LRB-3818/1
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2011 - 2012 LEGISLATURE
January 19, 2012 - Introduced by Senators Grothman, Galloway, Wanggaard,
Schultz
and Kedzie, cosponsored by Representatives Strachota, Brooks,
LeMahieu, Kerkman, Ballweg, Kestell
and Doyle. Referred to Committee on
Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.
SB388,1,4 1An Act to amend 101.12 (1) (c), 101.19 (1) (b), 101.981 (1) (c) and 895.525 (2);
2and to create 101.19 (1) (bm), 167.33 and 895.526 of the statutes; relating to:
3 duties of ski area operators and participants in snow sports, liability of ski area
4operators, and granting rule-making authority.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, a participant in a recreational activity, including skiing,
sledding, or tobogganing, on a premises that is open to the public for such purposes
is deemed to accept the risks inherent in the activity of which an ordinary prudent
person is or should be aware. Current law also imposes certain responsibilities on
participants in a recreational activity, including the responsibility to act within the
limits of his or her ability, heed all warnings regarding participation in the
recreational activity, maintain control of his or her self and the equipment he or she
is using, and refrain from acting in any manner that may cause or contribute to the
death or injury to himself or herself or to other persons while participating in the
recreational activity.
Under current law, if a participant in a recreational activity is injured or killed,
his or her own actions may be considered contributory negligence in a civil suit
brought against the owners of the premises if the participant failed to comply with
any of the responsibilities set forth for participants in the activity.
Under this bill, the same rules of liability and negligence apply to skiing,
sledding, tubing, tobogganing, and other snow sports (snow sports) that take place
outside of a ski area. The bill establishes a different scheme for determining whether

the operator of a ski area is liable for injuries sustained by a person who participates
in a snow sport at a ski area.
Under the bill, a participant in a snow sport is deemed to know, and accept,
certain risks inherent in the snow sport, such as changes in weather or visibility, the
presence of certain snow conditions and difficulties with the terrain, and the risk of
collisions and to accept that the operator of a ski area may not mitigate certain risks
by padding items or obstacles within the ski area. A participant is also deemed to
acknowledge that his or her decision whether to wear a helmet while participating
in the snow sport may contribute to his or her injuries, and that he or she is solely
responsible for ensuring that a helmet is properly fitted. Under the bill, a
participant's responsibilities when participating in a snow sport include knowing
and complying with all safety rules established by the ski area, knowing the limits
of his or her abilities, and being able to maintain control of himself or herself and his
or her equipment while participating in the snow sport.
The bill also sets forth several safety requirements for ski area operators and
requirements designed to inform participants of the dangers inherent in snow sports
and of the responsibilities each participant has for his or her own safety. The
requirements include inspection of lifts at the ski area and placing warning signs and
informational signs as to the level of difficulty of ski trails.
Under the bill, the operator of a ski area is immune from liability for any injury
sustained by a participant in a snow sport or by an observer if the injury was a result
of any of the risks accepted by the participant and the operator of the ski area has
complied with the requirements.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB388, s. 1 1Section 1. 101.12 (1) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB388,2,32 101.12 (1) (c) Elevators, escalators, ski lift and towing devices lifts, as defined
3in s. 167.33 (1) (f),
and power dumbwaiters.
SB388, s. 2 4Section 2. 101.19 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB388,2,85 101.19 (1) (b) The required inspection of boilers, pressure vessels, refrigeration
6plants, liquefied petroleum gas vessels, anhydrous ammonia tanks and containers,
7ski lift and towing devices, escalators, dumbwaiters, and amusement or thrill rides
8but not of amusement attractions.
SB388, s. 3 9Section 3. 101.19 (1) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:
SB388,3,2
1101.19 (1) (bm) The inspection by the department of lifts, as defined in s. 167.33
2(1) (f).
SB388, s. 4 3Section 4. 101.981 (1) (c) of the statutes, as affected by 2011 Wisconsin Act 32,
4is amended to read:
SB388,3,125 101.981 (1) (c) "Conveyance" means an elevator, an escalator, a dumbwaiter,
6a belt manlift, a moving walkway, a platform lift, and a stairway chair lift, and any
7other similar device, such as an automated people mover, used to elevate or move
8people or things, as provided in the rules of the department. "Conveyance" does not
9include a personnel hoist; a material hoist; a grain elevator; a lift or towing device
10as defined in s. 167.33 (1) (f); an amusement or thrill ride; or a vertical platform lift,
11inclined platform lift, or a stairway chair lift that serves an individual residential
12dwelling unit.
