Judge rules against snowboarders in ski resort suit

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge in Utah on Tuesday tossed a lawsuit brought by snowboarders against one of the last ski resorts in the country to prohibit their sport, ruling that boarders don’t have a constitutional right to practice their sport at the private resort.  

The ruling is a victory for Alta Ski Area east of Salt Lake City, which argued that its decision to promote a snowboarder-free experience to lure skiers is within the ski area’s rights and violates no constitutional rights.

U.S. District Judge Dee Benson’s 30-page ruling marked a decisive moment in a court battle that has reignited a long-festering culture clash on the slopes between skiers and snowboarders. The two other resorts that ban snowboarding are Deer Valley, also in Utah, and Mad River Glen in Vermont.

“Plaintiffs’ case fails because there is no law to support it,” Benson wrote. “The Equal Protection Clause is not a general fairness law that allows everyone who feels discriminated against to bring an action in federal court.”

The snowboarders filed the lawsuit in January claiming discrimination on national forest lands that make up most of the Alta ski area in the mountains east of Salt Lake City. They argued that the ban is discriminatory and based on outdated stereotype, and encouraged “hostile and divisive skier-versus-snowboarder attitudes.”

Rick Thaler, an attorney representing Alta, said the ruling acknowledges that the rule is simply a way to provide their customers a unique experience.

The Court agreed that it was simply a decision made by a private business about equipment, and not a ban on people or based on animus against anyone,” Thaler said.