On March 2 and 3, 2019, Ray Gates presented a case summary of the Barker v. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe trial to participant members at the Association of Ski Defense Attorneys (ASDA) in Lake Louise, Alberta. ASDA is an international association of defense attorneys recognized for their expertise and experience in defending ski resorts as well as water sports and recreational venues and participants. Ray’s presentation focused on issues peculiar to the Barker trial including in-bound closure operating procedures and mountain operations as well as ski patrol guidelines, regulations, training, signage, and boundary line/gate usage. Ray also discussed the trial presentation of resort online material available to the public as well as ski ticket release of liability language and state and county rules regarding assumption of the risk. Ray also discussed the use of technology and animation as well as photography and videography presented to the jury, consisting of non-skiers, regarding the risks of downhill skiing and why skiers should familiarize themselves with available information including trail maps.
On January 23, 2019, Ray Gates and Artak Paskevichyan presented a case summary of the Barker v. Mt. Rose trial to participants at the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) 2019 Western Winter Conference and Trade Show in Snowbird, Utah. Their presentation examined the legal issues regarding in bound avalanches including closure issues, ski safety and inherent risk, legal issues, snow safety mitigation, guest education, incident investigations, Forest Service permit and relationships as well as applicable mountain operations. The presentation also included guest safety considerations and interplay with the inherent risk of alpine skiing.