Alaska Statutes: AS 05.45.060. Required Signs For Trails and Slopes; Duties of Operators.

Alaska Statutes. Title 5. Amusements and Sports Chapter 45. Ski Liability, Safety, and Responsibility Section 60. Required Signs For Trails and Slopes; Duties of Operators.

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AS 05.45.060. Required Signs For Trails and Slopes; Duties of Operators.

(a) A ski area operator shall maintain a sign and marking system as required in this section in addition to that required by AS 05.45.050 . All signs required by this section shall be maintained so as to be readable and recognizable under conditions of ordinary visibility.
(b) A ski area operator shall post a sign recognizable to skiers proceeding to the uphill loading point of each base area lift that depicts and explains signs and symbols that the skier may encounter at the ski area. The sign must include the following:

(1) the least difficult trails and slopes, designated by a green circle and the word "easier";

(2) the most difficult trails and slopes, designated by a black diamond and the words "most difficult"; trails intended for expert skiers may be marked with a double black diamond and the words "expert only";

(3) the trails and slopes that have a degree of difficulty that falls between the green circle and the black diamond designation, designated by a blue square and the words "more difficult";

(4) danger areas designated by a red exclamation point inside a yellow triangle with a red band around the triangle and the word "danger" printed beneath the emblem;

(5) closed trails or slopes designated by a sign with a circle or octagon around a figure in the shape of a skier with a band running diagonally across the sign from the upper right-hand side to the lower left-hand side and with the word "closed" printed beneath the emblem.
(c) If applicable, a sign shall be placed at or near the loading point of each tramway as follows:

WARNING: This lift services (most difficult) or

(most difficult and more difficult) or (more

difficult) slopes only.

(d) If a particular trail or slope or portion of a trail or slope is closed to the public by a ski area operator, the operator shall place a sign notifying the public of that fact at each identified entrance of each portion of the trail or slope involved. A slope without an entrance defined by terrain or forest growth may be closed with a line of signs in a manner readily visible to skiers under conditions of ordinary visibility. This subsection does not apply if the trail or slope is closed with ropes or fences.
(e) A ski area operator shall

(1) place a sign at or near the beginning of each trail or slope, which must contain the appropriate symbol of the relative degree of difficulty of that particular trail or slope as described in (b) of this section; this paragraph does not apply to a slope or trail designated "easier" that to a skier is substantially visible in its entirety under conditions of ordinary visibility before beginning to ski the slope or trail;

(2) mark the ski area boundaries in a fashion readily visible to skiers under conditions of ordinary visibility;

(3) mark that portion of the boundary with signs as required by (b)(5) of this section if the owner of land adjoining a ski area closes all or part of the land and notifies the ski area operator of the closure;

(4) mark hydrants, water pipes, and all other man-made structures on slopes and trails that are not readily visible to skiers under conditions of ordinary visibility from a distance of at least 100 feet and adequately and appropriately cover man-made structures that create obstructions with a shock absorbent material that will lessen injuries; any type of marker is sufficient, including wooden poles, flags, or signs, if the marker is visible from a distance of 100 feet and if the marker itself does not constitute a serious hazard to skiers; in this paragraph, "man-made structures" does not include variations in steepness or terrain, whether natural or as a result of slope design, snow making, grooming operations, roads and catwalks, or other terrain modifications;

(5) mark exposed forest growth, rocks, stumps, streambeds, trees, or other natural objects that are located on a slope or trail that is regularly used by skiers or that is regularly packed and prepared by a ski area operator using a snow vehicle and attached implements and that are not readily visible to skiers under conditions of ordinary visibility from a distance of at least 100 feet;

(6) mark roads, catwalks, cliffs, or other terrain modifications that are not readily visible to skiers under conditions of ordinary visibility from a distance of at least 100 feet;

(7) post and maintain signs that contain the warning notice specified in (g) of this section; the notice shall be placed in a clearly visible location at the ski area where lift tickets and ski school lessons are sold and in a position to be recognizable as a sign to skiers proceeding to the uphill loading point of each base area lift; the signs may not be smaller than three feet by three feet and must be white with black and red letters as specified in this paragraph; the word "WARNING" must appear on the sign in red letters; the warning notice specified in this paragraph must appear on the sign in black letters with each letter to be a minimum of one inch in height.
(f) A ski lift ticket sold or made available for sale to skiers by a ski area operator must contain in clearly readable print the warning notice specified in (g) of this section.
(g) The signs described in (e)(7) of this section and the lift tickets described in (f) of this section must contain the following warning notice:

WARNING

Under Alaska law, the risk of an injury to person or property resulting from any of the inherent dangers and risks of skiing rests with the skier. Inherent dangers and risks of skiing include changing weather conditions; existing and changing snow conditions; bare spots, rocks, stumps and trees; collisions with natural objects, man-made objects, or other skiers; variations in terrain; and the failure of skiers to ski within their own abilities.

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