Quebec ski association urges caution on slopes after recent deaths

The Quebec ski stations association (ASSQ) is urging those hitting the slopes to not let the excitement at the recent snowfalls get in the way of safety.

A man died after he fell at on Mont Avila in Piedmont earlier this week, four days after a 15-year-old died after he fell from a ski lift in Morin Heights, about 10 kilometres away.

"Recent incidents remind everyone of the importance of responsible behaviour to safely enjoy winter and increase pleasure in the mountains," the ASSQ said in a news release.

The association is working with the Quebec Education Ministry and launched the safety awareness campaign: "Good skier, good sport."

There is an online quiz to test skiers' and snowboarders' knowledge and a safety page on the ASSQ website.

Posts on social media depicting inappropriate behaviour, the association says, have made ski hills more dangerous in recent years.

"Safety is a shared responsibility between ski resorts and visitors," said ASSQ CEO Yves Juneau. "For years, the ASSQ has been implementing concrete actions to raise awareness about safety at ski resorts. Many social media channels, unfortunately, highlight inappropriate behaviours, such as drug or alcohol consumption or forgetting to lower the ski lift safety bar. This is why we decided this year to expand our safety awareness actions and because of tragic incidents that increase the concerns of ski area operators."

There are videos on the association's YouTube channel about how to correctly use chairlifts, T-bar surface lifts, magic carpets and gondolas.

A Quebec coroner asked provincial and federal ski bodies to review their training and safety practices regarding T-bar lifts after a six-year-old girl died when she was dragged by a T-bar lift during a lesson in January last year at the Val-St-Come ski resort in Lanaudiere.

The ASSQ is a non-profit organization that represents 75 ski areas in the province.