Popular US ski destination Alta Ski Resort is one of only a handful of US resorts that continue to resist moving with the times and allowing snowboarders on their slopes.
The only other board-banning resort in Utah is Deer Valley, with the final remaining bastion of US anti-snowboardism Vermont’s Mad River Glen
The ban busters are citing the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which was written to end racial segregation and establish equal rights in a post-slavery America.
In the past, the 14th Amendment has been used in equal rights cases concerning sexual orientation, gender, and race but never before the ‘right to snowboard.’
The resort continues to claim that the reason for its board ban is due to safety and terrain issue, and that – not least – only allowing skiers is an important part of their business plan.
Jonathan Schofield, the attorney for the snowboarders argued in court that Alta’s policy had no genuine reason for the ban but simply harboured a private bias. “It’s about deciding you don’t like a group of people,” he said in court.
The Forest Service, which issues the permits for the resort to use public land was also represented in court, as they claimed that a court decision in favour of the boarders could open a ‘floodgate’ of litigation from special interest groups regarding federal lands.
The case continues while the district judge considers the various testimony…