SB388, s. 5 13Section 5. 167.33 of the statutes is created to read:
SB388,3,14 14167.33 Snow sports. (1) Definitions. In this section:
SB388,3,1515 (a) "Affiliate" means:
SB388,3,1616 1. With respect to a partnership, each partner thereof.
SB388,3,1717 2. With respect to a limited liability company, each member thereof.
SB388,3,1918 3. With respect to a corporation, each officer, director, principal stockholder,
19and controlling member thereof.
SB388,3,2220 (b) "Competition" means any event authorized by a ski area operator, or by an
21agent of a ski area operator, that involves a comparison of skills used in one or more
22snow sports. "Competition" includes training sessions for such an event.
SB388,3,2523 (c) "Freestyle features" means man-made features that include boxes, jumps,
24hits, jibs, tabletops, spikes, take-off ramps, landings, banks, half pipes, picnic tables,
25logs, and pipes.
SB388,4,2
1(d) "Freestyling" means mogul jumping, mogul skiing, ski jumping, aerial
2skiing, ski cross, ski ballet, snowboarding, and any other similar snow sport.
SB388,4,53 (e) "Hazard" means any man-made or natural obstacle or hazard. "Hazard"
4includes ridges, sharp corners, jumps, bumps, moguls, valleys, dips, cliffs, ravines,
5and bodies of water.
SB388,4,76 (f) "Lift" means any aerial tramway or lift, a surface lift, a tow, or a conveyor
7used by a ski area operator to transport participants in snow sports at a ski area.
SB388,4,148 (g) "Participant in a snow sport" means an individual who is engaged in a snow
9sport or who is walking or otherwise traveling within a ski area for purposes of
10engaging in the sport. "Participant in a snow sport" also means an individual who
11is present at a ski area to observe others engaged in a snow sport or who is a
12passenger on a lift. "Participant in a snow sport" includes an individual that is an
13employee of a ski area operator when he or she is acting out the scope of his or her
14employment.
SB388,4,1715 (h) "Ski area" means trails, terrains, and other areas that are used by
16individuals engaged in snow sports and that is administered as a single enterprise
17by a ski area operator.
SB388,4,2018 (i) "Ski area infrastructure" means lifts and any associated components,
19snowmaking equipment and any associated components, and utility structures,
20buildings, huts, signs, lift mazes, fences, or other structures located within a ski area.
SB388,4,2321 (j) "Ski area operator" means a person that owns or is responsible for operating
22a ski area or its affiliates. "Ski area operator" includes the employees and agents of
23a ski area operator.
SB388,4,2524 (k) "Ski area vehicle" means a motorized vehicle used in the operation and
25maintenance of a ski area or used as transportation within a ski area.
SB388,5,2
1(L) "Skiing" means downhill skiing, alpine skiing, nordic skiing, cross-country
2skiing, telemarking, or snowboarding.
SB388,5,43 (m) "Sledding" means sliding down a prepared course on sleds, toboggans, ski
4bikes, or comparable devices. "Sledding" excludes tubing.
SB388,5,65 (n) "Snowmaking equipment" includes pipes, hoses, hydrants, snow guns, fans,
6wands, pumps, and any other equipment associated with making snow.
SB388,5,77 (o) "Snow sport" means skiing, sledding, tubing, or freestyling.
SB388,5,98 (p) "Tree skiing area" means an area open to skiing, that is not groomed for
9skiing, and that is forested.
SB388,5,1110 (q) "Tubing" means sliding down a prepared course on inflatable tubes,
11minibobs, or comparable devices.
SB388,5,13 12(2) Conditions and risks of snow sports. For purposes of this section,
13conditions and risks consist of all of the following:
SB388,5,1414 (a) Changes in weather or visibility.
SB388,5,1615 (b) The presence of surface or subsurface conditions, including any of the
16following:
SB388,5,1817 1. Snow, ice, crust, slush, soft spots, holes, grooves, bare spots, cuts, rocks,
18boulders, or tracks from ski area vehicles.
SB388,5,1919 2. Forest growth or debris, including stumps, logs, or brush.
SB388,5,2120 (c) Ridges, sharp corners, bumps, moguls, valleys, rollers, dips, cliffs, ravines,
21and double fall lines.
