Season Start-Up: Key Risk and Safety Checks for Ski Operators
Winter will be here soon, and the first chairlift will be spinning before you know it. As your teams prepare, a modern risk management approach isn’t just about compliance; it’s about efficiency, defensibility, and protecting your mountain’s reputation. Whether you use 1RISK, now a part of accesso, or any other Risk Management System, these five pre-season checks (plus bonus tech tips!) help set the stage for a smooth season.
Review Your Digital Waivers
Ensure your waivers are current, legally vetted and clearly worded. Beyond that, check that your waiver system supports version control and branching logic so you capture relevant data without overburdening your guests.
Test and Publish Incident Forms
Have your forms live, accessible and tested across devices. A system that ties incident records to waiver data and supports audit trails can greatly enhance post-incident analysis and legal defensibility.
Refresh Staff Training
Make sure patrol, ops, and lift teams complete refresher modules. If your training system can tie back to incident and waiver records, it helps create a cohesive risk narrative, commitment to due diligence and a preventative mindset.
Confirm Dispatch Readiness
Verify all lifts are properly entered into your dispatch or operations system, with the correct metadata for tracking. Integration between dispatch data and your Incident Management solution helps reduce data siloes and speeds up issue detection.
Finalize Checklists & Inspections
Whether digital or paper, your inspection workflows should be tested and ready. Using a system that timestamps entries, links checks to incidents and provides reporting dashboards is ideal.
Bonus: Waiver & Risk Tech Capabilities to Watch For
A waiver solution that offers these features helps you move from simply “collecting signatures” to building defensible, actionable records. As you review your systems, evaluate whether your waiver or risk platform offers:
- Conditional logic/branching
- Proper versioning with current season dates
- Data integration with POS, RFID, and incident systems
- Waivers for enhanced group management
- Secure encryption and compliance certifications
A little pre-season preparation goes a long way. By taking time now to tighten up waivers, train teams, and ensure your dispatch, incident and inspection processes are bulletproof, you set your mountain up for a safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable season for everyone.
If your team is re-evaluating waiver processes ahead of opening day, now is the time to explore a proven, ski-specific solution. 1RISK has been trusted by leading resorts for years to streamline risk management, improve compliance and make waiver management simpler for both guests and operators.
Request a consultation to see if 1RISK is the right fit for your mountain.