Tomas Sbertoli: Hi! I am Tomas Sbertoli, Director of Snowsports here at Wintergreen Resort in Virginia. When talking about skiing or riding, it's always important to remember safety. There are seven responsibility codes in view of your safety that are universal to both skiing and snowboarding. The first and most important is that you should be able to stop and control your speed and direction in such a manner that you can look out for other skiers and objects as you move down the hill. The second is to make sure that you stop off to the side of the trail where you don't obstruct a trail and make sure that you are visible from above. The third is when starting downhill or merging with another trail, that you yield to other skiers who are already on the slope. Once you are on the slope skiing, the fourth thing is that you are always aware of the skiers downhill from you. You are always making sure that you adjust to them because they can't see behind them.

The fifth thing is having a safety device, either a runaway leash on a snowboard or snow breaks on your skis. So that if you do fall and they come off, they won't take off down the hill and become a projectile or an unsafe missile for other people. The sixth responsibility code is the ability to load, ride and unload a chairlift safely. The seventh responsibility code is to obey all trail signs, postings and stay out of closed areas.