SB388,5,2422 (d) Variations in the difficulty of terrain, surface conditions, or subsurface
23conditions on a single trail or terrain or among trails or terrains that are designated
24the same level of difficulty at the ski area or at another ski area.
SB388,6,2
1(e) The risk of injury or death on trails and terrains that fall away or drop off
2toward hazards.
SB388,6,43 (f) The risk of collision with other participants in snow sports. employees of a
4ski area operator, ski area infrastructure, or ski area vehicles.
SB388,6,65 (g) Variation in the location, construction, configuration, or steepness of trails
6or terrains.
SB388,6,87 (h) The greater risk of collision, injury, or death in treed areas, in areas where
8competitions are held, and in areas where freestyling is allowed.
SB388,6,11 9(3) Duties of ski area operators; signage; notice. (a) Notice on tickets
10required.
Each ski area operator shall print on each ticket or season pass that it
11issues to participants in snow sports the following warning:
SB388,6,18 12"WARNING: Under Wisconsin law, each participant in a snow sport assumes
13the risk of injury or death to person or injury to property resulting from the
14conditions and risks that are considered to be inherent in a snow sport, has a number
15of duties that must be met while engaging in a snow sport, and is subject to
16limitations on the ability to recover damages from a ski area operator for injuries or
17death to a person or to property. A complete copy of this law is available for review
18at the main site where tickets to this ski area are sold."
SB388,6,2319 (b) Signs required; generally. Each ski area operator shall post and maintain
20a sign that is at least 10 square feet in size at or near each of the sites where tickets
21to the ski area are sold, at or near each of the entrances or lift loading areas for areas
22that are open to snow sports, and at or near each area open to sledding or tubing
23which is not served by a lift. The sign shall contain the following warning:
SB388,7,6 24"WARNING — ASSUMPTION OF RISKS: Under Wisconsin law, each
25participant in a snow sport is considered to have accepted and to have knowledge of

1the risk of injury or death to person or injury to property that may result. Under
2Wisconsin law, each participant in a snow sport has the duty to take the precautions
3that are necessary to avoid injury or death to person or injury to property. Wisconsin
4law sets forth certain other limitations on the liability of ski area operators for
5injuries or death to person or injury to property. A complete copy of this law is
6available for review at the main site where tickets to this ski area are sold."
SB388,7,97 (c) Copies of law. Each ski area operator shall post and maintain a current copy
8of all of the provisions of this section at the main site where tickets to the ski area
9are sold and shall make a copy of it for any individual upon request.
SB388,7,1310 (d) Signs required; skiing or sledding areas. In addition to the sign required
11under par. (b), each ski area operator shall post and maintain a sign that is at least
1210 square feet in size at or near each entrance to a loading area of a lift that serves
13areas open to skiing or sledding. The sign shall contain the following warning:
SB388,7,16 14"WARNING — DUTIES OF INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN SKIING OR
15SLEDDING: Under Wisconsin law, each individual engaged in skiing or sledding
16has a duty to do all of the following:
SB388,7,1717 1. Obey all posted warnings and signs.
SB388,7,1818 2. Keep off of closed trails and out of closed areas.
SB388,7,2019 3. Know the range of his or her ability and engage in skiing or sledding within
20that ability.
SB388,7,2221 4. Assess the difficulty of the trails and terrains that are open to skiing or
22sledding.
SB388,7,2323 5. Maintain control of his or her speed and direction.
SB388,7,2424 6. Be able to stop or avoid other individuals or objects.
SB388,8,2
17. Yield to other individuals engaged in skiing or sledding who are ahead or who
2are down the slope.
SB388,8,43 8. Not stop at a point that will result in the individual obstructing a trail or not
4being visible from above.
SB388,8,65 9. Yield to other individuals engaged in skiing or sledding who are uphill when
6starting downhill or when merging onto a trail.
SB388,8,87 10. Be able to safely board, ride, and deboard any lift serving an area open to
8skiing or sledding.
SB388,8,99 11. Board and deboard a lift only at designated sites."
SB388,8,1410 (e) Signs required; tubing areas. In addition to the sign required under par. (b),
11each ski area operator shall post and maintain a sign that is at least 10 square feet
12in size at or near each entrance to a loading area of a lift that serves areas open to
13tubing or at or near an entrance of an area open to tubing that is not served by a lift.
14The sign shall contain the following warning:
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