AB495,12,14 12(5) Duties of individuals engaged in snow sports. (a) Safety rules; skiing and
13sledding.
Each individual engaged in skiing or sledding at a ski area has a duty to
14do all the following:
AB495,12,1515 1. Obey all posted warnings and signs.
AB495,12,1616 2. Keep off of closed trails and out of closed areas.
AB495,12,1817 3. Know the range of his or her ability and engage in skiing or sledding within
18that ability.
AB495,12,2019 4. Assess the difficulty of the trails and terrains that are open to skiing or
20sledding.
AB495,12,2121 5. Maintain control of his or her speed and direction.
AB495,12,2322 6. Comply with any posted limits that are imposed on the number of passengers
23or on the amount of weight of the sled or other sledding device while it is being ridden.
AB495,12,2424 7. Be able to stop or avoid other individuals or objects.
AB495,13,2
18. Yield to other individuals engaged in skiing or sledding who are ahead or who
2are down the slope.
AB495,13,43 9. Not stop at a point that will result in the individual obstructing a trail or not
4being visible from above.
AB495,13,65 10. Yield to other individuals engaged in skiing or sledding who are uphill when
6starting downhill or merging onto a trail.
AB495,13,87 11. Be able to safely board, ride, and deboard any lift serving an area open to
8skiing or sledding.
AB495,13,99 12. Board and deboard a lift only at designated sites.
AB495,13,1110 (b) Safety rules; tubing. Each individual engaged in tubing at a ski area has
11a duty to do all of the following:
AB495,13,1212 1. Obey all posted signs and warnings.
AB495,13,1313 2. Keep out of closed areas.
AB495,13,1414 3. Know the range of his or her ability and engage in tubing within that ability.
AB495,13,1515 4. Assess the difficulty of terrain that is open to tubing.
AB495,13,1616 5. Maintain control of his or her speed and direction.
AB495,13,1817 6. Comply with any posted limits that are imposed on the number of passengers
18or on the amount of weight of the tube or other tubing device while it is being ridden.
AB495,13,1919 7. Be able to safely board, ride, and deboard a lift serving an area open to tubing.
AB495,13,2020 8. Board and deboard a lift only at designated sites.
AB495,13,2221 9. Yield to other individuals engaged in tubing who are ahead or who are down
22the slope.
AB495,13,2423 10. Look uphill and yield to oncoming tubes before leaving the bottom of the
24hill at the end of a run.
AB495, s. 6 25Section 6. 895.525 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB495,14,13
1895.525 (2) Definition. In this section, "recreational activity" means any
2activity undertaken for the purpose of exercise, relaxation or pleasure, including
3practice or instruction in any such activity. "Recreational activity" does not include
4participating in a snow sport at a ski area, as those terms are defined in s. 167.33,
5but
includes hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, bowling, billiards, picnicking,
6exploring caves, nature study, dancing, bicycling, horseback riding,
7horseshoe-pitching, bird-watching, motorcycling, operating an all-terrain vehicle,
8ballooning, curling, throwing darts, hang gliding, hiking, tobogganing, sledding,
9sleigh riding, snowmobiling, skiing, skating, participation in water sports, weight
10and fitness training, sight-seeing, rock-climbing, cutting or removing wood,
11climbing observation towers, animal training, harvesting the products of nature,
12sport shooting, and participating in a snow sport outside a ski area, as those terms
13are defined in s. 167.33,
and any other sport, game or educational activity.
AB495, s. 7 14Section 7. 895.526 of the statutes is created to read:
AB495,14,17 15895.526 Participation in a snow sport; restrictions on civil liability,
16assumption of risk.
(1) Definitions. All definitions in s. 167.33 apply to this
17section unless the context otherwise requires.
AB495,14,20 18(2) Appreciation of conditions and risk of participation in a snow sport. (a)
19Every participant in a snow sport at a ski area accepts the conditions and risks of the
20snow sport as set forth in s. 167.33 (2).
AB495,14,2221 (b) Every participant in a snow sport at a ski area is presumed to have seen and
22understood signage provided by the ski area operator pursuant to s. 167.33 (3).
AB495,15,223 (c) Every participant in a snow sport at a ski area accepts that failure to wear
24a helmet or wearing a helmet that is improperly sized, fitted, or secured increases
25the risk of injury or death or the risk of a more severe injury. Every participant in

1a snow sport at a ski area accepts that a helmet may not be available for purchase
2or for rent at a ski area.
AB495,15,73 (d) Every participant in a snow sport at a ski area accepts that natural or
4man-made items or obstacles within a ski area, including ski area infrastructure
5and ski area vehicles, may be unpadded or not heavily padded and accepts that there
6may be a higher risk of injury or death or of a more severe injury associated with a
7collision with an item or obstacle that is unpadded or not heavily padded.
AB495,15,9 8(3) Responsibilities of a participant in a snow sport. Every participant in a
9snow sport is responsible to do all of the following:
AB495,15,1010 (a) Fulfill his or her duties set forth in s. 167.33 (5).
AB495,15,1411 (b) Choose whether to wear a helmet while participating in the snow sport. If
12the participant chooses to wear a helmet, he or she has the responsibility to ensure
13the helmet is of the correct size and fit and to ensure that it is properly secured while
14he or she participates in the snow sport.
AB495,15,20 15(4) Limits on liability for a ski area operator; release and liability of a
16participant.
(a) A ski operator who fulfills all of his or her duties under s. 167.33 (3)
17and (4) owes no further duty of care to a participant in a snow sport and is not liable
18for an injury or death that occurs as a result of any condition or risk accepted by the
19participant under sub. (2). Whether a particular circumstance constitutes a
20condition or risk of participating in a snow sport is a question of law.
AB495,15,2321 (b) A participant involved in a collision with any other participant or with a
22nonparticipant may be liable for an injury or death that occurs as a result of the
23collision.
AB495,16,224 (c) An exculpatory release of liability is enforceable against an adult
25participant who signs the release and against a minor participant on whose behalf

1a release has been signed by the minor participant's parent, legal guardian, or other
2person authorized by the parent or legal guardian to sign the release.
AB495,16,33 (d) This subsection shall be construed broadly.
AB495,16,5 4(5) Effect on related provision. Nothing in this section affects the limitation
5of a property owner's liability under s. 895.52.
AB495,16,66 (End)
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