10 Ski Industry Acronyms Attorneys Need to Know

The language set specific to an injury case is essential to litigation, and couldn’t be more important than in the ski industry. This article explains what many of the acronyms stand for, and a brief description of their role in the ski industry.

• PSIA – Professional Ski Instructors of America. PSIA develops and maintains the national standards for ski instruction in the United States, and their overarching role is to promote safety through education of the skiing public.
• AASI – American Association of Snowboard Instructors. AASI is the sister organization of PSIA, and plays essentially the same role for snowboarders.
• PSIA-AASI Level 1, 2, & 3 Certifications. These are internationally recognized certifications for Alpine, Telemark, Cross-Country, and Adaptive skiing and Snowboarding. Levels 1, 2, & 3 certifications are for beginner, intermediate, and advanced/expert skiing levels, respectively.
• PSIA Accreditations. These accreditations consist of the following.
  • CS1 & CS2 – Children’s Specialist.
  • FS1, FS2, & FS3 – Freestyle Specialist.
  • Senior Specialist.
• USSA – United States Ski and Snowboard Association, aka U. S. Ski & Snowboard. This organization is the governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding in the United States. USSA certifies coaches and officials, and enforces rules, regulations, and safety standards for competitions.
• L100 Race Coach and Official. L100 is the base level certification for ski racing coaches in the United States. L100 coaches must complete online courses, attend in-person clinics, and pass written and on-snow assessments.
• NSP – National Ski Patrol. The NSP is a volunteer organization that supports the professional ski patrol and plays a crucial role in providing emergency care and promoting safety at many ski areas in the United States. 
• ASTM – American Society for Testing and Materials. ASTM has over 150 technical committees with over 2,100 subcommittees. Committee F27 on Snow and Water Sports originates and maintains many standards for snowsports.
• ANSI – American National Standards Institute. ANSI relies on Accredited Standards Developers (ASD) to originate and maintain national standards. The main standard for the ski industry is ANSI B77.1 that provides standards for tramways, chairlifts, and tows.
• NSAA – National Ski Area Association.  Per their 2023-24 Annual Report, NSAA has 356 member ski areas. Among other important industry functions, the NSAA is the ASD for ANSI B77.1, and is the steward of “Your Responsibility Code“, and promotes the adoption of the code by member ski areas.

The above list is not exhaustive, but explains the main professional organizations that share the overarching purpose of improving the safety of snowsports and the enjoyment of snowsports patrons. It’s important to note the adoption and compliance with the policies and the standards of the above organizations by skiers, snowboarders, and ski areas  is voluntary. There are also many states that have statutes governing skier, snowboarder, and ski area responsibilities and safety.

When it comes to litigating a ski accident, the issues faced by the litigants and the court are typically duty of care and cause-in-fact of the accident. The big questions are usually what was the duty of care of each of the parties, who breached that duty of care, what was the cause-in-fact, and what harm resulted from that cause? This is where an expert can bring clarity and value to the case.

Although the above organizations have standards and guidelines that are voluntary, they can establish the duty of care, the responsibilities of the parties, and influence the decisions made by a judge and jury. Furthermore, a state’s skier responsibility or safety statute is usually generalized and does not answer specific questions, such as, “what would a reasonably prudent person or organization do in that situation?” Again, this is where an snowsports expert can perform a forensic analysis, determine the facts, clarify how the standards, guidelines, and statutes influence each other and apply to the specific situation, and provide expert opinions to answer these complicated questions.

Do you have a ski or snowsports accident or injury case where you are baffled by the acronyms or are faced with complicated questions? Are you unsure if you have a case, or just don’t know where to start? Email me at randy@snowsportsexpert.com, or just give me a call at (208) 972-4670 for a free consultation.