TRUCKEE, Calif. – Community education is the goal of Northstar Resort staff through several fun, interactive events in support of the National Ski Areas Association’s National Safety Awareness Week, Jan. 19-27.

“The safety of all of our guests and employees on the slopes is incredibly important to us,” said Bill Rock, chief operating officer at Northstar. “The ‘Play It Safe Campaign’ we’ve been implementing this season and last is an example of our ongoing effort to promote the skier and rider responsibility code by educating guests on safe, practical measures they can implement to make their experience on the mountain more enjoyable for everyone.”

In advance of National Safety Awareness Week, Northstar’s ski patrol partnered with High Fives, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for winter action sports athletes who have suffered a life-altering injury, to speak to students about the importance of avalanche awareness and safety. Alongside a team of guest speakers coordinated by High Fives that included professional athletes and coaches, Northstar patrollers presented to nearly 900 local students about the “B.A.S.I.C.S.” of using good judgment.

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High Fives will again partner with Northstar to help deliver the skier and rider safety message on Sunday, Jan. 20 for National Safety Day. Avalanche experts, professional athletes and ski patrollers will kick the day off with videos, a question and answer session and an avalanche safety equipment show and tell, 9-11 a.m. In the afternoon, 15 youths who were involved with the B.A.S.I.C.S. program will join Northstar’s Ski Patrol for on-hill demonstrations and a question and answer session in the ski patrol locker room.

“Play It Safe, Play All Season”

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Throughout the course of the week, the resort’s complimentary “Meet the Mountain Safety Tours” will highlight important safety tips all skiers and riders should be aware of, and will be offered daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guests will also have the opportunity to ski with a Northstar ski patroller and sweep the mountain at the end of the day with a patroller throughout the week.

Kids of all ages can explore the Snow Cat Open House to better understand how Northstar snow cat operators groom the mountain to maintain the snow surface, and are invited to participate in a Safety Week Poster Contest every day at the Kid’s Ski and Board School. “Play It Safe, Play All Season” is a progressive slope safety campaign implemented at all Vail Resorts’ mountain resorts. Utilizing universal yellow caution signage, its slope-side signs are easily recognized by international guests. The primary focus is to enforce the rules of skiing and snowboarding on the mountain, allowing ski patrol to focus on the care and transport of injured guests. This message is relayed at several on-mountain locations including the ticket office, slow zones, areas where trails merge and at the base of chair lifts and Big Springs Gondola.

For more information on the week’s events, visit http://www.NorthstarCalifornia.com.