After Two Fights on Colorado Ski Slopes, Advice on Staying Cool

It’s the early days of the 2025-26 ski season, a time to dust off your rusty gear, test your noodle-like legs, and perhaps throw a few punches at your fellow snow-sport lover.

Wait—scratch that last one.

Alas, fists are already flying at Colorado ski resorts. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office recently reported incidents reports from two separate on-the-slopes fights that occurred during the final week of November.

The first incident happened at Copper Mountain, where an attendee at the resort’s inaugural Copper Cup downhill races confronted a teenager and accused the youngster of getting him kicked out of a restricted area. The man reportedly tackled the kid and then roughed him up.

Cops eventually took the man to the local jail and charged him with assault and criminal mischief.

In the second incident, a fight broke out between a skier and a snowboarder at Keystone Resort. The skier’s wife had accused the snowboarder of dangerous riding on the slopes, and after a confrontation, her husband and the snowboarder “ended up on the ground in a short scuffle,” the sheriff’s report said. Authorities issued both parties a court summons for disorderly conduct.

Authorities have not disclosed the identities of any of the, um, combatants.

As I wrote earlier this week, early-season skiing is a slog for everybody. The snow sucks and very little terrain is open to the public. There are massive lines everywhere. Nobody has attained their mid-season form, so everyone is a clumsier, wobbly-legged version of themselves.

Everyone must descend the same two or three open runs, so someone is inevitably going to get cut off, or cut someone off.

So, what should you do if you find yourself embroiled in a skiing altercation? I reached out to several resorts asking for expert insight on how to avoid on-mountain fights, or how to de-escalate a potential brawl. “I’d like to avoid any insinuation that the incidents took place here,” one resort rep told me. Hey, I get it.

Still, I feel like these fights are opportunities for us to grow and evolve as skiers. Thus, I’ve sought guidance from the only ruling document that the ski industry presents to its millions of participants: the Skier Responsibility Code, the Rosetta Stone from which the sport’s rules of etiquette stems.

Shocker, none of the ten rules in the responsibility code address fighting. Bummer. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to interpret these guidelines for any skier or snowboarder who is facing an altercation on the slopes—or is considering throwing a punch.

1. Always stay in control. You must be able to stop or avoid people or objects.

Interpretation: As it is your responsibility to stay in control while skiing, it is also your duty to remain in mental/emotional control while speaking with your fellow skiers. You must be able to stop or avoid hurling insults, and also avoid Hulking Out and smashing someone in the jaw. 

2. People ahead or downhill of you have the right-of-way. You must avoid them.

Interpretation: Anyone standing near you has the right not to get screamed at, berated, or kicked in the nuts. Yes, this even applies to that irresponsible snowboard bro who just cut you off. 

3. Stop only where you are visible from above and do not restrict traffic.

Interpretation: You are visible from almost everywhere on a ski slope, which means if you act like a bonehead, you will be filmed and put on the Internet by your peers in a matter of minutes. Everyone around you—they all have smartphones. They are dying to film you and text the clip to their friends and coworkers. Start a fight and you’ll end up as an Instagram meme by the end of the week. 

4. Look uphill and avoid others before starting downhill or entering a trail.

Interpretation: Look uphill—some of the people descending the slope are personal-injury lawyers, and would love to represent your foe and win them a mega settlement.  

5. You must prevent runaway equipment.

Interpretation: Your skis and poles are not weapons, so please do not transform them into nunchaks, twin sai, bo staff, katana blades, or any other weapons that a Ninja Turtle might wield. 

6. Read and obey all signs, warnings, and hazard markings.

Interpretation: Please show me the placard saying it’s OK to become a ski slope vigilante and dole out justice to the local hot-dogger just because he ran over your tips. Oh, there isn’t one? Great—don’t do it, buddy. 

7. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.

Interpretation: If you’re looking to transform an area of the resort into your own personal UFC octagon, please search elsewhere. There are plenty of places outside of the boundary that would work great for this. 

8. You must know how and be able to load, ride, and unload lifts safely. If you need assistance, ask the lift attendant.

Interpretation: Dude, the liftie doesn’t want to throw down. 

9. Do not use lifts or terrain when impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Interpretation: Definitely don’t start a fight if you are impaired by alcohol or drugs, because your chances of getting your butt kicked rise by about 900 percent. 

10. If you are involved in a collision or incident, share your contact information with each other and a ski area employee.

Interpretation: Hey, crashes happen. It’s part of skiing. If you bump someone, or if they bump you, just know that it wasn’t intentional. Give them your number. Hell, share your address with them and invite them over for dinner. After all, this person loves to ski or snowboard—just like you! This person—like you—is just trying to have a fun day on the slopes.