---
title: Mountain Etiquette and the Responsibility Code
skill: follow essential safety rules on the slopes
tags:
- fundamentals
- safety
image: mountain-etiquette.jpg
image_source: https://youtu.be/YWd4hC8tLag
image_credit: Ski California
image_credit_url: https://www.youtube.com/@skicalifornia2844
image_title: "Mountain Safety Guide Video Series 3: Safety for New Skiers and Riders | From Ski California"
image_clip: https://youtu.be/YWd4hC8tLag?2:11
prerequisite:
- introduction
- how-to-fall
- getting-up-from-a-fall
authors:
- renec112
published: 2026-10-24
---

These are the basic safety rules you need to know when you're just starting out on the mountain. Every resort posts them as the Responsibility Code, and following them keeps you and everyone else safe, letting you focus on learning and having fun.

## Before you go
When you're new to skiing, it's best to take a lesson. Instructors will teach you how to ski safely and responsibly. The next best alternative is to have an experienced skier or snowboarder friend teach you.

## Key safety rules
1.  **Ski to your ability:** Stick to beginner terrain, usually marked with green circles. Don't push yourself onto harder slopes until you can control your speed and stop reliably.
2.  **Control your speed and direction:** Always be able to stop and avoid other people or obstacles. Look ahead to see where you're going and who's in front of you. People below you have the right of way and can't see you coming.
3.  **Observe signs and closed areas:** Pay attention to all trail signs and never enter a closed area. They're closed for a reason, often due to hazards or ongoing work.
4.  **Stop safely:** If you need to stop, move to the side of the trail where you won't block others. Make sure you're visible from above, so never stop just below a rise or a blind corner.
5.  **Yield at merges:** When trails come together, slow down, look uphill, and yield to the skiers and riders already on the merging trail.
6.  **Use the lifts properly:** Know how to load, ride and unload before you get in line, and keep your pole straps off your wrists on the lift.

Learn more here:

https://youtu.be/YWd4hC8tLag

*[Ski California](https://www.youtube.com/@skicalifornia2844) · [Mountain Safety Guide Video Series 3: Safety for New Skiers and Riders | From Ski California](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWd4hC8tLag)*