"Do you know how fast you were going through that slow zone son?"

Vail Resorts, as of mid-January, has ramped up their playing nanny on the hill. The on hill "police" have started dishing out speeding tickets to people going "too fast". What is too fast you ask? It is really up to that person playing cop that day. Make sure no one out of control is speeding through slow zones, with a possibility that they may hit someone, seems legit enough right? Sorta. Who are typically going fast, BUT, in control? Experienced skiers and snowboarders (and the occasional gaper that think bombing a run is the bees knees). Who is more likely to catch flak from ski patrol and get one of these speeding tickets? I think you can answer that for yourself. It's a rather interesting concept and hasn't gone without backlash from season pass holders.

Local reports regarding speeding tickets are as follows:

Ducking ropes huh? Shame shame.

In reference to Garrett's comment, "I love people that hold a prejudice against locals and park rats." I can say that this also holds true at my home mountain. The kids who are dressed in baggier clothes, whether they are 7 or 27, will be harassed by our favorite local liftie "Mike" about passes every time they get off the lift (while not bothering to check anyone else), going too fast, or even the ridiculous claim of hitting a little rut as a jump that was under the lift (didn't even duck a rope or fence) claiming it was dangerous. To put this into perspective and to hit the lift you would have to send it Joffrey Pollard-Villet style and go 25 feet straight up in to the air. Ironically, a fence was placed in front of it the next day.

A thread popped up on January 26th discussing this ordeal. Here are some of the responses:

As I digress, is this policing of speed and danger with tickets the future of Vail Resorts? Is there a better way to police these zones? Leave a comment below with your thoughts on this.