Denver, CO – Ski resorts across the country are planning special events and activities to promote the National Ski Areas Association’s (NSAA) annual National Safety Month in January.

Special safety-related programs and activities will take place all month long to raise awareness and demonstrate the many ways guests can keep safe on the slopes every day. Activities include a wide array of hands-on demonstrations by ski patrol such as bringing guests on patrol sweeps at the end of the day, demonstrating training exercises, and many more interactive safety experiences. Additionally, some resorts’ highly trained avalanche dogs will show off their impressive skills in avalanche response simulations, an annual favorite for guests. Kids anywhere can register online to enter the NSAA National Safety Month poster contest.

Guests visiting Park City in Utah can meet the resort’s avalanche rescue dogs on many dates throughout the season, including Jan. 1, 2, 8, 15, 22 and 29. The meet-and-greet with Park City’s avalanche dogs and patrollers takes place on the Ski Beach in Canyons Village at 4:30 p.m. each Friday.

In Colorado, Arapahoe Basin is hosting a Safety Village in the base area from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Jan. 16-17. Guests can meet the Arapahoe Basin avalanche rescue dogs in the Safety Village and share cake while learning more about skier and rider safety on the mountain. Representatives from Centura Health’s Think First program will be talking about the importance of helmets and will have 100 helmets on hand to give away. Donations will be happily accepted. In addition, Summit County Search and Rescue Group will be in the Safety Village with one of their rescue trucks.

All month long, Winter Park Resort will be holding a “Know The Code” raffle and if guests can answer specific questions about the Skier Responsibility Code, they’ll be entered in a raffle where the grand prize is a Winter Park season pass.  Winter Park Ski Patrol will also be holding its annual Poster Contest, where local 4th, 5th, and 6th graders create a poster depicting an aspect of the code that will be displayed throughout the month in the Balcony House.  At the end of the month, those who created the best posters as judged by patrol get a chance to be a Ski Patroller for a day, enabling kids to see first-hand what Winter Park Ski Patrol does throughout the course of a day. Ski Patrol will also have a “Know The Code” booth at the base of Winter Park, educating passing visitors on the importance of the Your Responsibility Code.

During Copper Mountain’s Safety Fest Jan. 16-17, the Colorado resort’s Burning Stones Plaza transforms into Safety Village with tents featuring National Ski Patrol signing up guests for mountain sweeps, Summit County Rescue Group offering backcountry awareness and beacon training, Copper Mountain Ski Patrol Avalanche Dogs demonstrating how dogs are trained, and more. Guests who visit all Safety Village vendors are entered in the daily raffle to win helmets, lift tickets, season passes and other prizes. In addition, a Flight for Life helicopter will land on Saturday, January 16, at approximately 10 a.m. at Patrol Headquarters, located at the top of the Excelerator and Super Bee chairlifts, weather dependent.

In Vermont, ski resorts will host a variety of events and contests including scavenger hunts, helmet head contests, raffles, films and more. Mount Snow is refreshing safety awareness signs throughout the resort using humor and photos to successfully convey safety messages. The resort will visit local schools to discuss “Your Responsibility Code” and terrain park safety. Local students, as well as those at ski school will participate in the NSAA Safety Poster Contest. Kids can take part in the “Your Responsibility Code” scavenger hunt on beginner terrain. Mount Snow has also been working on a new Chairlift Safety Program and as always, ambassadors and ski patrol will encourage skiing and riding etiquette and the signature “Go With The Flow” safety campaign.

Okemo Mountain Resort will commemorate National Safety Awareness Month by hosting Vermont’s own PHAT team (Protect Your Head at All Times) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Monday, Jan. 18. The Vermont Snow Sports Research Team, a partnership of Vermont Children’s Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and the University of Vermont College of Medicine will be on location to help educate skiers and riders about helmet use. On Sunday, Jan. 24, Okemo’s photo team will be out and about in search of the best Helmet Head, an annual celebration of the matted mess of hair that occurs only when skiers and riders remove that most important piece of safety equipment – their helmet.

Sugarbush Resort will be running several different themed events throughout National Safety Month. The Ski & Ride School will host educational activities for children weekly including helmet safety, chairlift safety, and park safety.  The resort will also hold weekly guest activities including Meet the Ski Patrol on January 9^th, Meet the Snowmakers & Groomers on January 17^th, Meet the Parks Team on January 23^rd, and Meet the Fish & Game Warden on January 30^th. Each of these events will also have a kids and family activity station including the High Fives Basics Film, coloring, crafts, hot chocolate, and snacks. The resort will also have helmet discounts, discounted equipment function tests, and weekly employee activities to maintain the connection between personal safety and the commitment to guest safety. Finally, the resort will be participating in the NSAA Poster Contest throughout the month, with materials provided around the resort for those who want to participate.

This is but a sampling of National Safety Month events scheduled throughout January at ski resorts across the U.S. Consult your favorite resort’s events calendar for more opportunities to learn how to be safe on the slopes.