With Australia’s ski season at its peak, slope etiquette is paramount. Ski industry resource SnowSeasonCentral surveyed 2,000-plus Aussie skiers to find out what bad behaviour at Australian winter resorts can put a dampener on a great snow day.
Unsurprisingly, a lack of basic manners and a disregard for safety were cited as the two worst offences committed on the slopes.
Almost three in four Aussies (72%) said skipping lines or pushing in lift queues constituted a slope etiquette violation while not utilising available seats on chairlifts efficiently also gets our goat with 14 per cent feeling peeved about this behaviour.
Not respecting the environment attracts the ire of 32 per cent of snow-bound holidaymakers along with 16 per cent who opposed smoking or vaping on the chairlift.
One in two Aussie wintersports enthusiasts (50%) said not keeping a safe distance from others was a bad habit to break along with not obeying signs and markings (24%), not looking while merging (20%) and not staying in control on the slopes (17%).
We also don’t like it when skiers or snowboarders go too fast (18%) or stop in the middle of the slope inappropriately (16%) – just like in city streets, really.
When asked how to respond to slope etiquette violations, 38 per cent of respondents were in favour of ignoring the behaviour, 23 per cent opted for “politely communicating the rules” and 17 per cent would share the offensive behaviour on social media.
According to the survey, the best ways for snow resorts and operators to communicate slope etiquette rules to the public are clear and concise signs with visuals (42%), social media campaigns (25%) and onsite educational programs (14%).
Find out how Australia’s wintersports resorts stack up globally here.
