"serious penalties for riding off piste" - T or F?

[wells 0]

I just read somewhere that "there are serious penalties for riding off piste (in Japan)".

 

Is that true or not? I thought I'd ask the obvious in the know gang!

 

Hi from England!

[damian 0]

hello Wells,

 

The natural penalty is death. Nature does not always hand down that penalty though. It is up to you if you want to risk that penalty.

 

Nearly all Japanese resorts have strict rules and ropes everywhere (to the extent that resort riding sucks and is about as natural as a bowling alley). There may be mountains of rules and restrictions but I don't know of any resorts that have penalties beyond taking your pass off you. Big deal. (unlike in the states where you can get arrested).

 

As I'm sure you already know, riding off-piste in Europe generally means off the groomed run and in the trees or general expanses of snow on the mountain that are not an actual piste, just part of the mountain which you are free to ride. You can't even do that in most Japanese resorts without ducking the ropes designed to stop you from doing it. Freedom is not an option (but there are no real penalties fore trying to gain freedom. Except for death.)

[number9 0]

Some resorts explicitly write in their warnings that they'll remove your pass for riding off course, others only state that they'll charge you with very hefty rescue fees if you need to be rescued for going off course. Latter ones seem to be more sensible, assuming that patrols aren't addtionally hunting for people going off course to take away their passes. Being on shorter skiis I usually don't go off course, so I wouldn't know.