Tread Lightly - Responsible Snowsports

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Travel responsibly on designated roads and trails or in permitted areas.

Travel only in areas designated for your type of winter travel.
Avoid traveling on frozen waterways when possible.
If you are out in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) when conditions are sometimes muddy, stay on snow or walk in the middle of the trail to avoid creating new trails.
Comply with signs and barriers.
Avoid traveling in potential avalanche areas. Use terrain to your advantage, avoiding steep slopes, cornices, and gullies or depressions; periodically check for clues to an unstable snowpack. Remember, one person at a time on slopes.
Buddy up with two or three people; traveling solo can leave you vulnerable if you have an accident.

Respect the rights of others including private property owners and all recreational trail users, campers and others to allow them to enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed.

Keep to the right when meeting other winter recreationists and yield the right of way to downhill traffic.
Respect established ski tracks. If traveling by foot or snowshoe don’t damage existing ski tracks.
When stopping, step to the side of the trail to let other skiers and recreationists pass.
When skiing or snowboarding, move to the right to allow faster skiers to pass.
If crossing private property, ask permission from the landowner(s).

Educate yourself by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies, planning for your trip, taking recreation skills classes, and knowing how to use and operate your equipment safely.

Take an avalanche class. It provides skills on accessing snow conditions, performing rescues, and using safety equipment.

An avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe should be worn on your body at all times in avalanche terrain.

Obtain a map of your destination and determine which areas are open to winter travel.
Make a realistic plan, and stick to it. Always tell someone of your travel plans.
Contact the land manager for area restrictions, closures, and permit requirements.
Always check the weather forecast and avalanche conditions.
Prepare for the unexpected by packing a small backpack full of emergency items.
Layer clothing and wear a durable waterproof outer shell and footwear.
If a person develops hypothermia, warm the person up by rubbing them vigorously and getting them into dry clothes. Give them warm non-alcoholic liquids.

Avoid sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams, unless on designated routes. This protects wildlife habitat and sensitive soils from damage.

Avoid areas with inadequate snow cover.
Avoid disturbing historical, archeological, and paleontological sites.
Be respectful of wildlife’s wintering habitats.
Avoid “spooking” livestock and wildlife and keep your distance.

Do your part by leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species, restoring degraded areas, and joining a local enthusiast organization.

Pack out what you pack in.
When finished with your campsite, demolish any snow walls or shelters you have built. Fill in areas where you have quarried snow blocks.
If you must have a fire, use a fire pan.
Dispose of all sanitary waste properly by packing it out or bury it in a shallow hole in the snow.

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Click here for more tips on all kinds of recreation, including snowmobiling, camping, and hiking.