This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Shredders, you've been warned: The Park City Council has outlawed reckless skiing and snowboarding.
In a unanimous vote Thursday, the council made out-of-control sliding within the city limits a class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail.
And the city limits include Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley.
That means that ski patrollers at those resorts can detain reckless riders and ring up Park City's police, who will cite alleged lawbreakers and drag them to court. The patrollers would then be called as witnesses at trial.
Would-be schussers eyeing The Canyons resort - just north of Park City's boundary - for high-speed heroics also should take note. Summit County already has a similar law against sliding with "willful and wanton disregard" for those sharing the slopes in a responsible manner.
The punishment is equivalent to that of a DUI. But neither Park City nor Summit County has regulations against imbibing while shredding, as long as it's done safely.
Although Park City is within Summit County, the municipality decided it was a good idea to have its own law against reckless sliding, said spokeswoman Phyllis Robinson.
The move is aimed as a preventive measure that could help ski resorts dissuade would-be speed demons from skiing or boarding out of control, she said.
"The ski resorts wanted this," Robinson said.
Presently, Park City Mountain Resort has posted "slow" signs in congested areas, in addition to others that warn riders to stay in control, according spokeswoman Krista Parry.
To date, however, none warn against unlawful reckless riding. That could now change.