The sound folk at Pistehors recently posted this excellent article - In case of accident call a lawyer
We'd strongly encourage you to read it all, but the key points - common sense with the law stood behind it - are:
pistehors wrote:What Backcountry Skiers Should Take Away
These cases reveal several important principles for anyone travelling in winter mountains:
- Stay together. Courts penalise group dispersion.
- Match the outing to the weakest member. This is one of the most common findings in court rulings.
- Understand that the most experienced skier often carries implicit responsibility.
- Check the avalanche bulletin, weather, and equipment.
- Never allow someone to travel alone in risky terrain.
- Be very careful about changing a planned route on the terrain - courts want to see clear decision making as to why this was done and why the route choice was safer.
These aren't just good practices — they're legal safeguards.
Stay safe out there.