Vail Resorts Pass Suspension

Let me say that, without a doubt, no one wants to get hit or for their loved ones to be hurt by a reckless and irresponsible skier/boarder. On the other hand, when you pay a substantial amount of money on a season pass, you shouldn't feel as if you should be hounded by over zealous yellow jackets.

Quick story-throwback to Nov. 2016:I along with a million other people are riding (basically) the only run at Keystone. Of course there are slow signs and no jumping signs every 7 ft and the newbie Yellow Jackets are out in full force point, yelling, getting in everyone's way to assert their power. So as I'm going down Schoolmarm I stay as far as left as there's snow to avoid being hit and just enough speed to not have to hop down the mountain (I'm a snowboarder). About my third or fourth run of the day, I'm doing the same thing. Keeping enough space in the middle of the run for people to move about and I am again on the far far left. Well it being Nov and the season being super warm, and as I'm riding on the side, my board gets swamped in the slush and so I jump/flat base ho[ (going about 2mph/almost stopped) as hard as I can so I don't completely stop and fall off the trail. Guess who comes out of left field to give me a warning? You got it. Miss Yellow Jacket. She says it's not a big deal and that she knows I was just trying to get out of the slush and thanks me for stopping and showing my pass to her. There we go-written/yellow ticket warning number 1. No big deal right? Well fast forward to February 20th at Beaver Creek. I'm riding the trees far away from anyone that I could even see or hear. As I begin to approach the bottom of the hill, I start to go toe-side to the run so I can get back to the lift. As I'm approaching the side of the (from the trees back onto the main groomer) I come up to a 5-10 ft bank and don't make it the first time. So the 2nd approach I take it with a little more speed and make it over the snow bank and get about 1.5-2 inches of air and land on the run going about 5 mph after looking uphill as I'm going to the run to make sure no one is around, and guess who waives me down (not on his board), a yellow jacket. So as I'm approaching him I thought maybe he needed help or I don't know what he wanted. And then yep, you guessed it, another warning for jumping in a "no jump zone". No sign in sight. The dude asks for my pass and assures me it's no big deal and that's its just procedure to take a pic of my pass and he thanks me for being cooperative and not running from him. Fast forward to today, I get a call from the Beaver Creek Yellow Gestapo that my pass has been suspended for two weeks and that I have to attend a class before I can ride again. Now, my friends from out of state are coming up to snowboard/ski on Thursday and I will no longer be able to ride with them.

So what's the lesson here? Are they encouraging people from running from them when they're flagged down? I want to say I did the right thing by stopping and cooperating in a non-aggressive way but I'm not so sure anymore. I think I'll be rethinking where I buy my season passes from now on. Oh and those of you who think that the Epic pass is a good deal-you're right...for now. Just wait till they buy all the mountains and raise the passes to an un-affordable amount or take away what we all love about riding and skiing.

Sadly,
A Bummed Out, Rule-Following Snowboarder That Probably Shouldn't Have