Around this time each year, Colorado’s skiers and snowboarders start using the phrase ‘WROD’ on social media, and seemingly without fail, there’s always someone in the comments section asking what ‘WROD’ means.

As might be expected, it’s an acronym, and it stands for ‘White Ribbon of Death.’ It’s essentially referring to early season snow conditions that tend to pop up at resorts when not many runs are open and powder days are few and far between.

While some of Colorado’s resorts get the lifts spinning in November or early-December, skiable terrain might be limited to one or two runs from the top of the lift to the bottom of the mountain. With many passholders eager to hit the slopes, these limited runs get very crowded and snow conditions that tend to be poor already tank even further with the masses packing powder down fast.

Conditions tend to get icy and exceptionally slick, making skiing and snowboarding more difficult – a problem that isn’t helped by the ample traffic on the mountain. The situation is also made worse by the fact that limited runs have skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels on the same slopes – guests capable of cruising down the mountain with sweeping turns tend to do so alongside terrified beginners. All of these factors combined can be a recipe for disaster.

With that said, the ‘white ribbon’ part of the acronym is a reference to the long top-to-bottom run that everyone gets funneled to amid lack of open terrain and the ‘of death’ portion is a reference to the higher risk of injury that comes with it.

Due to the infamous presence of the ‘white ribbon of death,’ many of the Colorado’s skiers and snowboarders tend to hold off on hitting the slopes until more terrain is open. That said, if you’re heading up while runs are limited, here are a few safety tips:

1. Control your speed. This will not only increase the amount of time you’ll have to react when traveling around a hoard of others, it also probably means that collision and falls that may occur won’t be quite as intense.
2. Wear your safety gear. Don’t risk cracking your skull on the icy ground or on another person. Keep your season (and others’ seasons) going by limiting risk of injury early on.
3. Let the slopes clear out for late-day runs. Crowds tend to thin out as the day goes on, thus afternoon laps can mean less traffic.
4. Make sure you’re actively scanning for downhill hazards. On crowded slopes, it’s crucial to plan your line from a distance and be able to adjust it accordingly.
5. Use your edges and control your movements. Trying to aggressively slide into a stop or turn on slick and icy snow can make a fall more likely.
6. Watch out for rocks. A lack of deep coverage on over-skied terrain can have hazards from below popping up.

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