees. The existing law didn’t define extreme terrain. Freestyle terrain would be designated by oval signs in orange.

Rep. Paul Weissman, a Democrat, thinks the wording could mean resorts wouldn’t have to be responsible for warning skiers about cliffs that may exist in or around regular skiing trails.

Melanie Mills, a Colorado Ski Country USA lobbyist, said skiers wouldn’t normally happen upon a cliff unless they wandered from a run, something which they do at their own risk.

NO INCENTIVE

Grossman admits the change doesn’t give ski areas an incentive to mark dangerous spots on regular runs but he thinks it’s far better than just giving them immunity from problems caused by cliffs.

James Chalat, a lawyer who has represented many injured skiers, thinks resorts should be forced to do more to warn people of obstacles. He fears the changes will take pressure off resorts to make sure terrain park equipment is safe.

“Liability breeds responsibility,” he said. “I don’t think they (skiers) realize that sometimes these jumps aren’t built correctly. They make some assumptions that some basic safety parameters are being followed.”

Trevor Lenard, a self-described ski bum who works at Paragon Ski & Sport in Telluride, said that notion violates the spirit of skiing, a fiercely individual sport.

“There’s no assumed safety. It’s a mountain. It’s not like going to a mini-golf course. You’re going to a mountain to slide around with sticks on,” he said.

Colleen Slevin of the Associated Press contributed to this report.