I had to do a little diligence and inquiring on this topic. Seems like it's not a liability issue per se, rather a safety/theft of services issue. The concept that resorts are responsible for collisions/injuries has been debated in court over and over (anyone remember the terrain park suit at the Summit). There is no doubt that resorts want to minimize their liability, (and rightfully so) The purchase of a ticket is an agreement that skiing and boarding can be dangerous and an agreement to hold the resort harmless. Inbounds resort touring access provides a nice groomer to skin on the way up as well as the same on the way down, and use of restrooms and other infrastructure to boot. I find the argument of Public Free Access in a resort environment to be somewhat ludicrous. Someone is paying for that parking lot and groomed snow. Stevens like many other resorts looked to minimize theft of services, hence the adoption of RFID passes. Alta has installed RFID scanners at most mid mountain lifts for exactly this reason. Not saying that all skinners/ shoers would "earn" their way to the first available (uncontrolled) lift but it does happen. Crystal has had a concern with skinners heading up well before lifts open while Patrol is still dealing with explosives. Think up tracking Kellys gap and passing under Rock Face, think Lucky Shot under Powder Bowl with patrolers throwing explosives from the top. Both of these scenarios have occurred this year. I personally would like to think that backcountry skiers and riders are a little more savvy and risk adverse compared to the general skiing public. Unfortunately that is not always the case. I am not in favor of acts of civil disobedience to try and resolve this issue. I do endorse the concept of community action and education to mitigate the impact of resort touring. The fact that this issue has cropped up in NW should be a motivator to ski safely whether trekking up or down and to share information in a cooperative fashion. I firmly believe that ski area management has far more important issues to address than hasseling touring types, the fact that this HAS cropped up should indicate the perceived importance. On a side note Whistler has added a one ride backcountry pass to their ticket menu which allows the holder one trip to the top per day. Simply show up with beacon, shovel etc and purchase the pass. Good day to ski, be well.
