Think lift tickets are expensive now? Some resorts are up to $79 a day. Prices may get higher if the California legislature imposes additional liability on ski resorts.
Last week, the Assembly Judiciary Committee held an informational hearing on "Ski and Snowboard Health, Safety and Liability Standards." Usually, informational hearings are precursors to bills. The California legislature convenes its 2009 Session in early January 2009, and legislators have until the end of February to introduce bills. We expect to see a bill relating to ski industry liability. Most likely, the bill will increase liability for ski resorts. If that's the case, you can expect to see even higher lift ticket prices.
Currently, skiing is considered by law to be a risky endeavor and many "mountains" are somewhat protected from expensive lawsuits by the legal doctrine of "assumed risk" as well as by contractual liability waivers, usually found on the back of the lift ticket.