Windham Mountain Ski Patrol Contact Info:
Ski Patrol Direct Line Daytime: 518-310-2723
Ski Patrol First Aid Room: 518-310-2724
24-Hour Security: 518-610-4237
For emergencies, dial 911.
Slope Safety
Slope Safety Ensures Mountain Fun! NYS Article 18 Safety In Skiing Code, signed by Governor Mario Cuomo and enacted into law in 1989, the New York State Safety In Skiing Code is detailed here.
To be a safe skier, NYS law requires you to know and observe the following duties of skiers:
Not to ski in any area not designated for skiing;
Not to ski beyond their limits or ability to overcome variations in slope, trail configuration and surface or subsurface conditions which may be caused or altered by weather, slope or trail maintenance work by the ski area operator, or skier use;
To abide by the directions of the ski area operator;
To remain in constant control of speed and course at all times while skiing so as to avoid contact with plainly visible or clearly marked obstacles and with other skiers and passengers on surface operating tramways;
To familiarize themselves with posted information before skiing any slope or trail, including all information posted pursuant to subdivision five of section 18-103 of this article;
Not to cross the uphill track of any surface lift, except at points clearly designated by the ski area operator;
Not to ski on a slope or trail or portion thereof that has been designated as “closed” by the ski area operator;
Not to leave the scene of any accident resulting in personal injury to another party until such times as the ski area operator arrives, except for the purpose of summoning aid;
Not to overtake another skier in such a manner as to cause contact with the skier being overtaken and to yield the right of way to the skier being overtaken;
Not to willfully stop on any slope or trail where such stopping is likely to cause a collision with other skiers or vehicles;
To yield to other skiers when entering a trail or starting downhill;
To wear retention straps or other devices to prevent runaway skis;
To report any personal injury to the ski area operator before leaving the ski area; and
Not to willfully remove, deface, alter or otherwise damage signage, warning devices or implements, or other safety devices placed and maintained by the ski area operator pursuant to the requirements of section 18-103 of this article.
To be a safe lift passenger, NYS law requires you to know and observe the following duties of passengers:
To familiarize themselves with the safe use of any tramway prior to its use;
To remain in the tramway if the operation of a passenger tramway, as defined pursuant to section two hundred two-c of the labor law, is interrupted for any reason, until instructions or aid are provided by the ski area operator;
To board or disembark from passenger tramways only at points or areas designated by the ski area operator;
Not to eject any objects or material from a passenger tramway;
To use restraint devices in accordance with posted instructions;
To wear retention straps or other devices to prevent runaway skis;
Not to interfere with the operation of a passenger tramway;
Not to place or caused to be placed on the uphill track of a surface lift any object which may interfere with its normal operation; and
Not to wear loose scarves, clothing, or accessories or expose long hair which may become entangle with any part of the device.
Skiers shall have the following additional duties to enable them to make informed decisions as to the advisability of their participation in the sport: a. To seek out, read, review, and understand, in advance to skiing, the ‘WARNING TO SKIERS’ displayed where tickets are sold; and b. To obtain such education in the sport of skiing as the individual skier shall deem appropriate to his or her level of ability, including the familiarization with skills and duties necessary to reduce the risk of injury in such sport.
© 1989/90 Ski Areas of New York, Inc.
