An altercation between slopegoers at Keystone Resort in recent days resulted in two people being issued a court summons for disorderly conduct, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Per a report on the matter, the situation started with a female skier who felt that a snowboarder downhill from her position was turning too wide while carving down the mountain. The woman believed the snowboarder’s wide turns had almost caused several collisions, including one with her, and decided to stop near a sign on the mountain to flag the snowboarder down and “let him know how she felt” about the situation.

When she made contact with the snowboarder, the snowboarder pointed out that he had always been downhill of her during the turns, thus had the right-of-way. The snowboarder then left the scene.

At that point, the woman and her husband started to follow the snowboarder, skiing near him. As noted by law enforcement, accounts of the events that followed “vary slightly,” though either way, the situation resulted in the husband and the snowboarder ending up on the ground. A short scuffle occurred before the two separated.

No one ended up being injured in the incident, but both of the people involved in the scuffle were issued a summons to court for disorderly conduct.

There’s one big takeaway related to this situation – the snowboarder was correct in regard to stating that downhill slopegoers have the right-of-way. Uphill skiers and snowboarders are expected to adjust their lines accordingly as downhill traffic moves around the mountain. It’s not expected that downhill skiers and snowboarders keep an eye on those behind them, as eyes should be focused on the snow ahead.

On the same note, uphill skiers are expected to have the skills required to avoid crashes with those downhill, regardless of what someone downhill is doing. Wide turns, narrow turns, uneven turns – it doesn’t matter. The uphill skier should still be able to avoid a collision. If an uphill skier is having trouble with this, it probably means they’re too close to downhill slopegoers or that they lack the skill to properly maneuver around the mountain.

While downhill skiers do indeed have the right-of-way, all skiers and snowboarders should make an effort to be predictable as this can help prevent collisions between slopegoers. Being predictable is one way of preventing a potential collision with uphill slopegoers who may lack the awareness or the skills to adjust their line accordingly.

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