Surface Condition Code Definitions
| Code | Definition |
|---|---|
| BS = BARE SPOTS | Areas of exposed underlying trail surface, NOT covered with sufficient amounts of any form of snow, ice or other skiable material. No skier should attempt to ski over or through any Bare Spot or Spots. |
| CL = CLOSED | Trail/area closed. |
| CO = CORN SNOW | Large ice-like granules, which are loose during above-freezing temperatures and which freeze together during below-freezing temperatures. Corn snow is usually a product of the above / below freezing cycle of temperatures typical of spring days. Large ice-like granules which remain frozen together in extended cold periods, or chunks of ice created by incomplete grooming or icy surfaces are not characteristic of corn snow. |
| FG = FROZEN GRANULAR | Granular snow which was once wet and which has frozen together forming a rather solid or crusty-textured surface. It can return to loose granular after thawing or being worked by a grooming machine, or from the effects of skier traffic breaking up the crust. Frozen granular snow will support a ski pole stuck into it. However, if the pole makes ice chips and the surface will not support the pole, the surface is ICY. |
| HP = HARD PACK | Hard pack snow is a dense, compressed snow condition harder than packed powder and softer than ice. |
| IP, IS = ICE PATCHES, ICY SURFACE | ce represents a hard, glazed surface usually created by freezing rain, or old surface snow melting and quickly refreezing again, or by ground water seeping up into the snow and freezing. Also may describe a very wet surface that has been skied into a smooth surface while above-freezing temperatures are existent and then rapidly dropping temperatures occur. When broken, ice breaks into chunks rather than granules. Patches describe localized occurrences of ice; surface describes a more prevailing icy condition on the slope. |
| LG = LOOSE GRANULAR | Loose granules similar to rock salt, usually formed after powder snow thaws, refreezes and crystallizes; or an accumulation of sleet. Loose granular also may characterize surface conditions produced by machine conditioning of frozen granular or icy surfaces. |
| O = OPEN | Trail is open. |
| P = POWDER | New snow generally of dry and fluffy consistency. Will not make a snowball easily. |
| PP = PACKED POWDER | Loose powder snow compacted by rollers, drags or other mechanical apparatus or by skier traffic to a state which leaves little air space between particles. It is no longer fluffy, but it is not so extremely compacted that it is hard and icy. |
| SC = SPRING CONDITIONS | This term is used to characterize the wide variety of surface conditions which results from the alternate freezing and thawing of snow cover in spring weather. This term is used in place of other terms when the usual surface descriptions cannot accurately or completely describe the situation, that is, when no single surface type covers at least 50% of the skiable surface of a trail. |
| TC = THIN COVER | Indicates that the cover that currently exists will decline in quality due to skier traffic an may break through to the underlying trail surface. Thin Cover indicates that Bare Spots are anticipated to develop in the area during the day. |
| V = VARIABLE | A wide variety of conditions which can not accurately or completely be describe using usual terminology, such as when no single surface type predominates. |
| WG = WET GRANULAR | Loose or frozen granular snow which has become wet and soft after a thaw or from a rainfall. |
| WP = WET POWDER | Powder snow that is wet when it falls (you can easily make a snowball), or dry powder that becomes wet as the temperature rises above freezing or is dampened by rain. |
On the ski reports from Ski Areas of New York we use two letter surface condition codes to signify what the conditions are like on the snow. These are Article 18 approved, the New York Safety In Skiing law.
This ski area endeavors to inspect trails and report conditions consistent with terminology descriptive of surface condition(s) developed by the New York Ski Industry Association, Ski Areas of New York, Inc. as follows:
BS=Bare Spots CL=Closed CO=Corn FG=Frozen Granular HP=Hard Pack IP=Ice Patches IS=Icy Surface LG=Loose Granular O=Open P=Powder PP=Packed Powder SC=Spring Conditions SM=Snowmaking in progress TC=Thin Cover V=Variable WG=Wet Granular WP=Wet Powder
© 1989/90 Ski Areas of New York, Inc.
Terrain Parks:
Freestyle Terrain is becoming more popular at resorts and proper use is important. The National Ski Areas Association and Burton Snowboards have developed the “Smart Style” Freestyle Terrain Safety initiative, a cooperative effort to continue the proper use and progression of freestyle terrain at mountain resorts, while also delivering a unified message that is clear, concise, and effective.
Freestyle Terrain may contain jumps, hits, ramps, banks, fun boxes, jibs, rails, half pipes, quarter pipes, snowcross, bump terrain and other constructed or natural terrain features. PRIOR to using Freestyle Terrain, you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with Freestyle Terrain and obeying all instructions, warnings and signs. Freestyle skills require maintaining control on the ground, and in the air.
Signage will vary from resort to resort. PRIOR to using Freestyle Terrain, you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with Freestyle Terrain and obeying all instructions, warnings and signs.